Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chloey Cho. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chloey, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I was stunned when the Alzheimer’s patient spat out a string of profanity, forgetting who I was entirely. Just weeks earlier, he’d called me “딸”—daughter in Korean—and praised me to everyone around. It was heartbreaking and a reminder of the cold truth: memory is fragile. For weeks before this, I visited the Alzheimer’s ward every week to perform music for these patients. Just when I thought it was effective, one of the patients began to curse at me. It left me with an endless amount of questions.
Is the music therapy I’m doing enough not that effective? Will it be more effective if I played a completely different genre? Determined to find out, I changed how I approached the usual therapeutic sessions. Instead of playing the Bach I was learning, I played a different genre every week and invited other instrumentalists to perform. I noticed during the week of pop music, more patients were alert and moved their hands with the beat of the songs.
Seeking deeper insights, I reached out to a professor, who advised me to personalize the therapy. I began to ask the patients what songs they wanted to hear and tailored the sessions accordingly. I also talked with the patient who had cursed at me, and he told me he liked Korean folk songs. Continuing these intimate 1 on 1 sessions with the patients, I collected data on their emotions through surveys and used it to work with other students to build a personalized web app for Alzheimer’s patients.
The process of developing this app sparked my interest in the integration of technology with personalized care and helped me witness firsthand how it can positively impact patients. Moving forward, I am excited to cultivate my innovative solutions to improve lives.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Most of my clearest childhood memories are filled with laughter and music at the veteran’s home. But as I grew older, I also witnessed the loneliness, depression, and dementia. As a student, all I could do was play the violin for them, and it never ceased to amaze me how simply playing Can’t Help Falling in Love could instantly bring a smile to a veterans’ face.
My passion for healthcare and veteran affairs has led me to start my organization centered on music therapy, which draws upon music’s transformative power to improve physical and mental health issues. This organization is called Solis and Luna Arts.
The main goal I wish to achieve through Solis and Luna arts is increasing people’s knowledge about music therapy. Music therapy is not a common form of healthcare treatment– in fact, most people don’t know what it is at all. Through our performances, I hope to encourage this practice and the prevalence of it. Every performance we host, we give out fliers, calling ourselves a “music therapy organization.” 1 of 5 people, whether it be the staff or the patients, always pulls us aside, asking what exactly music therapy is. This compels me to expand my organization in order to increase our impact so that people learn the notion of music therapy.
Moreover, I aim to brighten the days of people who unfortunately do not have much access to arts. My organization is achieving this by hosting numerous concerts and events throughout the year. After each performance, we always receive positive reviews from the staff and the patients, encouraging us to continue spreading this positive impact.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Though it isn’t particularly a specific “resource,” I wish I knew how GOOD it was to ask others questions. In the past, I was determined to do things my own way—and that entailed not asking others for help. However, after I collaborated with other organizations to improve my own, I realized that asking others for advice/help was a good thing. This included asking the music therapy patients questions. By asking the patients questions, I was able to hear their needs more and also tailor music to their best interests. This honed my music therapy skills and also fostered community within my organization.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My main goal is to promote or draft legislation that advocates for music therapy as a healthcare approach. People undermine the power of music, however, I believe that through my organization, I can reach more people about the notion of music therapy. Music therapy is innovative and has the power to heal, and I hope that through my creative work, others will notice it too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://solisandlunaarts.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chloeycho/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloey-cho-079ba4211/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SolisandLunaArts