One of the coolest things about music and the brain! š¶ + š§ = šÆāāļø
Thrive Music Services
Board-certified Music Therapist providing services for all ages. Trained in Neurologic Music Therapy. Both in person and virtual services (Zoom) available!
Thoughts on how music therapy and dementia care are a GREAT TEAM!
Get excited! It's Thhhhherapy Thursday!! I'm currently fighting off some kind of annoying head cold, so... better late than never?
Presenting.."You're a board-certified music therapist?? That's so cool! ...what is that?"
Todayās fun fact about Music Therapy from your local, professional music nerd! ļæ¼
When your lovely friend offers to record you playing a brideās favorite song, and makes you feel like Julia Andrews on an Austrian mountaintop.
The song is āIn Dreamsā from LoTR. Apologies to any diehards out there, as I am fairly certain that I improvised a few notes around the modulation. š
In true, ADHD style, Iāve barely updated my page in a year. Now, Iāll upload TWO videos at once!
In all seriousness, this is some very pretty Schumann that I enjoyed playing last weekend! Thrive Music Services
The bride of last week's wedding didn't want Christmas music included in her ceremony. I'm totally happy to accommodate!
However, after the guests trickled out, I looked around at this beautiful sanctuary that was built in the mid-1800s, and I needed to play an impromptu Christmas carol. It's not perfect, but what is? And this is the time of year to celebrate things that are both flawed and beautiful.
11/19/2025
Moving to musical rhythm significantly improves gait and other motor functions compared to self-paced movement in neurorehabilitation.
Using brain network science, a recent collaborative study between researchers at the University of Toronto Music and Health Research Collaboratory (MaHRC) and Wake Forest University sheds new light on why this occurs:
⨠Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS)Ā® optimizes how neurons talk to each other and harnesses them into a more closely connected and well synchronized brain network in the Basal Ganglia, a critical region for rehabilitation in Parkinsonās disease. Stable, tightly coupled, and efficient neural connections are necessary engines to improve timing, consistency, and spatial control of movement. This evidence of strong plasticity in connectivity in neural networks is key in understanding why music/rhythm based Neurologic Music TherapyĀ® interventions are powerful neuromodulatory tools.
You can read the full paper here:
Lavigne S, Burdette J, Bahrami M, Laurien P, Lyday R, Thaut MH. 2025. Altered
basal ganglia networks topology associated with auditory-motor
synchronization. Brain & Behavior, doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70695
Available at: nmtacademy.co/research-publications/
Additional studies:
Pranjic M, Braun Janzen T, Vuksic N, Thaut MH. 2024. From sound to
movement: Mapping neural mechanisms of auditory-motor entrainment
and synchronization. Brain Sciences, doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14111063
Koshimori Y, Thaut MH. 2023. Rhythmic auditory stimulation as potential
neuromodulator for Parkinsonās disease. Parkinson and Related Disorders,
doi.org/10.1016/j.parkreldis.2023.105459
10/22/2025
Iām Little Rock famous! š I have a brief cameo in a commercial where Iām facilitating a music therapy group at the wonderful, local memory care facility, Wellington Woods!
Iām so, so lucky and blessed to get to share music with these amazing humans every month! Wellington Woods Memory Care
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Address
Little Rock, AR
72205
Opening Hours
| Monday | 10am - 7pm |
| Tuesday | 10am - 7pm |
| Wednesday | 10am - 7pm |
| Thursday | 10am - 7pm |
| Friday | 10am - 7pm |
| Saturday | 11am - 7pm |