Today, we speak with JD Hogue, a statistician and music therapist, to discuss the relevance of effective data collection as a clinician.  JD shares how effective data collection and communication is crucial for advocacy and improving your practice.

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month! This week we are celebrating what it means to be differently abled and how music therapy can support the abilities and needs of those with Down Syndrome.

Today Ellisa discusses literature on intergenerational music therapy. This kind of programming is the bringing together of multiple generations in a group music therapy setting. From cognitive stimulation, to physical function to social connections, music can bridge the gaps and make a common ground for amazing intergenerational experiences.

I will leave you with a final quote from the authors “it is possible that these young people are more familiar and comfortable with chaos than we are as music therapists. It may then be counter-intuitive to attempt to eliminate chaos so that we can experience ordered, highly structured groups at odds with the environments to which young people return.”

GIM is also known as The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music because it was developed by Dr. Helen Bonny. She was a pioneer in the music therapy field and was one of the first people to understand that music has a profound impact on a person’s psyche and went as far as to make it her life’s work to do research on the subject and develop her own method of music therapy.