How to Create Therapeutic Playlists
A free 2-hour live workshop with Dr Mendel Kaelen.
Register for freeWho is this for
Anyone using or curious about music in service of care
This workshop draws practitioners and creatives from a wide range of backgrounds, all working with music in some way.
No existing music training required.
Whether you guide breathwork, offer therapy sessions, facilitate ceremonies, or in other ways use or plan to use music in your practice, the playlists you use matter significantly.
Many have an instinct that the music selection process can improve but do not know where to begin. There is little to no guidance available on how to go about this, and the information typically distributed is often too one-sided, oversimplified, instructional or de-contextualised to make sense.
This class offers a different way. Mendel will share some of the key principles, frameworks, and decision-making tools he's developed and tested over the last 15 years across a wide variety of contexts and situations. You'll leave with tips, dos and don'ts, practical suggestions and tools that you can immediately start to explore within your own practice.
What we'll cover
Six focus areas across two hours
How music actually works in therapeutic contexts: musical enactment, listening dynamics, triadic relationships
Key variables of therapeutic music: musicality, functions, attunement
Core principles of playlist design: phasing, sequencing, paths
Common pitfalls, and how to avoid them
Practical frameworks and suggestions for music curation
Maps and tools for designing musical experiences with greater attunement
The class draws directly from material taught inside Foundations of Therapeutic Music, Mendel's 9-month immersive programme. This is a chance to dip your toe in.
How it works
Two hours, two halves
One hour of teaching
Frameworks, principles and decision-making tools brought to life with examples and demonstrations.
One hour of live Q&A
Bring your questions, share your challenges and learn alongside fellow participants. The Q&A also offers space to ask questions about the 9-month online training.
Everyone who registers will receive the recording (excluding Q&A) and a set of practical resources, whether you attend live or not.
A note on depth
An introduction, not the whole picture
There is so much more involved in therapeutic playlist design than can fit into two hours. This class isn't trying to be comprehensive. It's an introduction and a glimpse into a much deeper exploration, intended to illuminate opportunities, help you avoid common mistakes, share practical techniques you can use straight away, and catalyse an ongoing journey of discovery.
If you want to go deeper, the live cohort of Foundations of Therapeutic Music begins on 16 September, with very early bird pricing available until 31 May.
Explore Foundations →About Mendel
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Dr Mendel Kaelen
Neuroscientist, researcher, instructor & musician
Dr Mendel Kaelen is the founder of Wavepaths and the developer and instructor of therapeutic music training. He completed his PhD at Imperial College London on the role of music in psychedelic therapy, and has co-authored more than 50 academic papers. Wavepaths and his playlists have supported over 100,000 therapy sessions worldwide.
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