MINDY PETERSON, NCTM

Photo by Dee. on Unsplash

Certified Music Therapist Jennifer Buchanan gives a preview of her award-winning book, Wellness, Wellplayed: The Power of a Playlist. If you love to make the biggest impact possible while getting the most out of life, this book was written for you! Discover how intentionally (not algorithmically) curated playlists can profoundly impact our emotions and behaviors – and highlight our values in the moment and over time.

Guest

Joining me today from Calgary, Alberta (my neighbor to the north), is Jennifer Buchanan. Jennifer is a Certified Music Therapist, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Music Therapists, and founder of JB Music Therapy. She holds an MBA specializing in social entrepreneurship and has been featured in media outlets including NBC, Fox News Health, CBC, The Guardian, and Huffington Post. Jennifer is the author of two award-winning books and the recipient of TWO lifetime achieve­ment awards from the music therapy community.

Notes

We discuss:

• Jennifer’s latest award-winning book, Wellness, Wellplayed: The Power of a Playlist.
• What first caught Jennifer’s attention about the power of design­ing purposeful playlists – so much so that you decided to write a book about it.
• The intent of this book is to take the reader through exercises to prepare Purposeful Playlists a little bit at a time (without the process feeling too daunting).
• The difference between these Purposeful Playlists and the playlists we find on streaming services, including the “personalized playlists” created by algorithms on these platforms.
• The scientific basis for music’s impact on our feelings and behavior.
• Common goals that people may have for creating their Purposeful Playlist include reducing stress or anxiety; improving mood; increasing productivity; boosting creativity; source of comfort; creating a legacy to be remembered by.
• Other resources offered on Jennifer’s website include her other books, music therapy services, articles, videos, info on speaking/presentations.
• “Our innate desire to organize music stems from a fundamental human drive – the pursuit of curating what matters to us.” And “It gives us an opportunity to highlight our values in the moment and over time.” (from Wellness, Wellplayed)

Connect/Other Resources

• Jennifer’s website
• JB Music Therapy
• Find Jennifer’s books on her website and Amazon
• Twitter: @musictherapy
• LinkedIn: jenniferbuchananinc
• Instagram: @jenniferbuchananinc
• Facebook: @jenniferbuchananinc

Other episodes we mentioned or that you may enjoy:

• Ep. 162: Unlocking productivity with the power of music; with Erik Fisher, Host of Beyond The To-Do List Podcast
• Ep. 135: Connecting generations with Song (Saga); with Chief Rocker and Joy Pusher Eran Thomson
• View all episodes related to Science & Health and Education & Community

In-Episode Promo

SHEET MUSIC DIRECT: One of my favorite places to turn for instant gratification and a dopamine hit is browsing digital sheet music at SheetMusicDirect.com. This online store is powered by music publisher Hal Leonard, and it has over a million arrangements that you can view, listen to, and download. No need to buy an entire book for that one song you love. Create your own library from selections representing all levels, instruments, genres, and holidays. Prices start at $0.99 and you can both print your purchases and access them on any device, which is really handy for those of us who travel or are trying to go paperless.

I would say this is my guilty pleasure, but it’s actually a guilt-free pleasure. There are so many brain benefits to reading music, making music, and experiencing NEW music. Instead of subscribing to another streaming platform, subscribe to Sheet Music Direct to treat yourself and your kids to real brain food and a guilt-free pleasure. Access the latest hits and yesterday’s classics at sheetmusicdirect.com.

SONGTRUST: This is a quick break to tell you about Songtrust. Did you know there is an estimated $250 million in unclaimed royalties?! Songtrust is the world’s largest royalty collection service – it helps artists know what royalties they’re owed, and collects them for you so that YOU, the artist, can focus on creating and producing—not administrating. With Songtrust, you can register your songs quickly, in ONE place. Songtrust will then collect all royalties you’re owed from over 50 global pay sources. Songtrust represents over 350,000 songwriters — this includes Grammy winners AND brand new, up-and-coming songwriters. Songtrust is currently offering Enhance Life with Music listeners 20% off your registration fee. Just use the code ENHANCELIFE20 at checkout. You can check them out at songtrust.com. While you’re there, you’ll see another reason I’m a fan – Songtrust is great at explaining the very complicated music publishing world! They offer a ton of free educational resources, including virtual workshops, a blog, and the Modern Guide to Music Publishing. Go to songtrust.com, and remember to use the code ENHANCELIFE20 to get 20% of your registration fee.

Coda

Jennifer shares a powerful story about a moment that changed her relationship with a family member and forever changed the trajectory of her life.

Closing Words

What a touching story! Thank you so much to Jennifer for sharing that with us and for all she does to enhance lives with music through her music therapy and education services, books, speaking, and more. I loved this book of hers, and hope are inspired to incorporate a curated playlist into your life in a meaningful way, whether your goal is related to increasing productivity; boosting creativity; finding comfort; revisiting memories; reducing stress or anxiety; improving mood; or creating a legacy to be remembered by. Take this book as the permission you need to find your music and use it with greater inten­tion to live your best life.

You can always connect with me on email (mindy@mpetersonmusic.com), Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

Thank you so much for joining me today. Until next time, may your life be enhanced with music.

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