Transformational Health Music Therapy Blog

Our group talked about the diversity of our clients and how to best meet their needs. I was inspired by fellow music therapists and even a music therapy intern. It was a refreshing time, and I hope you join us in the coming month on Friday, March 12 at 5 pm PST!

Our first Music Therapy Zoom Happy Hour was a success! We had the chance to talk with other music therapists and discuss challenges of practicing music therapy during the pandemic.

Wait, YMCA…the Church…how do these two things connect? Well, they don’t really, except that I managed to work the song into a music experience that I recently presented to a group of pastors and ministry leaders.

I’m excited to officially share the news - Transformational Health Music Therapy Services (THMTS) and Ictus Strategic Marketing (ISM) are creating a music therapy podcast! This is in the works as I type this blog post, and I’m stoked! On our podcast, Mark and I (Jill) talk about the world of music therapy through stories, interviews, and our experience launching and running our music therapy practice, Transformational Health Music Therapy Services.

As you can well imagine, my hospice patient visits have been reduced considerably due to Covid-19 restrictions. I have missed my one-on-one visits with my hospice patients, but I am thankful for the willingness of facilities to allow me to make outdoor window/courtyard visits.

Anxiety, depression, suicide, abuse…these are real issues facing our teens today, and I have had the opportunity to sit in a room with adolescents going through these unimaginable challenges.

I was invited to speak at a Parkinson’s support group at the Murrieta Senior Center last week, and I am so grateful for the experience. There was a great turnout, and those who were there couldn’t have been a better audience. We did vocal warmups, played instruments, and discussed music therapy and its benefits specifically for people who have Parkinson’s Disease.

I spoke at a family/caregiver support group last week at Blossom Grove in Redlands, CA. It was an honor to sit with family members and friends of loved ones experiencing the difficult journey of Alzheimer’s and/or Dementia. If any of you who attended are reading this, I sincerely thank you for opening up and sharing your ideas, suggestions, difficulties, and joys as you walk through this difficult journey.

I had the honor and privilege of having a booth at the Happiest Expo on Earth - hosted by Culver-Newlin. Thanks to their awesome director of sales and marketing - Devyn Goss - I got to provide a booth that was different from the rest of the school furniture companies around me.

In this blog post, I talk about the potential for music therapy with clients who have had total laryngectomees. There is not a lot of research out there with this population, but what is available is promising.

This is Nichoel. She’s a friend and a colleague, and she has an uncanny resemblance to Keri Russell. :) You don’t see it? Trust me, you would agree if you talked with her in person. Regardless of my own random opinion, we can all agree that she has a lot to teach us about EMDR.

Breathing - Speaking - Living - this is the tagline for Atos Medical, the world leader in Laryngectomy Care. Last month, I had the honor and privilege to be a guest on their live virtual event: One Voice, One World: Celebrating Survivorship.

The host and all of the guests (other than me) were cancer survivors - not just people who have survived an unimaginable situation but are thriving - because of it.

I had the opportunity to partner with Music4Health for a virtual songwriting event on April 29. This was provided in celebration of the Month of the Military Child. We worked alongside CAARNG Child and Youth Programs, and we had a blast!

These are my friends. This is one small piece of my tribe. I miss them; I miss my tribe. This picture captures what I’m feeling and thinking during this time of physical distancing - a little fed up, stressed out, and just ready to be done with it. Does physical distancing = social isolation? Does virtual communication successfully replace the need for face-to-face communication and physical touch?

As I’ve been building my business this past year, I have spent much of my time working with residents in memory care facilities, providing group music therapy. In this setting I work on the following goals:

Providing social interaction and normalization for a child with a long-term hospital stay is a key goal in music therapy.

I am pleased to introduce you to Cristina at Blossom Grove Alzheimer’s Special Care Center for this month’s THMTS Client Spotlight! Cristina has been Program Director at Blossom Grove for 7 years, and her commitment to quality and excellent care is evident to everyone who interacts with her.

Cristina passionately shares her love for doing what she does:

Meet Teri, Activity Coordinator at Plymouth Village: The Lodge, in Redlands, CA for our October Client Spotlight! Teri spent a year volunteering at Plymouth Village, and in that time, she realized that working with seniors gave her purpose and passion. Teri shared with me, “I prayed for an opening where my skills and talents might be utilized, and the Activity Coordinator position became available!”

Wendy began working at Meadowbrook as the Assistant to the Memory Care Activities Director in 2017 and is now the Activities Director of Skilled Nursing and Memory Care. She tells me how she experiences joy by not only providing a safe and secure environment for her residents, but also by providing a variety of crafts, games, and musical activities that bring joy to her residents and their families.

Wendy shares what inspires her to provide music therapy and other activities to her residents:

“I love to be that person who puts a smile on residents’ faces. I loved being a caregiver, but I hated seeing the sadness and pain that the residents go through on a daily basis, so I was inspired to apply for the Community Life Director position. I have always loved taking care of others - even as a child. My motivation to be where I am today stems from that love.”

“What I love most about my job is walking into the Memory Care Unit first thing in the morning and seeing the residents recognize me. They may not remember my name, but they always recognize my face and my voice. What’s even better is knowing that I get to help people journey through a difficult season of life, bringing joy and compassionate caring into their worlds when they feel alone and isolated.”