This week I speak to Kassandra e’Silva, a saxophonist, improviser and NHS music therapist. We caught up just before a gig at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival to talk about the power of music in care settings — from dementia wards and mental health clinics to the BBQ playlist at home.
We cover:
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00:00 – Intro – ALSO Festival, Nosferatu live score, and a conch bath update
03:00 – Edinburgh Jazz Festival – A tribute to The Jazz Bar and Bill Kyle
08:30 – Interview with Kassandra e’Silva – Backstage at the Spiegeltent
10:00 – What music therapy is – Presence, trauma, and non-verbal expression
13:30 – Lighting up the brain – Music as reconnection
16:00 – Music at both ends of life – Parenting and dementia
20:00 – Letting go of ‘good’ music – From jazz standards to egg shakers
23:10 – Rhythm as anchor – Repetition, stability, and mental health
25:40 – Creative expression – Instruments, blocks, and tambo-responsiveness
29:40 – Teaching vs therapy – When learning becomes part of healing
31:40 – Improvisation as diagnostic mirror – Sound as resistance
34:40 – Participation matters – Why passive listening isn’t enough
36:10 – What’s the point of music? – A beautiful closing answer
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🎶 Check out Resounding, co-written with Nicole Cassandra Smit, on Hackney Colliery Band – Collaborations: Volume Two
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Kassandra helped develop this practical guide for carers, families and practitioners.
Includes activity ideas, playlists, and real examples from NHS care.
Note: Kassandra’s views are her own, not those of NHS Lothian.
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#musictherapy #jazz #musicanddementia #improvisation #originofthepieces #kassandraesilva #stevepretty
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