Music therapy can be experienced in so many different ways, depending on the context, the people, what the people are wanting to do, and how they relate to music.

 

"Music therapy is the professional use of music and its elements as an intervention in medical, educational, and everyday environments with individuals, groups, families, or communities who seek to optimize their quality of life and improve their physical, social, communicative, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual health and wellbeing. Research, practice, education, and clinical training in music therapy are based on professional standards according to cultural, social, and political contexts." (WFMT, 2011)

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Within my Music Therapy and Counseling services, I understand music to be a resource that can be used as an extension of self-energy (more on that here). In this context we might: ​

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• Listen to, recreate, and analyze a song that is speaking to you in some way, particularly to find deeper meanings and connect it back to your own experience

• Write a song to express yourself, perhaps even writing a song for a part of yourself

• Make music up in real time (aka "improvising") to practice being in the moment, risk-taking, and getting out of our heads

• And so on .... 

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Within my Gender Affirming Voicework services, I understand music to be a unique way of exploring the voice that fosters playfulness and creativity (both of which are needed when trying to voice in new and different ways). In this context we might:

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• Use music to warm-up our voices and bodies

• Explore the inherent musicality of our own speech and singing

• Use songs to access different vocal qualities than your speech

• Use music to "play" with your voice

• And so on ....

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Again, music therapy can be really different depending on the context. I'm here to explore what it looks like for you!

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