History
Ian received a Bachelors of Music with dual majors in Music Therapy and Songwriting from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. Before graduating with honors, he sat as President of the Board for the New England Region Music Therapy Association for Students. In addition, he worked as a therapist while completing a series of five practica and an extensive internship at the Community Music Center of Boston. Ian was faculty Music Therapist at the Community Music Center in San Francisco from 2012-2016, and the Music Therapy Coordinator from 2016-2017. Ian is an active member of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), and he is a trained REMO HealthRHYTHMS Facilitator.
Specialties
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Ian grew up in Santa Rosa. He is a singer/songwriter and guitar player, recording and performing original compositions. His music can be heard at ianfranklinmusic.com. Ian is the son of a Reichian therapist and comes from a family of healers. As such, Ian works from a holistic perspective and integrates breath-work into his music therapy sessions when appropriate. Furthermore, he specializes in helping people find their own unique and empowered voices through improvisation and songwriting. Ian provides deep emotional release breathwork coaching support, and he also facilitates one-on-one songwriting sessions as well as group empowerment sessions. His principle instruments are guitar and voice, however, he also integrates bass guitar, piano, drums and other instruments into much of the work he does. He provides both music therapy and instruction (lessons) to all individuals, and focuses on abilities and client preferences to meet the individual's needs. Additionally, he received training in Neurologic Music Therapy from the Center for Biomedical Research in Music at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO. Ian has a broad spectrum of experience within his professional life, including work in the following fields: Children and Adults with Special Needs, Skilled Nursing/Hospice, Corporate Wellness and Team Building, Psychiatric, and Pediatric.