Music Therapy

NEW YORK - Clive Robbins, a developer of an influential brand of music therapy designed to help people with various disabilities meet the physical, mental, and social challenges that are facts of everyday life, died last Wednesday at his home in Jersey City. He was 84. His death was announced by the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy at New York University. Alan Turry, the center's managing director, said that Mr. Robbins had been ill with cancer and heart disease for some time.

On one of the many days Leo Dunson wanted to die, the Iraq veteran put a gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. The loaded weapon misfired. For the troubled former soldier, it was another inexplicable failure, like his divorce or inability to make friends after returning from the war. In a Las Vegas recording studio, Dunson rapped about his life: "What's wrong with me? Got PTSD. These pills ain't working, man, I still can't think. " One in six Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder in 2011, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

HEALING MUSIC: Arlington resident Romy Ikauniks Wilhelm credits her late grandmother, Carey Prouty of Littleton, with instilling in her a love of music. Wilhelm is now carrying on the family's musical tradition as a licensed music therapist at Indian Hill Music School in Littleton, where Prouty was a board member for six years. Wilhelm leads music therapy programs for individuals and groups of all ages and abilities. Designed for those with cognitive, physical, or developmental impairments, including Alzheimer's disease and dementia, music therapy can...

PICK OF THE DAY Carrying on Irish fiddle wizard Martin Hayes's music festival in the West County Cork town of Bantry presents some of Ireland's most accomplished musicians. Masters of Tradition features Hayes, guitarist Dennis Cahill, and five other top traditional Celtic players on vocals, accordion, and uilleann pipes. April 14, 8 p.m. $30. Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq., Somerville. 617-876-4275, www.worldmusic.org FRIDAY Springy notes Young but able conductor Courtney Lewis and the Discovery Ensemble celebrate spring with cellist Kacy Clopton in Finnish composer Esa-Pekka Salonen's moody "Mania.

On one of the many days Leo Dunson wanted to die, the Iraq veteran put a gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. The loaded weapon misfired. For the troubled former soldier, it was another inexplicable failure, like his divorce or inability to make friends after returning from the war. In a Las Vegas recording studio, Dunson rapped about his life: "What's wrong with me? Got PTSD. These pills ain't working, man, I still can't think. " One in six Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder in 2011, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Berklee students Emily Luther and Charlie Puth are becoming regulars on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show. " After winning celebrity blogger Perez Hilton's "Someone Like You" cover contest, which had aspiring musicians taking on Adele's chart-topping breakup song, the duo was signed to Ellen's record label, eleveneleven, and performed on her show in October. The students were back on yesterday's episode to show off a cover of Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now. " Luther is a music therapy student.

Arlington resident Romy Ikauniks Wilhelm credits her late grandmother, Carey Prouty of Littleton, with instilling in her a love of music. Wilhelm is now carrying on the family's musical tradition as a licensed music therapist at Indian Hill Music School in Littleton. Wilhelm leads music therapy programs for individuals and groups of all ages and abilities. Designed for those with cognitive, physical, or developmental impairments, including Alzheimer's disease, music therapy can include drumming, hand-percussion instruments, movement, and singing to help...

PICK OF THE DAY Carrying on Irish fiddle wizard Martin Hayes's music festival in the West County Cork town of Bantry presents some of Ireland's most accomplished musicians. Masters of Tradition features Hayes, guitarist Dennis Cahill, and five other top traditional Celtic players on vocals, accordion, and uilleann pipes. April 14, 8 p.m. $30. Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq., Somerville. 617-876-4275, www.worldmusic.org FRIDAY Springy notes Young but able conductor Courtney Lewis and the Discovery Ensemble celebrate spring with cellist Kacy Clopton in Finnish...

A team of researchers, led by Joke Bradt, associate professor in creative arts therapies at Drexel University, reviewed 30 studies of cancer patients and the use of either music therapy or prerecorded music. Here's what was concluded from the research, which included a total of 1,891 people. The results were published by the Cochrane Collaboration in August: Music may help: - Reduce anxiety - Relieve pain, with a moderate effect - Reduce heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure by a small amount - Improve quality of...

