Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Sholander.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When I turned 40 I finally decided what I wanted to be when I grew up. I’d been a mom, piano teacher and accompanist for years, but now that my kids were teens, I started thinking about the rest of my life. I wanted to have a career and make an impact.
I’ve always been a musician. When my kids were in high school I began playing the piano at a memory care center. I was curious why the residents reacted so positively to music. The caregivers at the center told me that the resident’s moods were lifted, they interacted more, and that the positive effects lasted even after I left. I did a little online searching about how music affects people’s mood and I learned about music therapy. I enrolled in a college music therapy equivalency degree program and 2 1/2 years later I became a board-certified music therapist, or MT-BC.
My first professional music therapist position was one that I created with a hospice company who hadn’t heard of music therapy before. Although music therapy in hospice care is prevalent in the midwest where I completed my internship, it’s not as common here in the Dallas area. Over the next several years, the music therapy department grew to include 2 full-time employed MT-BCs and we trained several practicum students and interns. There were so many special patients and families over the years! I remember many of them, and although their family might not remember me by name, I’m pretty sure that they remember the impact that music therapy had on their loved one’s journey.
When that job ended due to covid-related budget cuts, I began my own private practice and named it Moments Music Therapy because of the important moments that happen during a music therapy session. I have a fantastic team of 2 MT-BCs plus myself, and we have interns that come and go for their 6-month required internship. We are approaching our 5th year of business and are still growing.
When I started at the first hospice company, I told them they needed to have music therapy as part of their care plan so that they would stand out in the market. I’m happy to say that music therapy has grown in this area, but it still has a ways to go. Someday, I hope to talk with potential hospice contracts and explain that they need to have music therapy so that they can keep up with all the other hospices that offer it.
I believe that every older adult should have access to music therapy through their senior living community or hospice company when the time comes. My dream is that Moments Music Therapy becomes the “go-to” music therapy business for senior communities and hospice companies in North Texas.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Losing my first music therapist job and the department that I’d created at my first hospice company was devastating. I had relied on the security of having a steady income and benefits and never really wanted to go into private practice. Now I’m glad that it happened because I love being my own boss! It was a long road to reinvent myself after the job loss, but I’ve learned new things about myself and expanded my business knowledge as I’ve grown Moments Music Therapy. I don’t see myself becoming someone else’s employee in the future. I’m having too much fun inventing my own path!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Moments Music Therapy facilitates music therapy groups for individuals residing in memory care and assisted living communities. During these groups, our board-certified music therapists work on specific cognitive, physical, and social goals. Knowing common needs of older adults in senior living communities, such as core strength, fall-prevention, self-expression, attention, we incorporate the music that speaks to them to work towards those goals. Caregivers often report that the participants in our groups have remarkable responses to our interventions and the positive effects last even after the group is finished.
For individuals with Parkinson’s disease, or who have had a brain injury, stroke or other neurodegenerative disease, we focus on restoring and maintaining function for language skills, functional physical goals, and to strengthen cognitive processes. Our Neurologic Music Therapists have specialized training to use music and rhythm to circumvent damaged areas of the brain, and our methods can improve the outlook for our patients.
We also partner with area hospice companies; these sessions are individualized and may serve to decrease anxiety, process life changes, work on legacy projects, or to help families connect. We work closely with the hospice care team to provide comfort, care and even joy through music at the end of life.
Our vision is to ensure that all older adults in senior living communities and in hospice care have access to music therapy. We make moments that matter, one note at a time.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
In my professional life, what makes me happy is when I get to experience someone breaking through their dementia to interact with the world around them. I see it often; music gets through the confusion in the brain like nothing else. Witnessing someone experiencing joy and connection through the music I bring them is the best feeling in the world!
In my personal life, it’s all about family. I have two adorable granddaughters who are a blast to be around. I love singing and dancing with them. I try to bring a different musical instrument for them to play every time I see them. My grown childeren are kind and thoughtful people, and it’s a very rewarding feeling, knowing that I had an important part in their evolution. My partner is my greatest fan, and without her, I would never have become a music therapist. Knowing that I have people I can count on, and having solid family relationships is something I don’t take for granted. And that makes me happy!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.momentsmt.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momentsmusictherapy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/momentsmt/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-sholander-mt-bc-bb503866
- Other: info@momentsmt.com
