For Music Lovers
Alice Grandon and a Lifetime of Accordion Music
I met Alice Grandon at North Point Nursing Home. She was playing her accordion for the residents there, as she often has done since the facility first opened in 1995 as the Louisburg Care Center. Her performance that day was dynamic and engaging. You could tell just by watching that Grandon plays for the residents…
Read MoreSeasons of Advocacy
This post is about music therapy for older adults. If you love both of those – music therapy and older adults – then I am calling on you to be an advocate, to help more older adults have access to meaningful, therapeutic music experiences. We can all be advocates by using our voices and energy…
Read More4 Times To Use Music To Support ADLs
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s Disease or a related dementia is this: When the person with dementia starts needing help with their activities of daily living (ADLs). ADLs are the basic tasks like dressing, bathing, eating, and walking that healthy adults can accomplish with little thought. For…
Read MoreMusic Therapists Do It Differently: Session Planning
Music Therapists Do It Differently
Is it music therapy? Say you walk by a room in a hospital, and you see a person lying in bed, and a woman sitting next to her, singing “Bridge Over Troubled Water” while strumming a guitar. Maybe you think, “oh, how lovely. Music is so relaxing!” Or maybe you pass the activity room in…
Read MoreTwo Thomas Dorseys
I have to start this post with a confession. A while ago, I had a music therapy client request the song “Take My Hand, Precious Lord.” I had known the song for a while, but when I looked up the lyrics this time around, I noticed that the composer listed was Thomas Dorsey. “Huh,” I…
Read MoreUnleashing the Power of Age: Leonard Cohen
Self-Care Isn't Selfish
17 Fascinating Facts About Irish Music
In preparation for St. Patrick’s Day on March 17, here are 17 fun facts about Irish music: 1. The Irish value their music so much that an Irish harp is pictured on their euro coins. 2. In Irish stepdance, dancers keep their upper bodies stiff while doing intricate footwork. 3. Step dancers wear two kinds…
Read MoreKansas City Jazz: Charlie Parker
Miles Davis once said that the history of jazz could be summed up in four words: “Louie Armstrong. Charlie Parker.” How cool is it that the second half refers to a musician who grew up here in Kansas City? Charlie Parker was born in Kansas City, KS and raised in Kansas City, MO. He attended…
Read More