Recently I was asked by someone why songwriting could be considered so much more beneficial for a young person’s mental and emotional health journey than, say, poetry. They both rely…
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Help my Teenager: We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know
There is a running gag in the music world that goes something like this: “those who don’t know: teach”. The premise is somewhere along the lines of “famous or successful…
We All Wear Trauma Differently: Resilience, Music and the Brain
One of the main things that I’m acutely aware of when it comes to youth work is the fact that this is a different world. Not only was I not…
Help my Teenager: Social Media, Algorithms, and Mental Health
The world of a Gen Z-er is so different from the one many parents, teachers and coaches grew up in that it can often feel like they’re walking through unfamiliar…
Help my Teenager: Teens and Trauma in a COVID world
Greek philosopher Heraclitus said “One constant since the beginning of time might be change, however, the fear of change is also a constant. Since times immemorial, humans have liked routine….
Team Bonding and Team Building: Creative Thinking with a Melody
A week ago: shortly after my TEDx Talk officially dropped on YouTube, I was booked and delivered a songwriting team building workshop for a coaching mastermind group in Chesapeake Beach,…
Welcome to my TED Talk: How Songwriting Saved my Life After Ten Brain Surgeries
As an independent musician for over 20 years: I’ve always shied away from really telling my story- especially when it came to the ugly parts. I would tell myself that…
Help my Teenager: Music and Depression
Note: Songwriting and music have both been instrumental in helping me overcome multiple emotional, mental health traumas. This particular blog post discusses one mental health focus: depression, but also touches…
Help my Teenager: Stress and Music
Having grown up pre-computers, pre-social media, and pre-COVID, it’s hard to recognize or understand much of, well, anything these days. Watching the huge increase of teen stress, teen anxiety and…
Help Your Teenager: Music as Therapy
If there’s one thing you can count on in the year 2022: it’s change. During the “Information Age” / “Age of Technology” / “Digital Age” – especially with the advent…