Sound Therapy Program

MOIRA LO BIANCO: SOUND THERAPY AND SOUND-MIND-YOGA

Moira Lo Bianco has been immersed in and working with sound since childhood; she is a composer and pianist, as well as a sound therapist, meditation and yoga teacher. Moira also provides hands-on sound therapy training to health care providers for use in clinical settings. Accessibility is core to her mission to reach and serve populations of diverse ages, abilities, races, ethnicities, orientations, genders, cultures and origins.

Moira is currently serving as an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, as well as on the Advisory Board for the Bioregulatory Medicine Institute. She is a Steinway Artist and a Steinway Educational Partner.  Please visit Moira’s website to learn more about her work advancing integrative practices grounded in sound and encompassing the performing and healing arts.

Above is Moira’s talk on the “Core Principles of Sound Therapy and Practical Applications” for the Bioregulatory Medicine Institute’s Virtual Symposium 2024 

Since joining WWMU’s Sound Therapy roster in March of 2024, Moira has delivered a number of innovative and impactful sessions to communities across the Boston area, in collaboration with a growing list of partners that include:  

    • City of Boston Age Strong Commission / Boston Public Library / Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center – Memory Cafés serving those living with memory loss, their loved ones, and care partners; Memory Sunday event to educate and raise awareness about the significant impact of Alzheimer’s and other dementias on the black and brown community  
    • Boston Senior Home Care – Serving older adults
    • Boston Figurative Art Center (Somerville) – Sound+Drawing Meditation Experience
    • Boston Public Health Commission – Serving staff workers from various public health departments, so they may better serve their communities in turn    

You can find more information about the Sound Therapy and Sound-Mind-Yoga offerings presented by Moira in the above settings here.    

GEOGRAPHICAL FOCUS (2024)

WWMU is seeking to expand our exceptionally well-received sound therapy programming in the United States as soon as possible. Your support can help make it happen!

The SaMa initiative (below) currently focuses its efforts in Argentina, with hopes to expand to other areas of South America.

Our sound therapy practitioners each draw from different modalities and employ various methodologies to address the specific needs of the communities they serve. Read on to learn more about SaMa!

SAMA: MUSIC AS A COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR THE ELDERLY AND TERMINALLY ILL

SaMa’s main objective is to deliver the therapeutic capacities of sound and music to people spending the final moments of their lives in nursing homes and hospice care centers.

The fragility of healthcare systems has left these individuals particularly vulnerable, often navigating their experiences of illness and death in a context of profound loneliness and uncertainty. Unfortunately, the pandemic has only made this complex situation worse.

Coordinated by Alejo Duek (Osteopath) and María Vega (Somatic Therapist) in Argentina, and backed by international researchers in the fields of Psychology and Music Therapy, SaMa harnesses the power of sound to provide healing, hope, and in some cases, a peaceful transition.

Program highlights and benefits:

  • Reduced anxiety, stress, and discomfort
  • Promotes calm and relaxation in elderly and confined patients, contributing to improvements in mental, physiological, and spiritual well-being
  • Complementary, accessible-to-all treatment that can be used alongside traditional medical interventions
  • A non-invasive and non-pharmacological approach
  • Adaptable to the unique needs, protocols, and expertise of participating healthcare institutions
  • Community involvement and support: volunteers, musicians and sound therapists come together to create a healing environment for patients, their families, and caregiving staff

“We are more and more convinced that music is the ideal language for conducting a dialogue in this passage between life and death. Each visit to a palliative care center brings brightness to eyes where there was none, contact where words alone could not reach, and in some cases, the precious opportunity to accompany a person in the precise moment of their passing, with music.”

– Alejo Duek & María Vega, SaMa Founders and Project Coordinators

Watch the video below to hear straight from the nurses who have witnessed the tremendous impact of this program up close.

INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH US TO
BRING HEALING TO YOUR COMMUNITY?

You will just need to fill in a form and send us the relevant information about your community and/or organization.
We will get back to you as soon as possible with our feedback and the next steps to take. Thank you and we look forward to connecting!

APPLY HERE

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