Media - Testimonials

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Quote by a mother of a six year old girl whom Juliane worked with for one year: "Juliane really helped my 6 year old daughter find ways to express her emotions in healthy ways. She now uses words to describe her feelings on a regular basis and works hard to figure out how to ask me for what she needs (e.g., a hug, etc). The use of art and music as therapeutic modalities were key for my daughter to feel safe enough to explore difficult feelings as the result of the divorce between myself and her dad. Juliane obviously loves the work she does, and my daughter loves her and appreciated her time with Juliane. In fact, after my 6 yr old recently ended sessions due to significant growth, she came home tonight and said, "I just did something like Juliane today...there was a kid who was having a hard time, and I talked with them and gave them a hug to help them feel better."

My daughter has been working with Juliane on expressing emotion in healthy ways. She has mild sensory integration issues, and her own emotions often just explode out of her. After working with Juliane for four months now, my daughter, who is very creative, has calmed down considerably in her social interactions at school and at home, and has found the patience to take up singing and instrument playing again, which she has always loved, but found too frustrating to do. She now can walk away from challenging conflicts where in the past, she would keep on insisting on her way. Juliane is not only helping her with social skills, but she is giving my creative child access to her her own creative process, not just as a tool for social growth, but as a source of satisfaction for her life. She has helped my often unhappy and cranky child feel a consistent source of happiness in her life. I cannot recommend Juliane enough. E.R., mom in Berkeley.

Beating to Our Own Drums By Ann Saponara As the first part of a 2015 series about creativity, GI! gratefully accepted the invitation of Music Therapist Juliane Kowski for a mother-daughter drum circle on Sunday, February 8, at her Berkeley studio called Music Connects. It’s a perfect name. Together four moms and six daughters discovered that music really does connect us in a unique way to one another and also to our own innovative, creative selves. We sat with Julie for an hour and a half in a drum circle and learned much. We started by listening to our own heartbeat and drumming how we heard it as everyone echoed the sound with their own drumming. Juliane’s confidence that we all are naturals at drumming allowed each of us to improvise freely. Each heart really does beat to the sound of a different drum! Then Julie encouraged mothers and daughters alike to name some of our stresses. She wrote them on a drum and we exuberantly drummed them out. The pace was a little frantic and loud. It was energizing while simultaneously wonderfully draining. When we switched gears to naming ways we cope with stress like talking with friends, listening to or making music, relaxing into writing, being in nature, dancing, doing something active, walking, or purposely ignoring stressors, the mood of our drumming changed. We were quieter and more peaceful drummers and together we improvised a surprisingly cohesive melody that was lovely. My ten year old daughter Lela says she learned that you can communicate your mood when you’re drumming and you can really listen to other people. Her twin sister Ella says she loved switching to different drums in the circle so we could all try out many different sounds. I deeply appreciate Juliane’s faith that we are each natural born drummers and her gift in being maestro to the art and play that magically and immediately appears in a drum circle. A huge thank you for her generosity of time, drums, shakers and much talent! Juliane works with individuals and groups at schools, hospitals and in her studio, Music Connects, at 1415 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Berkeley. Her website is www.musicconnects.net.

A social worker, who has witnessed Juliane working with a senior, suffering from Dementia over some years said: "...and wanted to check in with you one more time and say that you are one of the most lovely beings and things that have happened to K. in her journey with this horrible disease. I hope you can continue to see her for a while longer, but even if that becomes impossible, know that you have changed the quality of her life these last months and years through music and your wonderful presence. You could not have given her a greater gift. " J.S. LCSW, Berkeley. 7/10/2018