traumatic and acquired brain injury

Traumatic and acquired brain injuries steal millions of our loved ones lives each year. MedRhythms exists to bring them back through the life changing care of neurologic music therapy. After a brain injury/stroke, a loved one might have trouble communicating, ataxia or difficulty with fine/gross motor movements, or have cognitive deficits that impact their daily functioning. We will meet with you and your loved one to tailor a customized treatment plan and work to restore and maximize functioning and quality of life. At MedRhythms, we are uniquely qualified to help you along your journey through brain injury and stroke recovery.

How can NMT help?

Music activates cognitive, motor, and speech centers in the brain through accessing shared neural systems.

Techniques are based on the scientific knowledge of music perception and production, and the effects of this treatment on nonmusical brain and behavior function. Based on neuroscience research, we apply music as a unique tool in neuro-rehab to facilitate and maximize neuroplasticity.

Common Goal Areas:

• Speech & Language: Expressive Aphasia, breath support and control, oral motor control, apraxia, fluency, articulation, intelligibility, dysarthria and more

• Cognition: Attention, Orientation/Arousal, Spatial Neglect, Executive Functioning, Memory Care

• Sensorimotor: Gait rehabilitation, ataxia, fine and gross motor strength, endurance, balance, range of motion, coordination.

MedRhythms is the provider of NMT services for Spaulding Rehabilitation Network. Our clinicians work alongside world leaders in brain injury rehabilitation and coma recovery, providing services across the continuum of care including inpatient, outpatient, and disorders of consciousness. If you are interested in outpatient NMT services through Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, click here.

alzheimer’s disease, dementia & memory care

A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease or any type of dementia is devastating for the individual and their family. Such neurodegenerative diseases will lead to many challenges as overall cognition declines, particularly in the areas of attention, memory, and executive functioning. At MedRhythms, we work to customize a treatment plan that will aid in slowing the disease progression through utilizing the most current neuroscience research to achieve optimum outcomes in the area of cognition. The therapeutic application of neurologic music therapy services in memory care helps to maintain and maximize functioning in the face of neurodegenerative diseases.

How can NMT help?

Music provides stimulation & structure to the brain, introduces timing, grouping, and synchronization for better organization, recruits parallel brain systems and adds emotion & motivation.

NMT accesses the shared networks within the brain that process both music and nonmusical cognitive functions & utilizes these shared systems to positively affect cognitive goal areas. Studies have shown that music can help facilitate verbal learning & recall; musical memories may help access a person’s autobiographical memory, knowledge recall and ability to retain new information (Thaut, 2010).

Music processing regions in the brain correspond to brain areas that show “minimal cortical atrophy…which may explain the surprising preservation of musical memory,” in Alzheimer’s disease, (Jacobsen et.al., 2015).

Common Goal Areas:

• Attention (selective, sustained, alternating, divided)

• Arousal/Orientation

• Executive Functioning

• Memory Care

“Neurologic Music Therapy in Cognitive Rehabilitation.” Thaut (2010).

“ Why Musical Memory can be Preserved in Advanced Alzheimer’s disease.” Jacobsen et.al. (2015).

parkinson’s disease

At MedRhythms, we have extensive experience working with individuals who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. We utilize neurologic music therapy interventions to maintain and maximize daily functioning and quality of life in the face of such neurodegenerative diseases. We know how important it is to maintain independence, and will work with you or your loved one to develop a customized treatment plan focused on slowing the disease progression. Often in PD we are focusing on communication and movement, emphasizing treatment goal areas that keep us engaged with our loved one and thriving in our environment. The therapeutic application of neurologic music therapy interventions helps to improve quality of speech, vocal control, fluency, and fluidity of fine and gross motor movements with special attention to gait deficits. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, MedRhythms can help.

How can NMT help?

Speech & singing share neural networks inside of our brain, and use the same vocal structures to produce sound. Singing directly stimulates the muscles and neural networks  associated with respiration, phonation, articulation, and resonance.

