It’s Nice to Meet You!
Dr. Benjamin Koen is an acclaimed musician, researcher, and speaker with a Ph.D. in the holistic research and practice of music and meditation for healing and transformation.
His extensive training spans neuroscience, culture, psychology, spirituality, and mind-body medicine. He has shared his transformative methods in over 50 countries, helping thousands achieve personal and professional goals. Dr. Koen has shared his transformative methods worldwide, through his unique approach, of music-meditation & behavioral neuroscience. With over 20 years of experience, he is dedicated to harnessing the power of music and meditation to foster healing, joy, and profound personal transformation.
Music has always been an integral part of me.
I felt the world stop as I was held at gunpoint by a 10-year-old boy.
Everything went silent; the particles in the air became crystal clear.
I became acutely aware of everything around me: the fence beside me, the concrete beneath my feet, my saxophone on my shoulder.
Time stopped. Everything came into focus like never before.
My father, born in Greece in 1930, came from a Spanish-Jewish heritage and was a true Renaissance man—a surgeon with a profound appreciation for culture, music, and the arts. My mother, born in 1941 in rural Ohio as the second oldest of nine children, was a dedicated nurse with a deeply nurturing spirit and love for music. While grounded in conventional medicine, both were open-minded and curious about the mysteries of healing and the interconnectedness of life. Their journey led them to embrace the Bahá’í Faith, and I was raised with a spiritual foundation that fostered a deep love for humanity and a belief in the infinite potential of the human mind and spirit, along with a profound awareness that music could elevate our consciousness, transcend boundaries, and guide us into realms of deeper understanding and transformation.
When I was just a boy in Milledgeville, Georgia, about 5 years old I remember my brother and I standing in the driveway listening to our parents arguing. My father’s voice overpowering my mother who was sitting and crying, devastated. As a young boy, all I wanted was to escape, so I went to what I called my Bamboo Hideaway and I would lay down into the soft dirt, gaze through the tall bamboo leaves into the sky beyond. Listening to the wind and birds singing, and feeling nature embrace me, all my stress and pain would melt away—experiencing stillness & connection with everything around me.
I found throughout my childhood music became another way to experience the same stillness and connection that I felt in my bamboo hideaway. Music was one of the treasures of my family. I’ve never known a time without music. Instruments from across the globe were always around, I grew up playing music at the nursing home where my mom worked, and was lucky to be raised as a musician in a place where the transformative power of music was valued and performed. I knew music would be with me forever.
But I also became fascinated with understanding music and its impact on people…
Credentials
Groundbreaking Researcher:
Pioneered Medical Ethnomusicology, a discipline bridging music, healing, and culture.
Developed the S.E.A. (See-Experience-Act) Meditation Method for stress reduction, healing, and personal transformation.
Conducted field research in Tajikistan, Thailand, Spain, China, Hong Kong, and the United States, illuminating traditional healing practices and integrating their principles into modern applications..
Global Speaker and Consultant:
Presented at prestigious institutions, including the Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Festival, the Aga Khan Humanities Project.
Consulted with organizations worldwide on integrating music and mindfulness into health and wellness practices.
Musician and Practitioner:
Expert in improvisation, jazz, and world music healing traditions, blending scholarly study with performance and practice.
Advocates for the role of music in priming psychological flexibility, emotional intelligence, spiritual growth, health and wellbeing.
Music for healing, health, wellbeing, and vitality.
Innovative Educator and Academic Leader:
Professor at Florida State University, with interdisciplinary research spanning music, psychology, and medicine.
Advisor to doctoral candidates at Hong Kong Baptist University, emphasizing cross-cultural approaches to music and health.
Guest lecturer at Monash University, on neuroscience and wellness in business and entrepreneurship.
Honored Thought Leader:
Recipient of research grants and recognition for advancing holistic approaches to healing.
Renowned for connecting ancient wisdom with modern therapeutic practices.
Acclaimed Author
The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology, a landmark text in music and health (Oxford University Press).
Beyond the Roof of the World: Music, Prayer, and Healing in the Pamir Mountains (Oxford University Press).
The Meditation Manifesto; 5 Steps to a Happy, Healthy, Wealthy You: and Natural Healing: Seven Simple Ways to Self-Healing.
Contributor to scholarly journals, including Ethos, Asian Music, Ethnomusicology, and American Music Teacher.
