“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.
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 2012 Songwriting Works received Creativity and Aging in America Leadership Award from MetLife Foundation in conjunction with the National Center for Creative Aging. Other honors including the 2010 Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer's Disease Caregiving Legacy Award, the 2008 Blair L. Sadler/ Society for the Arts in Healthcare International Healing Arts Award (now Global Alliance for Arts and Health), the 2007 MetLife Foundation-American Society on Aging
MindAlert award for innovative programs enhancing mental fitness for older adults and a 2013 Challenge America grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Judith-Kate Friedman offers trainings through Met Life/ ASA's MindAlert Speakers Bureau, the National Center for Creative Aging, and by invitation. To learn more about 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 plans to offer a web-based long-distance learning program starting in Spring/Summer 2013. For more information, contact info@songwritingworks.org
or phone: 360.385.1160.