Where it all started
I’ve been musical my whole life - singing with my mom and grandma in church, playing flute in a jazz band with friends, being on the stage for musicals or on the field for marching band. I didn’t want to give up having music in my life every day. And I stumbled upon the profession of music therapy.
Music as a healing agent has been around forever, right? So, what’s up with music therapy? Music in and of itself is therapeutic, yes, but music therapy goes further.
Music therapy is a clinical field that was developed in the United States after WWII when musicians played for soldiers suffering from physical wounds and PTSD. Since then, education has been developed and offered in over 80 college/university programs across the country specifically around music therapy.
To become a music therapist you need at the minimum a 4 year college degree in music therapy, 6 months of supervised hands-on music therapy training, and a certification from the Certification Board for Music Therapists. Read more at musictherapy.org and cbmt.org.
Music therapists utilize the science behind music and the brain and body, psychology of music, and counseling techniques to facilitate growth. We take the research around music and specific music therapy techniques and apply it in music therapy session. The work we do is based on research and science, which makes it a lot different than just listening to music or playing a favorite song.
What People Are Saying
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thank you very much for your wonderful music and for filling my mother's last days with joy. It was wonderful to see her smile and to try and sing along with you. It will forever be a bright spot in a long and arduous journey. . . . I know for a fact that you coming in to play for my mother made a big impact on a woman who could not move but could still hear."
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— AMY, PATIENT’S DAUGHTER
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I have seen Kim Best in action with patients I help care for. I have witnessed the amazing transformation patients experience when they work with Kim. Patients with serious illness are challenged in so many ways, pain, anxiety, loneliness, and depression. . . . I think Kim has made a tremendous difference in my patients outcomes, perhaps even between life and death.
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— ADAM, PALLIATIVE CARE PHYSICIAN
Background & ExperienceSinging in choirs and churches
Flute in band, marching band, flute ensembles, jazz bands, and orchestra
Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy from Nazareth College, Rochester, NY
Internship at Metropolitan Jewish Health System in New York City
Providing Music Therapy with adults with Dementia, children with Autism and various intellectual/developmental disabilities, adults with Mental Health challenges, Adults with cancer, and those at the end of life for the last 10 years
Music has a way of connecting us with ourselves and others. It brings us into meaningful moments.
Let’s explore this together.
See if music therapy is right for you.
There’s no commitment, pressure, or obligation.