Testimonials & Endorsements

As our population rapidly ages in the US, millions of those we love lose precious memories due to dementia. Lisa Peterson’s, Come on Let’s Sing! program uses music’s unique ability to connect us to our memories of who we are, while singing together, assures us we are not alone. The effectiveness and beauty of this program comes from Lisa’s passion driven expertise gained from 30+ years as a leading memory care music therapist. I had the honor of hiring and working with Lisa in the 1990’s. Lisa’s incredible gifts as a musician and therapist brought exceptional transformations to the clients and families within our older adult and memory care programs served by my company the Center for Music Therapy, Inc. (CFMT) in Austin, Texas. Lisa wrote her first songbook while working at CFMT. Her first songbook is still in use today by my therapists and continues to be used to transform thousands of lives within our community, year after year. Since the 1990’s music has become a daily necessity in effective care for a person living with dementia. The demand and need continues to increase for every memory care facility in the US to have access to resources like Come on Let’s Sing! 101 Timeless Songs: Music Based Caregiving Tools. By integrating Come on Let’s Sing! in daily care we give voice to each person who lives with dementia to express “I am alive, my life has meaning” and through singing together we become whole again. - Hope Young, MT-BC, founder and owner of the Center for Music Therapy, in Austin, Texas; Founder and CEO of Biomedical Music Solutions, Inc. (https://biomedicalmusic.com/)

General Public

• “Print is large, clear and easy to see”

• “The books are BEAUTIFUL. Love the colors and art!”

• “Songs evoke memories and rich feelings”

• “Harkened to great times singing in youth groups- when that was a regular thing, in the 1950s-1970s”

• “These are all the songs that I would choose to sing with my friends, in my choir and with my grandchildren. This book is amazing! A real treasure that will serve many people”

• “This is the best looking songbook I have ever seen! I am really excited about this book!” Dan Thompson-Aue, retired  Pastor and experienced songleader

From Memory Care Professionals

• “The songbook fosters great connection between residents and staff members.”

• “The song selection is fabulous. There are songs that are comforting for the residents, as well as classics that are familiar to staff.”

• “The pictures are peaceful and fun, offering the residents a focal point to help them with relaxation”

• “It felt like a family was together, celebrating and singing”

• “I’ve never seen so much staff participation before.  I’ve never seen the residents respond this way before. There were more interactions between residents and between residents and staff. This was really special. It was very different than the traditional sing-along.”

Resident

• “It feels like home. You can keep on playing as far as I am concerned!”

“I would like to endorse Lisa Peterson for all things musical! Lisa worked for us in 2012 and 2013 as our Activity Coordinator. Lisa is professionally trained as a Registered, Board Certified Music Therapist. This training provided her with basic music skills but she has special talents and abilities in working with her accordion. This is a very versatile instrument and a favorite with members of our community. She is well versed in many of the old standards that we all love to sing along with. Lisa is also a skilled therapist and can use her music skills to help people build on their mental, physical, social and spiritual abilities. Lisa has a wonderful personality that invites everyone to participate in what she is doing. I am happy to refer her as an entertainer or a therapist.”  – Todd E. Executive Director, Friendsview Retirement Community in Newberg Newberg, OR

“I am writing to endorse Lisa Peterson as a music therapist. I am the director of the Gathering in Austin, TX , which is a respite program for people with dementia (www.thegatheringatwhpc.org). I met Lisa in 2001 when she started working for this group as a music therapist. In 2003 Lisa also started working for an early memory loss program that I was directing at the time… She worked for us for many years until she moved…Lisa is the most engaging and interactive music therapist that we have come into contact with. She had a gift for holding the attention of a large group at one time for an hour at a time. We usually have an average of 30 people in our program. Music is the only activity that we ever attempt to do for an hour at a time. Most therapists can hold the attention of a group for about 30 minutes maximum. With Lisa’s accordion, she was able to walk around the circle and interact with everyone individually. She used age appropriate songs that everyone just loved. She was always upbeat, energetic, and had a smile on her face…”  – Deborah W. Director of the Gathering at WHPC  Austin, TX

 “Many of our seniors have dementia, and Lisa was able to engage them by playing hymns and other music that was familiar to them from their past. Her engaging smile and warm presence created a sense of calm and acceptance. I believe it is her presence, as much as her music, which inspires joy in those to whom she relates. I highly recommend her as a music therapist.”  – Brenda J., R.N., Resident Care Manager, Health Care Center, Friendsview Retirement Community  Salem, OR

One of the most amazing people I know is publishing her life’s work and I want everyone to know about it. Seeing Lisa Peterson work with the elderly changed my life. She can get people who haven’t said a word or hardly moved in a long time to sing and smash tambourines with life beaming out of their faces. I really think she can make life better for our elderly population. - Pierre Choucroun, PhD, LPC-S, CGP

"Lisa sees beyond age and ability and just engages everyone with her enthusiasm and positive approach. She is able to get the patients on the units into a group setting when no other discipline has been able to. She gets patients that usually are passive participants at best and has them beating drums and making music. It's so inspiring to the rest of us to see what potential she finds and brings out in our patients….the patients here respond to her so well" - Pam, Nurse Manager at Oregon State Hospital

I worked very closely with Lisa at the Oregon State Hospital. At the hospital the clients are very challenging, and those who are over 65 and have dementia, and other mental health needs, are often extremely challenging to get engaged in activities, and have joy, hope, and experience positive emotions. Lisa has been one of the few people who has been able to get them to gather, of their own accord, and come together to sing, dance, listen, and engage totally in music therapy. She has an enigmatic personality that attracts the listener to join her in music. She has an infectious smile, a warm heart, boundless energy,  and is filled with positive vibes! Lisa spreads cheer and gives hope when all hope is lost. She can work with the person who is suffering from memory loss, is depressed, or may be walking around and around (wandering) looking for something or someone. She can bring them together to experience a time of fellowship, and bond together through music, singing, laughter. Her gift of music is given to everyone who is around.She uses music with reminiscence, physical movement & dancing, and learning.  I co-led one group with her to bring a wide variety of people together whose functioning level also varied tremendously. (Dementia, severe cognitive impairment, depression and many other problems). Together we assisted the clients to play music (most had no previous musical experience) and work together to participate in a holiday season performance. it was a magical success!  With her training in music and understanding of behaviors, emotions, and many challenges, she was an instrument of hope and light to the participants in her groups. All the staff loved Lisa, too, and enjoyed her company, clinical skills, and ability to get people engaged. - Linda Morgan, MA, ATR Art Therapist