music therapy Tag

Oliver Sacks’s Life Lessons

A few weeks ago, the great neurologist/writer Oliver Sacks reflected in a New York Times column on the experience of turning 80 years old.

He embraces the new experience of approaching the end of his life.

“I often feel that life is about to begin, only to realize it is almost over.”

(more…)

Classic Renditions Of The Star Spangled Banner

Performances of the American national anthem are often surrounded by all sorts of controversy.  The traditionalists believe that a patriotic anthem should not be disrespected with personal stylistic alterations interpreted by the performing artist. Others argue that the freedom and individuality conveyed by the interpreter may symbolize the core values the country was founded on. Either way, the music can be challenging to sing because of its melodic shape and not-so-easy-to-remember lyrics. It is often performed in widely broadcasted events, and thus we have some interesting performances captured for the ages.  (more…)

The Mind Behind the MegaFauna: An Interview With Noah Lit

After his indie rock band Oliver Future broke up, songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Noah Lit dug deep into his soul (a.k.a his record collection) to find a new direction. A mixture of Django chords with Mingus arrangements, atmospheric acoustic textures and apocalyptic lyrics, creates a curious intricate monster that sounds something like “Radiohead songs played in the 1930’s”. (more…)

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…)

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…)

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…)