MSU Music Therapist Spreads Music’s Healing Power to Patients Throughout Michigan

<p><a href="https://creativeartstherapiesinc.com/about/our-team/jody-conradi-stark/">Jody Conradi Stark</a>, Ph.D, is a board-certified music therapist with over 35 years of experience. Her work and research have contributed to that growing body and has impacted numerous populations including psychiatric, cognitively impaired, autism spectrum disorder, veterans, medical, and hospice. </p><p>Jody is the site director of music therapy clinical services at the Michigan State University Community Music School, Detroit (<a href="https://cms.msu.edu/detroit/">CMSD</a>), where she partners with the <a href="https://www.childrensdmc.org/">Children's Hospital of Michigan</a> to provide music therapy through a grant funded by the Children's Foundation. Jody is also the president and founder of <a href="https://creativeartstherapiesinc.com/">Creative Arts Therapies Inc.</a>, a company that provides contractual music, dance movement and art therapy services to agencies and individuals throughout Southeastern Michigan.</p><p>“The <a href="https://www.musictherapy.org/">American Music Therapy Association</a> defines music therapy as the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program,” says Stark. “That's kind of long and wordy, but basically it's using music in a structured manner to improve the lives of all different types of clients and individuals.”</p><p>What is it about the power of music that's so therapeutic in so many ways to so many people?</p><p>“When words fail, music speaks. That's one of my favorite quotes, I believe by Hans Christian Andersen. There is something about music. It's happening in the here and now. It's nonverbal, and it's connecting us. I like to emphasize that therapeutic relationship. We connect with individuals, and we provide those transformative experiences through music. Music moves us. It engages us physically, emotionally, spi