Awards & Recognitions
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Ph.D. Medical & Cognitive Ethnomusicology
(Music and Healing in Cultural and Clinical Contexts) Ohio State University
Post-Doctoral Education & Training
Professional Development in Holistic Health
First Aid Training and Credit in Holistic Medicine
School of Health, Devon England
Oxford University Press
Author – Handbook Editor – Editorial Advisory Board
New York, Oxford University PressMonash University Business School
Entrepreneurship and Business Guest Lecturer and Consultant
Neuroscience in Business, Neuromarketing, Meditation, Wellness.Hong Kong Baptist University - Academy of Music
Doctoral Advisor, Special Appointment
Associate Professor - Medical, Cognitive, & Applied Ethnomusicology
Directed Studies Honors Program Coordinator
Program Instructor, Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education Limited
Special Academic Advisor, Unit for Students with Special Educational Needs
Faculty Niche Research Area – Chinese and Cross-Cultural Health HumanitiesFlorida State University College of Music
· Associate Professor - Medical and Cognitive Ethnomusicology
· Professor for The Academy, Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy
· Professor of Interdisciplinary Humanities (courtesy appointment)
· Affiliated Faculty Member, College of Medicine, Human Sciences, Department of Psychology, Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, Global Pathways, Asian Studies, Middle East Center, Center for Music of the Americas
Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Music Presenter/Representative - Smithsonian Folklife Festival
The Silk Road: Connecting Cultures, Creating Trust
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration
Faculty and Consultant - Longitudinal Training in Mind-Body-Spirit Medicine in Primary Care.
Austrian Academy of Sciences and Harvard University
Max-Kade Fellowship Program Reviewer
Interdisciplinary Support Program Grant Council on Research and Creativity
Music, Medicine, & Culture: Medical Ethnomusicology and Global Perspectives on Health and Healing. College of Medicine and College of Music, Florida State University
Distinguished Professor
Medical Ethnomusicology, Medical Anthropology, Medical Humanities, and Psychological Anthropology, Xiamen University College of Humanities
International Coordinator XMU-CIPSH and UNESCO Collaboration
The International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences, Xiamen UniversityDirector, International Center for Medical Anthropology
Xiamen UniversityMusician, Composer, Recording Artist, Studio & Masterclass Teacher
Music Performance Areas: saxophones, flutes, clarinets, hand drums, percussion, didgeridoo, improvisation, composition, jazz, world music, new music, film music, and mixed media, including poetry, spoken word, and visual and digital artsEditorial Committee and English Editor
Journal of Anthropological Studies. Shanghai, The Commercial PressProgram Assessor, Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
Canadian National Research CouncilMedical Ethnomusicologist, Anthropologist, Research Associate
The Aga Khan Humanities Project For Central AsiaFellow, U.S. Department of Education Foreign Language and Area Studies Program
Ohio State University Middle East Studies CenterNumerous Research Grants
“The Psychology of Music-Meditation in Bridging the Unconscious and Conscious Mind.”
“Music, Medicine, & Culture: Medical Ethnomusicology and Global Perspectives on Health and Healing.”
“Flute Summit: Health and Healing Traditions from the Americas.”
“Confluence: Music, the Mind, and Meditation in Healing.”
Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship - Persian Language
U.S. Department of Education
Middle Eastern Studies Center, Ohio State University
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PROFESSIONAL and ACADEMIC COURSES TAUGHT
Creator of over 50 transformational courses employing the dynamic power of music-meditation and behavioral neuroscience to help students and participants overcome stress and anxiety, enhance wellbeing, maximize their full potential, achieve their goals, and realize their vision in the areas of:
Physical Vitality: Engaging the body’s innate healing potential through practices that reduce stress and uplift physical health.
Mental Clarity: Cultivating a meditative mind that enhances focus, resilience, and cognitive flexibility for a life filled with purpose and direction.
Emotional and Relational Harmony: Building psychological flexibility that strengthens personal relationships and fosters emotional growth.
Spiritual Connection: Creating a deep inner alignment with purpose, peace, and a sense of unity with others.
Prosperity and Success: Achieving balance that naturally supports personal and professional success, allowing wealth to be a reflection of a fulfilling life.
PUBLICATIONS - SPEAKING
Books
Koen, Benjamin D., editor. (2008, paperback 2011) The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology. New York: Oxford University Press.
