Our brains are marvelous yet mysterious things. They are made very efficiently. If we had to think about every single little thing, our brains would be way too big to carry around.

There are many ways music can bring people together, whether it is by simply listening to the same song simultaneously or by singing a song together. Here is a list of five ways a relationship can be enhanced through music.

It may be challenging sometimes to tell the difference between a music therapist and a musician giving a performance. The music that is chosen for the performance may be therapeutic in nature, but it is different than a music therapy session.

December is full of holiday spirit and it can be a wonderful time of year. But it can also be a very difficult time. Christmas isn’t always joyous. If someone has lost someone close to them, Christmas may intensify their grief. Many feelings of loss come up, and maybe even feelings of anxiety as the date gets closer. It is a holiday that is very difficult to avoid.

But I don’t think being grateful always needs to be extravagant. I would like to offer some ideas for how to be grateful for the little things to take some of the pressure off. I have chosen some songs that helped me think of what I am grateful for, but I encourage you to think of ones that really speak to you.

We used to think that once we got to be a certain age, our brain was the way it was going to be, and that was that. We have since learned that the brain changes over time, and we can work on forming new connections even as we get older.

Often times, when I tell people I am a music therapist for children under the age of 3, I get a surprised look and a follow-up question that is something like, “how does that work? They are so little!” And yes, it is true!