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Song Writing Works

“Songwriting in the nursing home is not a mere activity. Songwriting is an opportunity for intellectual, artistic and spiritual growth. As such, it fosters a real sense of neighborhood and transcends the artificiality of the institutional life.”

--Theresa Allison, M.D., M.A. reporting on her study of Songwriting Works in the chapter «Songwriting in the Nursing Home: Transcending the Boundaries of Institutionalization
Through Music» in the Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology (Oxford University Press, 2008)

 

TRAINING & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT


As research shows, music-making is mutually beneficial for participants and providers/facilitators. Judith-Kate Friedman and associates offer trainings for healthcare, education and music/arts professionals internationally.

 

<empty>Training topics include:

  • Music: Keys to Wellness, Vital Aging,
    Brain Fitness and Mental Health
  • "Better Living Through Songwriting"
    A hands-on demonstration of the Songwriting Works™ method
  • Applied research in Creativity and Aging
  • Nuts & bolts replication of 'best practice' arts programs in residential care settings
  • Maps for building successful artist/provider partnerships
  • Tools for enhancing one’s own creativity to mutually benefit both self and clients
  • Bring It On Home: Musical Tools for Family Caregivers

In 2010 Songwriting Works received the Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer's Disease Caregiving Legacy Award, in 2008 the Blair L. Sadler/ Society for the Arts in Healthcare International Healing Arts Award and in 2007,
the MetLife Foundation-American Society on Aging MindAlert award for innovative programs enhancing mental fitness for older adults.
Ms. Friedman offers trainings through Met Life/ ASA's MindAlert Speakers Bureau, the National Center for Creative Aging, and by invitation.
To learn more about funding opportunities for agencies interested in hosting a training, click here.

In 2009 Songwriting Works launched its facilitator certifcation training for professional songwriters.
The two-year
training, initially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts in conjunction with Arts Northwest, is held on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. SW hopes to begin offering web-based distance learning programs in the near future.
For more information, contact info@songwritingworks.org
or phone: 360.385.1160.