We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Barbara Jurgensmeier a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Barbara, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

As a music therapist, I’ve had the chance to work with a wide range of populations, including survivors of domestic violence. Last year, I partnered in the Angel Band Project (ABP), a St. Louis-based organization that uses music therapy to promote healing and empowerment for survivors of domestic abuse. I led an 8-week group at Newhouse, a local domestic violence shelter here in Kansas City. Sessions were centered around the elements of self-love and included musical interventions like song sharing, instrument play, lyric analysis, and songwriting. Every week, I was struck by the clients’ openness and vulnerability. They shared personal stories and also uplifted each other throughout our time together. By the final session, we had written an original song called “We’ve Only Just Begun”. It was so powerful to see the clients build their resilience and find their voices through music.

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?

Though I hold a variety of different jobs, music is consistently at the core of what I do. I feel the safest being vulnerable and expressive when I’m playing or listening to music. I have played the piano since I was 6 years old and participated in choir and musicals in high school, but it wasn’t until college that I realized that music could actually be a part of my occupation. My mentor introduced to music therapy, which is loosely defined as “using music to achieve non-musical goals”. The idea of being able to help others with music felt like the perfect combination of my passions and abilities.

After becoming a board-certified music therapist, I mainly worked with neurodivergent kids and adults. I conducted an initial assessment of needs, created a treatment plan with evidence-based goals and objectives, and planned individualized sessions with musical interventions aimed to improve a variety of social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and behavioral needs. Over the years, I’ve been able to work with many different groups of people, but I currently lead early childhood music groups. While many of the kids in my groups might not have a diagnosis or significant needs, music therapy strategies are always at the forefront of my planning and facilitation.

While I was pursuing my academic goals and starting my music therapy career, I maintained my own musicianship and sought out performing opportunities when I could. I played piano for weddings and events, was a collaborative pianist for vocalists and instrumentalists, and even auditioned for some local musicals. These types of “music for me” projects have become more and more important to me. In 2019, I was able to play keyboard in the pit orchestra for the Barn Player’s production of “Mamma Mia!”. That experience unlocked a whole new feeling for me and I knew I needed to be a part of more musical theatre experiences. Since that time, I’ve served as an orchestra member, show accompanist, and music director for many different shows and theaters in the Kansas City area. I have also served as the resident accompanist for local voice studios.

Whether it is a music therapy project, an early childhood music group, a musical theatre production, or a voice recital, I feel motivated by the underlying fact that music is powerful. It can move us in ways nothing else can and I feel very lucky to be able to use it in the creative ways that I do.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

In my opinion, the creative community is the absolute best. The way that artists, especially musical theatre artists, embrace and accept each other for exactly who they are is so beautiful. Being accepted into that community has probably been the most rewarding part of my creative journey so far.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I just recently left a job I had been at for almost 7 years. I taught preschool music and while I loved the kids, it just wasn’t serving me in the way it used to. I’m a pretty chronic people-pleaser, so it can be tough for me to make changes or say “no”, even when it is in my best interest. So it was really exciting to actually make that decision and understand that I can change my mind. I can enjoy something and then start to no longer enjoy it, and that’s ok.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Barbara.j.music

Image Credits

Page.Two.Media
Jack Kapple Photography
Delano Mendoza-Holt