Sing4Change

Meta calendar says today is the National Relaxation Day in the USA. Whilst, from my experience, life in the USA is far from relaxing, I appreciate this excuse to pause - or at least slow down - and reflect on what the relationship between relaxation and music really is. To gently celebrate, I am releasing into open access this track of Native American flute improvisation with a guiding narrative (in English). Providing deep relaxation through improvised music - voice, flute, specially tuned steel tongue drum - has been central to my music therapy work with vulnerable adults in medical, palliative and mental health settings. I have improvised similar music many times, in various situations - usually tuning into my client's breathing pattern, matching it. The flute patterns you will hear on this track hold the memory and breaths of many beautiful human beings I was privileged to work with. I think of this as a collaboration, for which I am forever grateful. It is certainly not a univ...

So, what is music therapy? Well, it is pretty much what it sounds like: music being used for therapy purposes. And, at the same time, it is so much more. And sometimes what one believes to be music therapy is, actually, not music therapy at all. Confused? Good. Let us dive in.   Music therapy elevator pitch The best 10-second pitch on music therapy I have arrived to after practising for nearly 15 years sounds as follows: Music therapy is the professional use of live and recorded music and its elements (rhythm is one example) with the goal to improve health, wellbeing and social connectedness of people and communities. Music therapy is a vast and powerful field (as you can easily gather from these music therapy definitions offered by professional associations from around the world ). If we went for a cup of coffee together, I could easily go on for a couple of hours telling you about all the wonders and secrets of the music therapy profession. Luckily, you are safe from my enthusias...

Hiya. I am Alisa Apreleva, PhD, MT-BC, NMT, music therapist , singer , neuromusicology researcher and storyteller, community singing coach , based in Oxford, UK. This is an introduction entry, brief and sweet - just so you know what to expect reading this blog. Please do share your thoughts in the comments: I’d appreciate if this is a conversations rather than my monologue. Cheers! What dreams may come When I was six and a well-meaning adult would ask me what I wanted to be, I answered without hesitation: “I am going to be a doctor. And in the evenings I am going to sing in the circus”. The inquisitor would laugh, my mom would sigh, everyone present would usually agree about me being a very imaginative child, then proceed with their business of being sensible.  “I am going to be a doctor. And in the evenings I am going to sing in the circus” Quarter of a century forward (ugh!) - and, after curious and educational spells in forensic linguistics, journalism, music performance, clini...

Music not only nurtures us emotionally: in the recent decades we keep unveiling its potential for neurorehabilitation. Singing, playing music instruments, movement to preprogrammed music and other music-based activities are successfully used to help people with stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, dementias and “the Stephen Hawking disease” – amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or motor neurone disease (ALS / MND). Music.ALS is a music program for persons with ALS / MND, their families, caregivers and medical care teams around the world. Its music activities are based on years of clinical practice and thorough, peer-reviewed research . Learn more and download free exercises at Music.ALS webpage. Dr Alisa Apreleva:  "Since 2012, I have been developing ways to help persons living with ALS / MND sustain their vitality by means of live and recorded music exercises. When planning treatment, every client’s disease type and progression have to be carefully conside...