Online: 2012. The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology— Oxford Handbooks Online. New York, Oxford University Press.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2009, paperback 2011). Beyond the Roof of the World: Music, Prayer, and Healing in the Pamir Mountains. New York: Oxford University Press.
Online: (2009). Beyond the Roof of the World: Music, Prayer, and Healing in the Pamir Mountains. Oxford Scholarship Online. New York,Oxford University Press.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2024). The S.E.A. Meditation Guide: A Simple Path to Stress Relief and Success. Sound Health Ltd.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2023). The Meditation Manifesto: Forget the Gurus, Eliminate Stress and Anxiety, Achieve Your Goals and Dreams with the SEA Meditation Method, See, Experience, Act. Sound Health Ltd.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2018). 聆听高我之声—音乐、心智和冥想的方法 (Listen to Your Higher Voice—Music, Mind, Meditation Methods. Xiamen, Xiamen University Press.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2017). New Trends in Applied Research in Cultural Context: Studies in Medical Ethnomusicology, Medical Anthropology, Medical Humanities. Virginia Beach: Sound Health Global.
Hermans Nathalie, Benjamin D. Koen, Anne-Marijn Somers et al. (2016). Heel Natuurlijk: Zeven Eenvoudige Wegen Naar Naar Zelfheling. Tienen, Belgium: De Groene Gedachte Press (Published in Flemish).
Koen, Benjamin D. editor. (2015). Natural Healing: Seven Simple Ways to Self-Healing. Virginia Beach: Sound Health Global (Revised English version).
Koen, Benjamin D. (2015, revised edition). 5 Steps to a Happy, Healthy, Wealthy, YOU! through music, the mind, and meditation. Virginia Beach: Sound Health Global.
9-Volume Audio Compilation
Music, Health, and Healing in Cultural and Clinical Contexts. Florida State University College of Medicine and College of Music (Sound Recording).
Book Chapters
Koen, Benjamin. (forthcoming). Unleash Leadership Within: Cutting Edge Neuroscience and The SEA Method. St. Augustine, Bestseller Publishing.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2018). Medical Ethnomusicology and the Promise of Music, Health and Healing. In Music, Health and Wellbeing: Exploring Music for Health Equity and Social AzJustice. ed. Sunderland, Naomi, Dan Bendrups and Natalie Lewandowski. Hamshire, Palgrave Macmillan (247-268).
Koen, Benjamin D. (2018). “Medical Ethnomusicology and Psychological Flexibility in Healing, Health and Wellness.” ed. Jennifer C. Post. In Ethnomusicology: A Contemporary Reader, Volume II, New York, Routledge (111-123).
Koen, Benjamin D. (2016). “Muziek en klank (zang) helpen bij je heelwording.” Tienen, Belgium: De Groene Gedachte Press. In Heel Natuurlijk: Zeven Eenvoudige Wegen Naar Zelfheling. Hermans Nathalie, Benjamin D. Koen, Anne-Marijn Somers et al. Tienen, Belgium, De Groene Gedachte Press.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2016). “The Maddoh Tradition of Badakhshan.” In Music of Central Asia: An Introduction, ed. Theodore Levin and Elmira Köchümkulova. Bishkek, University of Central Asia (357-369).
Koen, Benjamin D. (2015). The Nature of Healing Through Music, the Mind, and Meditation. Tienen, Belgium: De Groene Gedachte Press. In Natural Healing: Seven Simple Ways to Self Healing. ed. Benjamin D. Koen, Tienen, Belgium, De Groene Gedachte Press.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2008, paperback 2011, online 2012). “Music-Prayer-Meditation Dynamics in Healing. In The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology, ed. Benjamin Koen. New York, Oxford University Press.
Koen, Benjamin D., Michael Bakan, Fred Kobylarz, Lindee Morgan, Rachel Goff, Sally Kahn, Megan Bakan. (2008, paperback 2011, online 2012). “Personhood Consciousness: A Child-Ability Centered Approach to Socio-Musical Healing and Autism Spectrum ‘Disorders.’” In The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology, ed. Benjamin D. Koen. New York, Oxford University Press.
