Blog| Notes
Fran Herman – Music Therapy Pioneer, Colleague, Friend, Mentor
For over 50 years, Fran Herman has used her special talents as a music therapist, advocate, artist and leader to change the lives of many people. From early on Fran has worked tirelessly to promote music therapy, making it available to everyone regardless of age,...
Group Drumming Disregards Dementia
Every month, Donna brought her husband to the senior's centre for a "drum circle," a music therapy program designed specifically for individuals with dementia, their loved ones and caregivers. Music Therapists, since the beginning of the music therapy profession,...
4 Ways To Strengthen Your Equity Lens – tips for the 2016 Therapist
* for those that may not know, the term 'Equity' is now also being used in a non-financial context..read on for more information. My colleague, Cynthia Bruce, is a researcher focused on equity issues in inclusive education in both public and post-secondary settings...
Stop the Car! I can’t handle your music for one more minute.
We have a rule in our family – the driver is in charge of choosing the music for the duration of the driving time. Prior to the trip, I didn’t give this much thought as I am typically in control of the car. The music for this long drive, however, was under the control...
Music Therapy in Palliative Care – preserving one’s legacy with music
Being aware of your personal soundtrack can have some profound consequences. For Gwen, music enabled her to become all that she could be just a month before she would die. Gwen, a fifty-five-year old, sat in a warmly decorated room near the window. Sixteen months...
25th Anniversary VIDEO and MESSAGE
(the following is the speech Jennifer Buchanan opened the Afternoon of Song/Anniversary Celebration on Saturday June 11, 2016 - all photos by Christina Ryan) Good Afternoon! It truly is a great honour to have you all here today. I’m honestly a bit surprised to be...
Tune In Book: Finalist in Indie Book Awards
CALGARY — A collection of stories and strategies for using music with intention to improve health and relationships, is a finalist in TWO categories (Health and Wellness and Self-Help) at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2016 happening in Chicago on May 11. Tune...
Where We Started – 25 Years Ago
JB Music Therapy had its beginnings in Surrey, British Columbia where Jennifer Buchanan visited her grandfather at a long-term healthcare facility; most of the time he would be unresponsive during these visits. Prior to his stroke, Grandad was miserable and Jennifer...
Purposeful Playlists for Life
Technology has changed enough over the last decade to allow us to take our entire music library with us and to arrange it into playlists for particular purposes. Because music can now be “on demand,” - it makes the creation of purposeful playlists accessible and...
The Problem with Music at Christmas – 5 ideas to help
Christmas music is everywhere and for some people it seems to be starting earlier and earlier each year. Memories of ‘Christmas Past’ flood back during the first bars of “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” and for some a happiness chord is struck, joy is released, a...