Recent News
Nordoff-Robbins ALUMna Receives NIH Grant
Posted September 1, 2022
Anna Palumbo, a graduate of NYU’s Music Therapy Program and current doctoral candidate in the Rehabilitation Sciences program at NYU, received the Ruth L. Kirchstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Health, the most prestigious award from the NIH for doctoral students. Anna’s research investigates the neural and physiological mechanisms of music interventions for stroke rehabilitation, specifically examining the role of music improvisation in promoting movement and reward. A certified Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapist herself, she developed this research based on experiences working with the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy at NYU Steinhardt on a study investigating a collaborative intervention for stroke rehabilitation combining music therapy and occupational therapy, called Music Upper Limb Therapy - Integrated (MULT-I), which has been demonstrated to improve upper limb recovery, reduce depression and increase brain derived neurotrophic factor. Her current work is conducted in the Ripollés Lab at NYU Steinhardt and in collaboration with the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy.
Take a look at a short film by Natalie Rule, a recent graduate from NYU who studied Journalism and Psychology at the College of Arts and Science with aspirations to become a filmmaker and producer. The film documents the work at the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy, featuring Nordoff-Robbins staff and students engaging with clients in music therapy. It highlights the long tradition of in-person work and more recent remote sessions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Featured in the film is an adult autistic client and his mother, who shares her perceptions of the value of music therapy for her son.
Special thanks to Nordoff Robbins United Kingdom for the use of footage from the London Centre.
Here is an in-depth interview with Dr. Alan Turry, the Managing Director of the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy and Dr. Reji Mathew. This is episode 3 of Dr. Mathew’s Disastershock - Reporter's Notebook series exploring voices of innovative Expressive Arts Advocates speaking to the power of the arts in healing & integrating the mind-body-spirit in trauma recovery, and the restorative impact of community-based arts practices.
It includes an excerpt from a remote Nordoff-Robbins music therapy session along with a discussion on the power of musical engagement and improvisation as a landscape of hope.