Jill's Blog

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.