News
How It All Started
ASF turns three this month. Feeling a bit like reminiscing, I went deep into the vault, on the B side, to find one of our first posts. Someone asked me in 2014 what I wanted to do. This is what I wrote: Music. A vibrational, harmonic event set in time. Now that sounds fancy but…
Read MoreHow Music Triggers Brain Activity
A research team from Stanford University School of Medicine took images of the brain in action using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as people listened to short symphonies by an obscure 18th-century composer. This study aimed to gain valuable insight into how the brain sorts of different stimuli around it and sorts out events. Their…
Read More93 Year-Old Man Gets Band Back Together
This is a wonderful story from our friends across the pond. Edward Hardy was a piano player before his world started to close in on him. As he slowly entered dementia, he decided to move into an assisted living center. He became withdrawn and depressed. Enter Music. Edward put a call out to ask…
Read MoreFather and Son – Carpool Karaoke
This is one of my favorites. This father and son were featured on (British) Good morning America. Teddy Mac (the father) was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s but music still makes it better. Check them out belting out Quondo Quondo Quondo in the car. Research shows that the part of the brain that processes music is the…
Read MoreCombat Medicine by Hip Hop Artist Doc Todd
Combat Medicine by Doc Todd is a sensational new album that presents us with fresh new hip hop with a twist. It is directed particularly at veterans, but its affecting, riveting lyrics and tough, straight-talking style will appeal to everyone. Though heartbreaking in places, this unflinching album will ultimately uplift the listener with its positive…
Read MoreNational Endowment of the Arts Expands Creative Arts Therapies on Military Bases
A recent Washington Post article reported that approximately 350,000 U.S. service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries since 2001. This expanded Creative Forces Program puts creative arts therapies at the center of patient care at ten new clinical sites—for a total of twelve—that allow military members, veterans, and their families to have access…
Read MoreMusic is Medicine for Veterans
Veterans with PTSD using Music Therapy through the Wounded Warrior Project in Colorado Springs are interviewed by KRDO NewsChannel 13 in October 2016. There is no doubt in my mind that music is therapy. ~ Jason Willis
Read MoreMusic Therapy Helps Chicago Veteran Overcome PTSD
Air Force Veteran Chris Smith says VA health care helped him deal with the anxiety of losing his eyesight. The Chicago musician and singer found healing and rehabilitation with music therapy at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. Smith was one of more than 120 Veterans to participate in the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival…
Read MoreRadio Free Alchemy
We are excited to announce our free radio channel located at www.alchemysky.org/free-radio. Please enjoy some free, relaxing music by visiting our website. We also would like to thank our three artists who have donated the use of their music on our free radio page: Randy Melick has toured throughout the Midwest performing in Clinics,on College Campuses, Hotels, Up Scale Restaurants and Missouri Wineries.…
Read MoreMusic Therapy Interventions Increase Psychosocial Well-Being of Older Adults
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of group music therapy sessions on the psychosocial well-being of older adults living in assisted and independent living communities. Participants engaged in group music therapy sessions for eight consecutive weeks. All sessions included following interventions: music listening, singing, lyric analysis, and music-assisted movements. Results indicated that…
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