- What is Dementia?
- How to differentiate between normal aging, dementia, Alzheimer and brain injuries.
- What are the signs and symptoms
- What are the tests conducted to determine level of dementia
- What are the stages of dementia
- Can it be prevented?
- Does music have a beneficial role in the treating dementia?
- What is it like to have dementia
- What is it like from the patients perspective
- How to set your expectations
- How to talk to someone with dementia?
- Teaching tips
My music bio is easy; I graduated from University of Colorado with both Bachelor of Vocal Music Education and Bachelor of Music Piano Pedagogy. Between undergraduate and graduate school I had the lucky opportunity to attend a semester at Academia Chigiana In Sienna Italy I received my master degree in piano performance from Northwestern University. And started my Doctorate at University of Colorado with focus in research on the effect music has on brain development. Own and head the Una Corda LLC teaching studio and performance group. My fantasy dream has always been to perform Chamber Music and teach.
My teaching background is a crazy potpourri of adventures which led to experiences in private, public and corporate education. I got additional teacher training at the Colorado School of the Blind and also trained as a Buddhist Minister and got my Reiki master certificate and learned to teach Ohara style flower arranging.
My Actual Working Experience; I did course development for in person and online training courses for both Sun Microsystems and Oracle. I was the head of the Eldora Developmentally Disabled Ski Program for over 10 years, developing both the instructor training program as well as the student training program. Student population included developmentally and emotionally challenged, blind and PTSD Vets. Worked with music therapist creating music for brain injured patients and collaborated on creating CD for hospitalized patients. In my private piano studio I have worked with Down Syndrome patients, brain injured and early onset dementia patients. In the schools Kynzee (My therapy dog) and I volunteered to work with emotionally challenged students and volunteered at senior assisted living memory care facilities. And we also took music programs and conducted sing-alongs at assisted living facilities.