Dr. Joanne Loewy
// Author, Music Therapist & DirectorDR. JOANNE LOEWY is an author, music therapist, and Director of The Louis Armstrong Center For Music And Medicine at the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. Her book “Music Therapy And Pediatric Pain” (1997) is available from Jeffrey Books, and “Music Therapy In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit” (2000) is available from Satchnote Armstrong Press. Dr. Joanne Loewy is co-editor, with Andrea Frisch Hara, of “Caring For The Caregiver: The Use Of Music And Music Therapy In Grief And Trauma” (2002) available from AMTA Press, and co-editor, with Cheryl Dileo, of “Music Therapy At The End Of Life” (2005) available from Jeffrey Books.
Websites: www.bethisraelny.org and www.musicandmedicine.org
Photo: Dr. Joanne Loewy / Beth Israel Medical Center
Interview:
I believe the spiritual significance of music is its capacity to connect and ensemble intra with inter both in the physical and social realms. We are creatures of rhythms (heart) and resonances (breath and voice). As we communicate our intentions, the words are spoken on notes and our phrases are dynamic. In our everyday life, we use music unconsciously. When used with intention, music can bind and unite peoples. It creates a means for prayer and a pattern for communication that evokes joy, solidarity, offering, and unification. Music therapy can change heart rate and blood pressure enhancing life in the most fragile of times. Playing music with others can enhance a feeling of synchrony and provide the most intimate of experiences in daily life.
“As we communicate our intentions, the words are spoken on notes and our phrases are dynamic. In our everyday life, we use music unconsciously.”
– Dr. Joanne Loewy, co-editor of “Music Therapy At The End Of Life”
