Hippotherapy is a treatment strategy that uses horse movement as a physical therapy tool for clients with a broad range of diagnoses, including cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. Studies show that the gait motion of the horse provides sensory stimulus and movement patterns to the rider that mimic natural movements of healthy humans…

How we use music to mirror or affect our emotional state can differ from person to person. When music is needed for release, it is there for us, from the dark oceans of Bartok String Quartets, the acidity of Shostakovich, to the wild head-banging of metal music. Others may chose to submerge into a soundscape and float their way to a state of nothingness.

Since I wrote the Beauty of Music 1, I’ve started reading Elena Mannes’s book called The Power of Music. I would highly recommend this reading for anybody. Her language is accessible and compelling. I’ve been thrilled to find her last few years have produced a body of collective knowledge that underscores my findings and passion.

Legend has it that the original violin, called a chuurqin, was born in Mongolia. In Central Asia 6th-Century, a boy loved his steed more than life itself. According to one Mongolian legend, the horse was slain and came to the boy in a dream. It said for him to use his body to make a fiddle so they would be together forever.

What do we know about Music and the Brain? How does the brain show the effects of musical intervention? Can the frequencies and emotions produced by music create new synapses?

In 2014, Pippa and I ran a 14-week study at Valley Therapeutic with two 3.5 olds. We were interested in determining how the instantaneous use of the violin voice was helping her reach her clients as we were repeatedly seeing greater responses from many of her riders, more than before the violin had entered their treatment sessions.

A very popular and meaningful forum for developing an appreciation for the arts and for self is through a program started by Rudolf Steiner in Germany in the 1960’s. We know of it by the name of Waldorf, an education system that honors the individuality of each child.

The more I read, the more I know I’m right. The more I experience with my wellness program, the more I see weekly the effects music has on people. As I play my violin for disabilities in the therapeutic riding arena, a magical gateway is opened. The client becomes pliable — a necessity for change to occur.