Auditory rhythms can stimulate motor areas in the brain to help address initiation, and to facilitate and organize motor movements

Music access and stimulates many parts of the brain bilaterally, allowing the brain to maximize neuroplasticity, or its ability to compensate for itself!

Common Goal Areas:

• Speech & Language: Vocal control, dynamics, breath support and control, oral motor strength, fluency, articulation, and intelligibility

• Movement: Gait- velocity and step length, normalizing the walking pattern with auditory rhythm, Fine & Gross Motor- motor initiation, balance, coordination, strength, range of motion.

developmental disabilities

At MedRhythms, our Neurologic Music Therapists use music and music’s elements to address cognitive, speech & language, and sensorimotor impairments or deficiencies for children and adults on the Autism Spectrum. You or your loved one might experience challenges with verbal/ non-verbal communication, fine/gross motor movements, attention, executive functioning, and/or sensory integration. The therapeutic application of neurologic music therapy interventions can target these goal areas to improve functioning, strength, balance, coordination, oral motor abilities, and reinforce connections in receptive and expressive language. NMT cognitive interventions provide organization, stimulation, and structure to improve cognitive functioning. MedRhythms can help you achieve your goals, and our clinicians will work with you to develop a treatment plan that fits your needs Contact us to learn more about how MedRhythms can help individuals with Developmental Disabilities and other special needs to reach their goals.

How can NMT help?

• Utilize music and its element’s to stimulate language centers in the brain

• Research shows better perception in sung vs. spoken words. Sharda et al., 2014

• Music interventions designed to integrate different sensory modalities focusing on auditory identification and discrimination

• Music serves as a cognitive organizer to focus, contain, and engage multiple areas of the brain

Common Goal Areas:

• Speech & Language: Expressive & Receptive Language, oral motor control, respiratory strength

• Movement: Fine & Gross motor delays or atypical movement patterns, coordination, balance, and motor planning

• Cognition: Sensory Integration, Auditory perception (identification and discrimination), attention,

multiple sclerosis

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, MedRhythms can help! Our clinical team has extensive experience working with individuals with MS on movement, speech & language, and cognitive goal areas related to the disease process. Maximizing independence, functionality, quality of life, and slowing disease progression are at the forefront of our customized treatment plans we create with our clients.  The therapeutic application of neurologic music therapy interventions helps to facilitate improvement in the goal areas listed below and more.

how can nmt help?

Music, rhythm, and therapeutically applied NMT interventions, have a profound impact on the motor and auditory system, provide organization, bilateral stimulation, and structure to the brain, and add motivation. All NMT interventions are rooted in neuroscience research on how music is processed and perceived in the brain.

Common Goal Areas:

• Movement

  •  Strength & Endurance

  • Coordination

  • Range of Motion

  • Balance & Posture

  • Dexterity

• Speech & Language

  • Dysarthria & Dysphonia

  • Fluency & Articulation

  • Intelligibility

  • Respiratory Strength

• Cognition

  • Memory & Attention

  • Auditory Perception

other conditions and services we provide

If you or your loved one are experiencing a neurologic diagnosis not listed here, please contact us for more information.  

If you are interested in partnering with us to start a NMT group, please contact us!

Group Programming

Aphasia Chorus/Parkinson’s Chorus

Strokestra/ Brain Music Workshop

Movement/Speech/Cognition Groups.

Program Implementation

• MedRhythms Therapy Team has successfully built programs in a variety of organizations including Inpatient, outpatient, community living centers, nursing and rehabilitation facilities, disorders of consciousness programs,

Case Consultation

• If you are a rehabilitation professional looking to consult on a case, please contact us.

Educational Services

• In-services / Presentations

• Lectures / Workshops

• Clinical supervision for undergraduate and graduate music therapy students

Professional Supervision

• Supervision or one time consultation

• Program implementation

• Diagnostic and assessment case review

If interested in our consultation/education services, please contact us for pricing.