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World Music Therapy Week 2024

World Music Therapy Week 2024

by | Apr 3, 2024

This blog was written by Robin Neary and Amy Thomas. 

Happy World Music Therapy week! It brings us joy to know that all around the world music therapists are coming together to celebrate and educate our communities on our profession. This year, Upstate Music Therapy Center would like to take a moment and share what our profession is all about. To start, what is music therapy?

Music therapy is a type of therapy that uses music to help people improve their emotional, physical, cognitive, and social well-being. Music therapists are trained to use music in a variety of ways to help people achieve their therapeutic goals. They use evidence-based practice to discern what music therapy interventions will help their clients achieve their goals.

Music therapy can be used to help people with a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, autism, and dementia. It can also be used to help people cope with stress, trauma, and grief.

Music therapy can work in several ways. It can help to:

  • Regulate emotions
  • Improve mood
  • Reduce stress and anxiety
  • Promote relaxation
  • Enhance cognitive function
  • Improve communication skills
  • Promote social interaction
  • Boost self-confidence

Music therapy can be used in individual or group settings. A typical music therapy session may involve listening to music, playing instruments, singing, or moving to music. The specific activities that are used will be tailored to the individual’s needs and goals.

Here are some examples of what a music therapist could implement to help people with mental health conditions:

  • Use calming music to help a person with anxiety relax and reduce their symptoms
  • Use upbeat music to help a person with depression improve their mood and energy levels
  • Use songwriting to help a person with trauma process their experiences and express their emotions
  • Use group music therapy to help people with autism learn social skills and communication skills

Music therapy is a safe and effective treatment for a variety of mental health conditions. It is a non-invasive and enjoyable way to improve emotional, physical, cognitive, and social well-being.

If you are interested in learning more about music therapy, you can talk to your doctor or a mental health professional. You can also find a music therapist in your area by searching online or contacting the American Music Therapy Association. If you are located in the Rochester NY area, we would love to answer your questions or assist you or a family member in obtaining music therapy. Contact us today! 

Current Events: UMTC Plays at Webster Comfort Care Home

Current Events: UMTC Plays at Webster Comfort Care Home

by | Oct 6, 2023

On Tuesday, October 3rd Upstate Music Therapy Center employees joined the Webster Comfort Care Home community in honoring their residents. Webster Comfort Care Home is a non-profit community-based care home committed to providing compassionate care to the terminally ill and their families. Each year, they hold a memorial service for their residents who have passed.

Each resident was represented with a tea light around the home’s beautiful gardens. In 2023, there were over 200 residents and families supported by the home.

Comfort Care Home

While families enjoyed refreshments and snacks, UMTC and other valued members of the music community played background music for everyone to enjoy. Erin Triola and Lydia O’Sullivan created a guitar and violin duo, sharing soothing sounds with songs like “Let It Be” and “Rainbow Connection.” Abby Hamel, Casey Kunzer, and Katie Pistilli dusted off their clarinets to create a trio playing favorites “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Amazing Grace.”

Webster Comfort Care Home values their community and each member’s valuable role in it. They have certainly cultivated a welcoming, warm place for their residents and families. Upstate Music Therapy Center was grateful for the opportunity to be a part of their memorial service and share their music at this beautiful event.

Remote Live Music for Older Adults Now Available

Remote Live Music for Older Adults Now Available

by | Apr 1, 2020

In light of current events surrounding COVID-19, Upstate Music Therapy Center has expanded our services to include a selection of online opportunities. Through online music enrichment and music teletherapy we aim to maintain and increase accessibility to music during this time.

Social distancing can be a lonely experience for many. We have been empathizing with older adults and imagining what they are going through knowing they are the at-risk population. Many older individuals may be living in a senior home, and while they once had many visitors, now the doors are closed to loved ones. This is a difficult time for families of the elderly as they cannot experience the companionship and comfort they are used to. 

Thankfully, many nursing homes are equipped with technology. Through teleconferencing via the home, we can provide music enrichment to a large portion of residents. Additionally, many individuals have access to their own technology. Whether it be through a smart phone or computer, we find that communication with loved ones is still possible. With the assistance of staff and caregivers, it is our hope that we can help older adults utilize this technology and foster a therapeutic experience.

Upstate Music Therapy Center currently offers a selection of online music opportunities.

Individual Online Music Enrichment or Teletherapy with one of our Board-Certified Music Therapists

  • Engage through a video conferencing platform such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, or Skype
  • Music activities and interventions will be catered to the participant’s preferences, preferred music, and interests
  • Choose the duration and focus of the session when registering

We are eager to start exploring these opportunities for older adults. It is our hope that we can find a silver lining in this experience, like technology, to bring comfort and connection to those we love.

If you are reading this and have a loved one who you imagine would benefit from a therapeutic music experience or you know of a nursing home where tele conferencing may be available, please do not hesitate to contact us through email at amy@upstatemtc.com or phone (585) 377-1000.

This blog was submitted by: Katie Hall

Community Outreach: Music at Elderwood

Community Outreach: Music at Elderwood

by | Oct 9, 2012

As music therapists we rarely get the chance to come together and create music. This may seem ironic but it is true. Working in the school-based music therapy environment we are constantly moving from district to district and providing services to students. Staff meetings are spent discussing reports, research and continuing education opportunities. But…we hardly ever have the chance to play together and enjoy the main backbone of what we all are, musicians. This fall we changed that and decided to put on a concert at Elderwood, an assisted living facility in Penfield around the corner from our office. This concert was beneficial for not only the residents but for us as well. Music provides seniors with the opportunity for memory recall, improved awareness, socialization, and an overall enhanced quality of life. Songs we performed such as “Ring of Fire”, “Love Me Tender”, “Hey Good Lookin”, and “Sunny” became sing along opportunities and the smiles that accompanied these songs revealed the joy the residents felt. This concert was an opportunity for our therapists to work with a different age range and to give back to the community while promoting our own self-care. Many staff members also played instrumental songs ranging from fiddle tunes to “Linus & Lucy”. As the concert ended, we were flooded with positive comments from the residents who shared their own experiences with music and conveyed how much they appreciated our hard work. Music truly has the opportunity to create connections and promote wellness; we look forward to continuing our outreach to area facilities and sharing the joy of music with everyone.

For more information on the benefits of music therapy in Elder care please visit the following links: