Insights and information
about music, brain health, aging, and much more.
Beat Patterns
What Conductors Actually Do With Their Hands In an earlier blogpost, I wrote about the role of the conductor in the life of a choir—the ways in which we are leaders, the practical things that we worry about like repertoire and time management, the emotional...
The Emotional Gifts of Getting Older
I’m the director of the Good Memories Choir, a program of Sounds Good Choir, created for people with dementia and their care partners to sing together. Eleanor, 79, is a caregiver for her older sister. They had been singing with Good Memories for a year before she...
Sounds Good Choir Research Update: The Impact of Choral Singing on Older Adults’ Well-being
One of my dear friends and professional colleagues is Dr. Barbara Fiese, a clinical psychologist and academic researcher. Barb and I met the year that we were the two clinical, pre-doctoral psychology residents in the departments of Pediatrics and Child Psychiatry at...
Bach, Basie, Bass Players and Blowing the Roof Off
Sandy and I had the exquisite pleasure of going to the Art Institute with some friends on the evening of Groundhog Day, for a performance by the period-instrument baroque chamber ensemble known as Apollo's Fire. I had heard about this group for many years, since I'm...
The Experience of Re-Visiting an Old (Musical) Friend
Sometimes, when you get together with an old friend, it’s pure joy. You find yourself easing right into conversation, as if you never missed a step, even if it’s been 40 years since you sat down together. This happened to me in 2021, when I went to the Big Apple to...
Anniversary Spotlight: The Eternal Light of “Lux Aeterna”
2026 marks the tenth year that Sounds Good Choir has been enhancing the wellbeing of older adults through the joy of singing. Throughout the coming year, we hope to recognize and celebrate many moments and milestones from this decade of harmony-building for older...