Author: arielweissberger

Songs For Father’s Day

1.Beautiful boy (John Lennon)

This is one of the happiest songs I can think of. John Lennon was genius at expressing the feeling of an experience in a song. This one is about being a dad to Sean, the only child he had with Yoko. John sounds so excited about being a dad, he can barely control himself. It seems he was enjoying every moment of it but at the same time could not wait for Sean to grow up. This joyful restraint is evidenced in the music’s patient pace. Look at him goofing around in the video.  (more…)

Afro-Cuban Music to Enhance the Moment

This past week, a very wise 93 year old patient told me: “stop and smell the flowers and feel the summer breeze because it goes quicker than you can imagine”.

As the summer approaches I encourage you to listen to warm music that will enhance the feeling of the season.   I have attached a video of the Afro Cuban All-Stars that may help you get in a festive summer mood. (more…)

Songs for Mom

Mother’s Day can bring up a wide mixture of feelings and emotions. Love, happiness, sadness, loss, anger, guilt, safety, comfort; the relationship we have with our mothers is always rich in depth, and therapists and artists love exploring it.

Below we find a few examples of how different songwriters process some these emotions through song. (more…)

Music is Universal

I recently had the opportunity to work with some amazing people at Laguardia International High School. I was invited by art therapist Alicia Ballestas to give a workshop for students who immigrated from Latin American countries.

It was greatly inspiring to hear what these bright young minds had to say.

These are some of the main points we discussed: (more…)

Processing An Event Creatively With Groups

I recently did a presentation at the MAR-AMTA Music Therapy Conference in Scranton, PA. I love attending and participating in conferences because I get inspired AND I get the opportunity to inspire others.

In my presentation, I shared with an enthusiastic group of people some ideas on how we can help others use music to improve the quality of their existence.  I proposed a multi-modal approach to helping children in medical rehabilitation develop coping, social, and self assessment skills. (more…)

Great Latin Songs

There is a world beyond La Bamba, Cielito Lindo and Guantanamera. The Latin songbook is incredibly rich and beautiful. The following songs are only a few that will help you connect with Latin culture.

(more…)

On Hope and Survival

Today is Yom Hashoa; Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day. On this day we commemorate the death of approximately 6 million Jews who were systematically and methodically murdered by the Nazis.

Among those murdered were my grandfather’s parents and three of his brothers. My grandfather was part of approximately 20% of Slovakian Jews who somehow managed to survive. His name was Berko. (more…)

Mourning Music

I recently lost my beloved grandfather Emmanuel Wapinski. In Judaism, we do not play or listen to music during grief. However, I thought about music written for bereavement in other cultures, and songs that express loss. Here are the examples I came up with. (more…)

Music and Peak Performance

We often see athletes wearing fancy headphones while stretching and warming up before a game. It is not just a fashion statement, but an actual aide for achieving peak performance.  Our thoughts, emotions and concentration, deeply affect our performance in whatever task we engage. (more…)