Meet Kenzi Taylor

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kenzi Taylor. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kenzi, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

Music is inherently a creative hobby! I work as a Neurologic Music Therapist (NMT)®, which means I use specific elements of music within evidence-based techniques that activate various parts of the brain. While this approach might seem limiting, I believe it actually provides a solid foundation for adding creativity.

For example, when I focus on articulation using a technique called Oral Motor and Respiratory Exercises (OMREX)® for the letter /n/, I might start with melody and choral-like warm-ups before transitioning to a preferred song as part of Therapeutic Singing (TS)®. If I have an adult client, I may use a song like “Hey Jude” by The Beatles (“Na na na nanana naaaa”), but if I’m working with a child, I may use “I Like to Eat” (“apples and bananas”). Similarly, when working on sequencing with a teen, I might use three bells during “Count On Me” by Bruno Mars to help clients play “1, 2, 3” and “4, 3, 2!”

It all revolves around our clients and their preferences because what may support one client, may not work the best with another. Being creative within these interventions is crucial for engaging our clients!

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m a Neurologic Music Therapist (NMT)®, meaning I use music to activate the brain! I volunteered with individuals with disabilities since I was in middle school, graduated high school and went to Georgia College and State University to graduate with my Bachelor’s in Music Therapy! I have been practicing for 5 years now in a private practice setting, seeing a variety of individuals from 2 years old all the way through geriatrics in memory care. I even have some clients that I’ve been working with since I began my career!
I work for Perfect Harmony Health, a nonprofit music therapy practice in Roswell, GA. We are all Neurologic Music Therapists and focus on using music to help our clients transfer skills into the real world. We help create access to life through the healing power of music!

We believe that just because healthcare is innovative does not mean that it should be a luxury. Our team specializes in treating the whole person in harmony by connecting the brain, composing the mind, and synchronizing the body through providing therapy, resources, and community access. With this, we serve hundreds of clients per month and watch them grow to their fullest!
We are excited about the upcoming gala with The Voila’ Foundation! This gala is hosted at a prestigious club and benefitss music therapy in a variety of ways: programs, individual scholarships, instruments, etc. For information on how you can participate in the gala (whether you’re near or far), visit https://voilamardigrasball.com!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

There are plenty of qualities that a music therapist should have, but to me, some of the most important that we focus on at Perfect Harmony Health are:
– Respect: Perfect Harmony Health is committed to presuming competence in all of our clients and treating them with dignity and respect. Our policy is to maintain open minds throughout the therapeutic process. We meet our clients where they are and support them with the tools that they want and need. PHH strives for diversity and inclusion amongst our board, team, clients, and community. We are a place of love, belonging, and acceptance.
– Creative Intent: At Perfect Harmony Health, our number one focus is passionately pursuing the most current research and innovations in diagnoses and in Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT)®. Our creative and innovative approach to therapy drives us to be continual students of our field and fierce in developing accessible, therapeutic, and fun programs for our community.
– Empathy: True hope is not easily won but offered freely at Perfect Harmony Health. Our goal is to make genuine and authentic relationships with our families and clients so that they know they matter here and can be the truest version of themself. By doing so, the team at PHH provides a unique and tailored experience to meet and understand every individual.

With those qualities in mind, I have been able to grow more in my career, with the families I serve, and within my practices! The best advice I can give to any students, interns, or other healthcare professionals is that changing your beliefs and philosophy is okay. Research and evidence are constantly growing, and to best support our clients, we must be purposefully creative with how we implement it, empathetic with our clients to encourage their knowledge and abilities, and respectful to understand that previous medical terminology, thought processes, and judgments about diagnosis are wrong and how to move in a better direction. Don’t be afraid of change, but be the change that betters someone else’s life.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

As healthcare allies, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, etc. are all working together as a team, often in the same clinic space. Music Therapists can also support these therapies, as music impacts the whole brain!
Collaborating with other disciplinary professionals is key to our clients’ success. One day, it would be incredible to see insurance covering innovative therapies, like Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT)®, to support co-treating in a clinic space. What a dream that would be to have an NMT® providing musical support for movement during a Physical Therapy session! Or, using familiar songs to implement Therapeutic Singing during Speech Therapy! If we collaborate more often as a team, we can benefit our clients more.

For any other allied professionals, please reach out to us at [email protected] or visit our Facebook and Instagram to learn more about how we use music to support their field. We’d love to connect, chat, advocate, research, and co-treat together!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Credits to Narda Sigala, photographer.

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