Koen, Benjamin D., Gregory Barz, and Kenneth Brummel-Smith. (2008, paperback 2011, online 2012). “Confluence of Consciousness in Music, Medicine, and Culture.” In The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology, ed. Benjamin D. Koen. New York: Oxford University Press.
Locke, Kevin and Benjamin D. Koen (2008, paperback 2011, online 2012). “The Lakota Hoop Dance as Medicine for Social Healing.” In The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology, ed. Benjamin D. Koen. New York: Oxford University Press.
Articles
Koen, Benjamin D. (in preparation). “Music-Meditation Dynamics Eliminates Stress, Anxiety, and Depression.” Music Psychology.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2022) “The New Paradigm of the Power of Music-Meditation in Healing, Health, Wellbeing, Goal-Achievement, and Transformation.” Proceedings of The Healing and Emotional Power of Music and Dance (HELP-MD) Symposium, Lisbon.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2017). “Modeling Musical Healing: Symbols and Senses in Thailand, Australia, and India.” Journal of Anthropological Studies (149-171).
Koen, Benjamin D. (2014). “Reflections and Future Directions in Medical Ethnomusicology.” College Music Symposium, Special Issue on Ethnomusicology Scholarship and Teaching.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2013). “My Heart Opens and My Spirit Flies: Musical Exemplars of Psychological Flexibility in Health and Healing” Ethos: The Journal of Psychological Anthropology 41.2: 174-198.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2013). “Music Primes Psychological Flexibility In Counseling: A Cognitive-Behavioral Healing Model.” International Journal of Business Tourism and Applied Sciences 299-308.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2013). “Live It! Don’t Diet”: Co-Creating A New Culture of Children’s Health Through A Child-Ability Centered Program.” Proceedings on theInternational Conference of Asian Food Study: Health and Civilization. Shaoxing, China.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2013). “Music-Healing Discourse and the Ontology of Oneness.”Humanities International 6:106-120.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2012). “Poetic Heritage and Memory: Musical Meditations, Transcendence, and Healing Words in the Museum of the Mind.” Proceedings from the International Symposium—Heritage, Tourism, and Museums: New Perspectives from Anthropology. Xiamen University, China.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2011). “Sound-Prayer-Meditation Dynamics in Health and Healing.” International Journal of Social Science and Humanity. Vol.1(4): 266-268.
Koen, Benjamin D. (2009) Review of: Caton, Margaret L. 2008. Hafez. 'Erfan and Music as Interpreted by Ostad Morteza Varzi. Bibliotheca Iranica. Performing Arts Series #7. Costa Mesa: Mazda Publishers. Journal of Iranian Studies. 42(5):783-789.
Bakan, Michael, Benjamin D. Koen, Fred Kobylarz, Lindee Morgan, Rachel Goff, Sally Kahn, and Megan Bakan. (2008). “Saying Something Else: Improvisation and Facilitative Music-Play in a Medical Ethnomusicology Program for Children on the Autism Spectrum.” College Music Symposium 48:1-31.
Bakan, Michael, Benjamin D. Koen, Fred Kobylarz, Lindee Morgan, Rachel Goff, Sally Kahn, and Megan Bakan. (2008) “Following Frank: Response-Ability and the Co-Creation of Culture in a Medical Ethnomusicology Program for Children on the Autism Spectrum.” Ethnomusicology. 52(2): 162-202.
Koen, Benjamin. 2007. “Musical Mastery and the Meditative MindVia the GAP—'Guided Attention Practice’” American Music Teacher. 56(6):12-15.
Koen, Benjamin. 2007. “Music and the Power of Balance” In Our Musical World: Creative Insights into a Planet's Cultural Diversity, Naylor and Naylor,428-432. Ann Arbor: Visions and Vibrations International.
Koen, Benjamin. 2007. “Jazz, Race, and American Identity” In Our Musical World: Creative Insights into a Planet's Cultural Diversity. Naylor and Naylor, 494-497. Ann Arbor: Visions and Vibrations International.
Koen, Benjamin. 2007. “Inside the Musician’s World: Benjamin Koen—Reliance” In Our Musical World: Creative Insights into a Planet's Cultural Diversity., Naylor and Naylor,432-434. Ann Arbor: Visions and Vibrations International.
Koen, Benjamin D. 2006. Musical Healing in Eastern Tajikistan: Transforming Stress and Depression Through Falak Performance. Asian Music. 37(2) 58-83.
