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Therapeutic Musical Interventions
Services & Programs
Virtual Sessions
Our Virtual music offerings are available through the services tab on our website. A monthly subscription allows our participants and caretakers to participate in live daily sessions and access some pre-recorded sessions for later use and convenience.
Simply click on the date and time of the session and view the singer's description and theme of the session. The day of the event - one hour in advance MHM will send an email with a Zoom meeting link. Click on the link and enjoy a full 45-minute interactive concert with a world-class singer from the comfort of your own home.
Songs and theme requests can be made to customize the session one week in advance by emailing info@music-heals-minds.org. Every session has some familiar and some new songs in various styles and genres to stimulate brain activity. Our musicians are Alzheimer's and Dementia certified by the NCCDP (National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners) and our programs are overseen by a licensed music therapist.
Our virtual Zoom session singers are able to share clips and interactive trivia that stimulates the arousal and attention system of the brain which can reduce or inhibit responses like agitation, boredom, or sleepiness.
Our programs specialize in limbic system intervention and regulation. Ultimately, we aim to reduce stress, improve healing, facilitate the return of motor coordination, provide and re-enforce a sense of social bonding, community and activate the HOME circuit (Human Oxytocin Mediated Empathy) leaving our participants with a lasting feeling of well being and comfort.
In-Person
Our live program sessions take place in person at your care facility. We cater to all members of the community but specialize in catering to Enliven Units all over Los Angeles County.
Our musical team is composed of musicians highly sought out in the music industry, with a passion for music as a healing intervention. A singer and pianist or guitarist team (vaccinated and healthy) will perform in your community room or garden tailoring a 45-minute interactive music, movement, story, and trivia experience. Songs and theme requests can be made to customize the session to your community's needs. Every session has some familiar and some new songs in a variety of styles and genres to stimulate brain activity. Our musicians are Alzheimer's and Dementia certified by the NCCDP (National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners) and our programs are overseen by a licensed music therapist.
The goals of our weekly sessions are to address emotional regulation, cognitive prowess, to stimulate thoughts and memories, to improve circulation and respiratory function through movement and singing, and establish psychobiological brain states of curiosity and joy.
Despite brain impairment or severity of dementia, musical memories remain present in the limbic system and are resistant to decline. People participating in movement and musical activities may not know who you are or tell you what year it is. Still they will be able to sing you a song from their childhood and access memories and feelings from that association. These activities that were learned and ingrained in adolescence and young adulthood remain in their memory.
Our programs specialize in limbic system intervention and regulation. Ultimately, we aim to reduce stress, improve healing, facilitate the return of motor coordination, provide and re-enforce a sense of social bonding, community and activate the HOME circuit (Human Oxytocin Mediated Empathy) leaving our participants with a lasting feeling of well being and comfort.
Mentorship Program
Beneath the tidiness of emotional distance and the classification of gerontological care is the struggle to transcend the effects of trauma and aging and is among the noblest aspects of the human condition. Our program of matching a young musician with a senior is a form of limbic system therapy for both musician and senior. The goal is to expand the imagination, and to hope and possibilities. We need a connection to survive and regulate our nervous system.
Exile is the worst feeling a human can experience. Human connection is one of the most vital factors to our mental health and general well-being. As we age our connection to others is even more vitally important. Unfortunately, many elderly people find themselves alone or lonely in retirement or nursing homes, leading to a feeling of exile, depression, and decline in health.
According to The Suicide Prevention Resource Center, Adults ages 85+ have the highest rate of suicide & depression.
Solution: the "social capital" teen/senior program which leads to more connections. The decline in depression, loss of the feeling of importance, and musical limbic therapy, an increase in activity, story telling, events (recitals and correspondences) and a lifelong connection between two human being.
Our program, modeled after a similar concept in the UK, allows us to bring a personal music touch to seniors by directly pairing them with a young musician, who will correspond with them regularly about their musical journey and through virtual recitals and rehearsals. This allows both parties to know they are. not alone or forgotten and are vitally important to someone else.
The correspondence provides a nurturing and interested elder who cares about the musical progress and future of the young musician and a feeling of importance and usefulness for the senior.
