A compassionate service of individualised programs that may incorporate one or more of
Harp Therapy, Music Therapy, Sound Healing, Yoga, Relaxation and Meditation.
Since completing my Music Therapy degree at the University of Melbourne in 1994, I have worked with a wide variety of populations including early intervention, children and adults with special needs, palliative care and aged care.
With over 30 years of experience, I am adaptable and versatile with a large repertoire and a love of improvisation. A singer, songwriter and multi instrumentalist, I play piano, guitar, ukulele, harp, hand drums, accordion and sound healing instruments such as singing bowls, chimes, bells and native American flute.
THERAPEUTIC MUSIC IN AGED CARE
Songs and musical activities help improve cognitive function, respiration, mental and
emotional wellbeing, physical stimulation and coordination, socialisation and overall
wellbeing. I have years of experience working in Aged Care as a Music Therapist and
Activities officer. I sing and play harp, piano, guitar, accordion, ukulele and other instruments.
The beautiful sound of harp music can offer a warm, calming space, promote relaxation
and mood elevation, enhance quality of life, reduce agitation and anxiety, provide
distraction, motivation and focus and help improve breathing, heart rate, blood pressure,
immune function and pain management.Harp music can be played by the bedside, in a corridor, foyer, lounge room or other group
space, and beauty for residents, visitors and staff.Harp Therapy in Palliative Care provides comfort and assists in transition at the end of life.
Enquire about Music Therapy or Harp Therapy services
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” Bob Marley
SUPPORTED MUSIC LESSONS
Over the last few years I have specialised in creating individual assisted music lesson programs for NDIS clients, such as those living with anxiety, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, depression, Asperger’s, autism and Down’s syndrome.
Supported music lessons are available in
piano
guitar
ukulele
harp
accordion
voice
sound healing
recording
performance
composition
improvisation
“Thank you for all the time and energy you have put into my son’s piano education. He has blossomed since you have been teaching him Vasudha. It’s going to be hard to find a replacement teacher that’s as good as you are.”
Parent of NDIS client with ADHD and congenital abnormalities
Enquire about supported music lessons
Assisted lessons available in piano, guitar, harp, accordion, ukulele, bass, voice and healing sounds
MUSIC FOR WELLBEING
Healing sounds and Restorative yoga combine beautifully to help promote relaxation and wellbeing.
I work in retreat settings and facilitate workshops in the community, offering effective ways to deal with physical, mental and emotional tension and stress.
These accessible, integrative restful experiences help connect and calm the body, breath and mind, effecting a nervous system reset. Participants often report that they have never felt so relaxed.
Some benefits of deep rest with healing sounds:
Reduced pain, stress and anxiety
Increased feelings of calm, relaxation and wellbeing
Muscles release
Blood pressure drops
Heart rate slows
Breathing slows
Brain waves slow
Improves sleep
Therapeutic effects on various bodily systems: immune, cardio, digestive, etc.
Personalised sessions may include
Guided relaxation
Yoga Nidra (deep relaxation)
gentle movement
breathing practices
Restorative yoga poses
visualisation
Live harp music
Healing sounds such as voice, singing bowls, chimes and flute.
“It is so rewarding to see people’s blissful, grateful faces at the end of a session.
I feel fortunate to be able to make a real difference in people’s lives through music and yoga”
Vasudha Harte
“For anyone who struggles with stress or anxiety I can highly recommend Vasudha’s amazing ability to create a safe and relaxing environment to nurture and dissolve stress in her own unique way. I have experienced Vasudha’s work and found it so profound and restorative and count my blessings to have had the opportunity to be a part of the magic that occurs in the sessions.”
Wendy Purdey retired nurse, medical hypnotherapist, NLP life coach Byron Bay
“Taking time for deep rest is not self-indulgent; it’s a gift. By allowing yourself this opportunity to release tension and find stillness, you show up for your family, your work, and your community with a fuller cup.”
Judith Hanson Lasater
Early childhood music therapy
“Music for Kids”
A weekly program for 0-5 year olds in Mooroolbark
Thursdays 9.45am – 10.30am, followed by morning tea and playtime
Contact Nancy nancyisherwood44@gmail.com
Areas that may be addressed through music therapy include:
Mental health: reduce anxiety, coping strategies for stress, relieve depression, release trauma, increase motivation, improve sense of self worth, develop confidence, explore and assert identity, clarity in decision making, improve ability to relax.
Physical health: pain management, reduce fatigue and promote physical vitality, develop body awareness, work with the breath, improve coordination, engage and refine gross and fine motor skills.
Emotional health: explore emotional palette, permission to express emotions, emotional regulation.
Social skills: speech and communication, sharing, reciprocal interaction, choice
Creative skills: develop spontaneity, skill building, enhance artistry, self expression
Sensory processing and development: audio, visual, tactile, vestibular
Cognitive skills: learning, memory, thinking, focusing, attention, comprehension, problem solving.
“Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears – it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ear. But for many of my neurological patients, music is even more – it can provide access, even when no medication can, to movement, to speech, to life. For them, music is not a luxury, but a necessity.”
Oliver Sacks
MUSIC THERAPY METHODS
Group and individual sessions offer many opportunities for participants, including but not limited to:
vocalising – verbal and non-verbal
singing
moving to music
playing instruments
creating rhythms
songwriting
inventing soundscapes
writing to music
drawing to music
relaxing to music
dancing
improvising
composing
listening
analysis
songwriting
making art to music
instrument making
musical games
playlist creation
recording
performing
“The medicine of the future will be music and sound.” – Edgar Cayce
Enquire about music therapy services
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