Koen, Benjamin D. 2005. “Medical Ethnomusicology in the Pamir Mountains: Music and Prayer in Healing.” Ethnomusicology, 49(2): 287-311.
Koen, Benjamin.2004.“Embodiment, Metaphor, and Meaning in the Devotional Music and Poetry of Badakhshan, Tajikistan.” Studies on Persianate Societies, vol. 2:101-13.
Koen, Benjamin. 2003.“The Spiritual Aesthetic In Badakhshani Devotional Music.” The World of Music, 45(3):77-90.
Koen, Benjamin.2003. “Meaning and the Performance Process of Maddoh Devotional Music.” Fonus, 5:112-118. Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
FEATURES – KEYNOTES – SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Music & Peacebuilding Podcast - Wellness Season 3 –Healing and Flexible Framing
Ideas (Canadian CBC Radio and Sirius XM) –Saxophone and Spirituality
Wisdom of the Elders Radio –Indigenous people’s culture, music,
CCTV Documentary –Foreign Experts in China – Benjamin D. Koen, Medical Ethnomusicology.
Empowering GEN Zs: Traditional Wisdom and Modern Wellbeing through the SEA Meditation Method, Global Traditional Medicine Conference.
Music-Meditation as Medicine: Accessing Nature’s Pharmacy Within, Global Traditional Medicine Conference.
The New Paradigm of the Power of Music-Meditation: Healing, Health, Wellbeing, Goal-Achievement, and Transformation, International Symposium on the Healing and Emotional Power of Music and Dance.
Musical Meaning and the Ecology of Healing in the Pamir Mountains, Special Seminar Series on Badakhshani Culture and the Diaspora, University of Toronto.
Music-Neuro-Programming: SEA Meditation for Health and Wellbeing, Chinese and Cross-Cultural Health Humanities Lecture Series.
Elimination of Prejudice: The Functional Roles of Meditation and Neuroplasticity, Virginia Wesleyan University.
Vision of Race Unity: Music Performance and Lecture, Virginia Wesleyan University.
The Psychology of Music-Mind Healing Beyond the Placebo Effect, Marbella International University Centre, Department of Psychology.
Music-Meditation Dynamics Prime Psychological Flexibility in Counseling.
Torrejon Congress Center Torrejon de Ardos Madrid, Spain.
Friendship and Service
10th Fujian Friendship Awards Ceremony, Fuzhou.
“There Is No Box”: New Research Methodologies in Ethnomusicology and Anthropology. International Symposium on Ethnomusicology and Ethnic Minority Music in Yunnan Province. Yunnan University College of Arts, Kunming, China.
Medical Anthropology Journeys: Health, Healing, Music and Sustainable Development. Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Kunming, China Funded in part by the Yunnan University and Chinese Government Initiative on Ethnic Minority Medicine and Culture.
Live It! Don’t Diet”: Co-Creating A New Culture of Children’s Health Through a Child-Ability Centered Program. International Conference of Asian Food Study: Health and Civilization.
Personhood Consciousness and Musical Healing: Co-Creating a Culture of Learning and Health Beyond the Pale of Epilepsy. International Epilepsy Care Day Conference
Mystical Poetry of Molana Jalál al Din Rumi, Introduction, Recitation, and Translation” (from Persian to English). Whirling Dervishes of Rumi, Sufi Music & Performance (world-renowned music ensemble and ceremonial performers from Turkey). Ruby Diamond Auditorium, Florida State University.
First International Symposium on Medical Anthropology in China.
Flute Summit: Health and Healing Traditions from the Americas - International Conference on Music, Health, and Healing
College of Music, Florida State University.
Panel Chair & Organizer: “Flute and Metaphor in Cross-cultural Perspectives”
Performance: Opening Concert with Leon Anderson and Rodney Jordan.
International Symposium on Medical Ethnomusicology
Health & Healing. College of Medicine and College of Music, Florida State University.
Improvise! Symposium – Concert, Hong Kong City Hall.
Music and the Meditative Mind in China: Adjunctive and Primary Treatment of People with Stress, Anxiety, and Depression, International Council for Traditional Music.
Music Primes Psychological Flexibility for Health, Healing, and Wellness, Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development, Chiang Mai University.
Innovative and Holistic Research Methodology and Applied Practice in Health Science and the Expressive Arts, Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development, