Kudos for Jennifer Buchanan and TUNE IN I’ve seen the beauty that can arise in the hearts of those that can not be reached by other types of therapy and yet they respond to the magic of music. Jennifer in- troduced me to the miracles that music therapy can perform. She has through her work touched many people in ways that could only be accomplished with both her special gift and her music - one of the most heart warming experiences of my life. Don Felder, Lead Guitarist of the Eagles Jennifer is a great storyteller who effectively captures moments, making them fresh to the imagination. The Rebecca Review Jennifer brings an amazing perspective to how music can enrich every one of us. If you are trying to prevent disease or cope with disease, Jennifer’s material will help you understand how music can truly bring happiness to your life. Diamond Fernandes, Founder and Director, Heart Fit Clinic I salute you Jennifer in being a Music Therapist and working so tirelessly to help others in your community. Music is the universal language—and music therapy is so important as it is proven to have a significant impact on people’s lives. Melanie Berry, President and CEO, Juno Awards and MusiCounts The healing powers of music are both well-documented and practiced to tangible results throughout our world. Canada is so fortunate to have such a practitioner in Jennifer Buchanan. Professional, experienced, talented, and passionate, Jenni- fer is committed to ensuring that the healing powers of music thrive and are made accessible in new and innovative ways. Andrew Moskar, President and CEO, National Music Centre Jennifer Buchanan is music therapy. Her passion, commitment and pure joy for what she does is inspiring. Ginette Ouimet, Marketing Director, Calgary’s New Rock Alternative X92.9 Warning! Jennifer’s passion for music therapy is extremely contagious, in a very good way. Anyone who’s ever spent time with her immediately wants to support the amazing work she and other Music Therapists provide. Christian Hall, National Program Manager, Harvard Broadcasting An insider glimpse of Jennifer Buchanan shows a person with creativity and hard work, sustained by a generous heart. Multi-talented, Jennifer brings awareness of the healing power of music through her advocacy in writing, speaking and performing. Fran Herman, Music Therapy Pioneer Watching Jennifer perform her magic with people is an amazing experience. It is clear that all of us have a passionate connection with the music that has been part of our lives. Jennifer shows in clear terms how music can transform a person’s psychology and their spirit. Greg Johnson, Author, Blown Away: A Year through the Lens of the Tornado Hunter Jennifer is one of Canada’s most talented Music Therapists and inspirational platform presenters. She brings a rare combination of musical expertise and in- sights into human motivation, which makes her one of the most in-demand and dynamic communicators in the speaking profession today. Brian Lee CSP, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Custom Learning Systems Inc. tune A Music Therapy Approach in to Life Use music intentionally to curb stress, boost morale, and restore health. SECOND EDITION | REVISED AND EXPANDED JENNIFER BUCHANAN TUNE IN: Use Music Intentionally to Curb Stress, Boost Morale, and Restore Health. A Music Therapy Approach to Life. Second Edition ©2015 Jennifer Buchanan. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced mechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying, without written permission of the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission from the publisher. ISBN: 978-1-936449-69-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2012940500 Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty The author and publisher shall not be liable for your misuse of this material. This book is strictly for informational and educational purposes. Warning—Disclaimer The purpose of this book is to educate and entertain. The author and/or publisher do not guarantee that anyone following these techniques, suggestions, tips, ideas, or strategies will engender success. The author and/or publisher shall have neither lia- bility nor responsibility to anyone with respect to any loss or damage caused, or al- leged to be caused, directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book. Except for family names and personal friends, names in the stories have been changed. Some stories are a composite of stories that the author has experienced in her music therapy career. Cover and Interior Design: Andrea Lifton - www.CreativeLift.ca Author Photo: Britta Kokemor Quinlan Englewood, Colorado Austin, Texas 877-700-0616 www.HugoHousePublishers.com to Granny and Grandad “My idea is that there is music in the air, music all around us, the world is full of it, and you simply take as much as you require.” - Sir Edward Elgar vi | TUNE IN Foreward Instinctively, we all know that music is powerful, that it has some- thing magical about it. Put on the right song and you smile or cry, tap your feet, or just sigh a contented “ah.” Music connects to something deep within us, something that has to do with our ability as human beings to create anything we desire. I’m not just talking about art, music, or writing. Creating encompasses all of life—creating a cake or a clean space in your house, or even just creating an emotion, good or bad. Music gives us a direct conduit into that force and helps it blossom in a way that’s almost unexplainable. I had heard of the term “music therapy,” a while ago, but never really paid attention—even dismissed it because of the word “therapy” to be honest (how could something so wonderful as music be reduced to therapy—like psychoanalysis or something). Then I met Jennifer Buchanan. She’s a Music Therapist by training, but there was something about Jennifer that made me immediately sit up and pay attention. She talked about music in a way that I had not heard before. It was getting close to that “unexplainable” thing that I had always known existed with music but could never really put my finger on. Jennifer definitely had a book inside her, itching to get out. I had never read a “music therapy” book, but I could tell that she was trying to get at something that hadn’t been fully expressed before in writing. I told her that the science of music wasn’t what made the topic interesting to me. As she started telling me her stories, I knew that in those stories lay the answer: it was what music could do to a being, a person who was in need of cheering up, of de-stressing, of even finding a way to connect back to the world. Four years have passed since I first met Jennifer and two years since we published the first edition of this book. After I had read some prelim- inary drafts, I gave her some suggestions on how to enhance the message. After reading her book I thought a lot about music and how it was lacking more than a little in my life. I love music—I grew up playing the piano. I couldpick up just about any instrument, except the guitar for some reason, and learn how to play it pretty quickly. But I stopped listening to music con- sistently more than a few years ago. I didn’t play the radio in the car because | vii I liked the silence. As a writer, sometimes I am consumed with my thoughts. I talk about “hearing” a book in my head before I write it, so I guess you could say I’m constantly writing, no matter what else I’m doing. But since reading the first drafts of TUNE IN, I had been slightly bothered by the idea that I didn’t listen to music that much anymore, and I certainly didn’t listen to anything that uplifted me. I have a grade-school aged daughter so we listen to a lot of pop music but not much else. Then one Sunday morning, I came home from the grocery store. My beloved father had died about three weeks earlier; I was buried in work, and I wasn’t particularly happy—just doing my chores, making sure my family was taken care of. As I walked in the door, I heard the wonderful sound of James Tay- lor singing “Sweet Baby James.” We have a little boom box in our kitchen, nothing fancy, and my husband had put on a James Taylor Greatest Hits CD he had found in a thrift store the day before. As I listened to the strains of that song, I almost cried. It was the most beautiful thing I had heard in a long time. For whatever reason, on that morning that was “my” music, and the message of Jennifer’s book hit me in the gut. When I needed something soothing, there it was: James Taylor singing to my soul. I felt immediately more relaxed. I put down the sack of groceries I was carrying and made my husband dance with me in the middle of the kitchen. I felt more connected to life than I had in a while. It is a memory I will cherish. TUNE IN is all about using music intentionally. You’ll hear a lot more about that in the following pages, but I’m sure you know instinctually what it means already. It’s finding the right music for whatever situation: for when you’re feeling blue and want to feel blue or when you need cheering up, for helping you through a tough spot in life or finding a way to make a difficult decision.