Photos courtesy of Community Chords/Facebook
On a blazing hot June weekend in 2011, I wandered into a festival vendor tent and emerged with a brand-new (and conveniently clean) T-shirt. Boldly screen-printed across the chest was a mantra: “Medicine heals the body, music heals the soul.” At the time, it was a whimsical purchase born of near heatstroke and necessity, but that shirt would become my go-to uniform for a decade of shows to follow.
I’ve always been a believer of that mantra. I’ve lost myself in countless albums and let live performances serve as the catalyst for some of my biggest life decisions — from moving across the country to career pivots and beyond. I used to view freeform, improvisational jam sessions as my own version of “couch time,” or a way to recharge the spirit through high-volume catharsis. I assumed it was just a beautiful, new-age fever dream.
As it turns out, science actually agrees.
What we feel in the front row of a concert venue is being mirrored in the clinical world. Music therapy has moved out of the “alternative” fringes and into the light as a rigorous, evidence-based profession. It’s no longer just about “vibes”; it’s about using active music-making and curated listening to rewire the brain’s approach to physical, cognitive and social health.
You can read the rest of this article in the May 2026 Issue of Augusta magazine.
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