TODAY If you prefer to point cupid's arrow at the chubby guy himself, you're not alone. Show up at Mortified Boston's Doomed Valentine's Day Show where folks will relive their tortured adolescence by sharing stories about high school crushes and bad prom dates. 7:30 p.m. $18, $12 students. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 617-734-2500. www.coolidge.org Monday, Monday You don't have to dread Monday when you can look forward to a yummy dinner by one of Chef Evan Deluty's foodie friends.

TODAY If you prefer to point cupid's arrow at the chubby guy himself, you're not alone. Show up at Mortified Boston's Doomed Valentine's Day Show where folks will relive their tortured adolescence by sharing stories about high school crushes and bad prom dates. 7:30 p.m. $18, $12 students. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 617-734-2500. www.coolidge.org Monday, Monday You don't have to dread Monday when you can look forward to a yummy dinner by one of Chef Evan Deluty's foodie friends.

Berklee students Emily Luther and Charlie Puth are becoming regulars on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show. " After winning celebrity blogger Perez Hilton's "Someone Like You" cover contest, which had aspiring musicians taking on Adele's chart-topping breakup song, the duo was signed to Ellen's record label, eleveneleven, and performed on her show in October. The students were back on yesterday's episode to show off a cover of Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now. " Luther is a music therapy student.

NEW YORK - Clive Robbins, a developer of an influential brand of music therapy designed to help people with various disabilities meet the physical, mental, and social challenges that are facts of everyday life, died last Wednesday at his home in Jersey City. He was 84. His death was announced by the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy at New York University. Alan Turry, the center's managing director, said that Mr. Robbins had been ill with cancer and heart disease for some time.

Arlington resident Romy Ikauniks Wilhelm credits her late grandmother, Carey Prouty of Littleton, with instilling in her a love of music. Wilhelm is now carrying on the family's musical tradition as a licensed music therapist at Indian Hill Music School in Littleton. Wilhelm leads music therapy programs for individuals and groups of all ages and abilities. Designed for those with cognitive, physical, or developmental impairments, including Alzheimer's disease, music therapy can include drumming, hand-percussion instruments, movement, and singing to help...

HEALING MUSIC: Arlington resident Romy Ikauniks Wilhelm credits her late grandmother, Carey Prouty of Littleton, with instilling in her a love of music. Wilhelm is now carrying on the family's musical tradition as a licensed music therapist at Indian Hill Music School in Littleton, where Prouty was a board member for six years. Wilhelm leads music therapy programs for individuals and groups of all ages and abilities. Designed for those with cognitive, physical, or developmental impairments, including Alzheimer's...

A team of researchers, led by Joke Bradt, associate professor in creative arts therapies at Drexel University, reviewed 30 studies of cancer patients and the use of either music therapy or prerecorded music. Here's what was concluded from the research, which included a total of 1,891 people. The results were published by the Cochrane Collaboration in August: Music may help: - Reduce anxiety - Relieve pain, with a moderate effect - Reduce heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure by a small amount - Improve...

Our children won’t believe it when we tell them that we lived through those benighted years before the arrival of functional MRI scans, when conductors just gave downbeats, and rock stars just crooned. These days, both do so with their brain activity closely monitored. Babies have been wired up, stories of musical “brainworms’’ have made the bestseller list, Yo-Yo Ma has performed with videos taken from brain scans. In short, research in the neuroscience of music is booming and it seems to be everywhere.

Our children won’t believe it when we tell them that we lived through those benighted years before the arrival of functional MRI scans, when conductors just gave downbeats, and rock stars just crooned. These days, both do so with their brain activity closely monitored. Babies have been wired up, stories of musical “brainworms’’ have made the bestseller list, Yo-Yo Ma has performed with videos taken from brain scans. In short, research in the neuroscience of music is booming and it seems to be everywhere.