TESTIMONIALS

"MusicWorks? It sure does! My son Robby is 8 yrs old and has been attending Jerry O'Leary's music therapy sessions for almost a year now. These sessions have helped Robby to become more aware and in tune (pardon the pun) with others and his surroundings. The whole family has noticed an improvement in his attention, concentration and his ability to connect! Keep up the good work Mr. Jerry. Your success is our child's success!"

Erin, Robby's mom

“Jillian has grown in so many ways through music therapy sessions. As a mom of a child with autism, having music in my daughter’s life has been so important in her growth. She is able to express herself so much more clearly and fully. The joy and excitement that she is able to show through music is unbelievable and I have noticed that she has become so much more comfortable with who she is. Jillian's awareness of others and her ability to use language has improved tremendously while she is attending the music therapy sessions with Mr. Jerry. I know that music and instruments have been a real key in her development.” ---

Sharon, Jillian's mom

"Alex is a 13year old boy with Down Syndrome and he loves music. Alex loves to come to music therapy and we have seen a tremendous change in him. He retains what he hears and we communicate much better now because of music. He is focused on the different skills that he learns and remembers them from week to week. We are amazed ….. he's teaching us! The diversity of the instruments has helped him with his gross and fine motor skills; this is a great exercise for the fingers and mind. Music has given him good eye-hand coordination. He is truly confident when asked to do a task. He takes up the challenge with whatever instrument Mr. Jerry gives him with a confident smile. Mr. Jerry gives him room to express himself through music and we have applied some of the same skills at home in a sing-song direction with fantastic results. As parents, we have seen the tremendous progress our son has made. He is having fun and learning life skills at the same time! "

Vicki & John, Alex's parents

"Music therapist, Jerry O'Leary presented himself as a true professional. He demonstrated his caring nature, dedication and ability to bring out the very best in my mother. Jerry approached each visit with contagious enthusiasm and absolutely worked wonders. My mother definitely shows increased participation with each visit.

"Jerry has given my mother a time to relax and really enjoy the music which was so much a part of her life before her illness. This 'gift' is priceless. I couldn't be happier for my mother, in large part, due to Jerry's intervention."

—Dolores M. Buonanno
Daughter of Ida Buonanno,
Senior Music Therapy Client

"A visit from Jerry O'Leary, known around here as the 'fourth Irish tenor,' is the highlight of my mother's week. She is 92 years old and after a two-month stay in the hospital, has severely limited mobility and is, for the most part, confined to the upstairs rooms of our house.

"The lively hour of singing and playing is not only a joyful experience, it is an opportunity for Mother to share her love of music with her good friend, Jerry. In addition, she gets valuable exercise through playing rhythm instruments and singing.

"There is much anticipation; most mornings we're asked, " Is today Wednesday?" and we all look forward to Jerry's visits and the sound of music throughout the house."

—Kay Rinko
Daughter of Florence Rubright,
Senior Music Therapy Client

TESTIMONIALS ON MUSIC THERAPY

" Music therapy has been in existence for over 60 years as a professional discipline used in addressing various illnesses and challenges. The concept of music therapy, however, actually dates back to the beginning of time. Simply stated, music therapy is the use of music and sound in the treatment of illness and the maintenance of good health. Music contains emotional value and physical properties that bring about desirable changes in physical and mental well-being. The changes are measurable and progressive.

"Physically challenged individuals can experience symptoms such as, not being able to speak, to see, to hear; or be afflicted with minor to more complex aches and pains. Stress, anxiety, hyperactivity, learning problems and mental disorders are characteristics of people suffering cognitive and mental challenges that can be successfully treated through the use of music therapy intervention."

—Sr. Jean Anthony Gileno, Ph.D., MT-BC
Director of Music Therapy
Chair, Graduate Music Therapy
Immaculata University

“Music has no clear relation to language or thought or any form of representation, and yet it can affect us as nothing else can, and at every level of the body and mind. Music is part of being human, and there is no human culture in which it is not highly developed and esteemed. . . .But to those who suffer or are neurologically impaired, the situation may be different. Music is no luxury to them, but a necessity, and may have a power beyond anything else to restore them to themselves, to restore them to health, at least in the precious few minutes that it lasts.”

—Oliver Sacks, M.D.
Music and the Brain
Reprinted with Permission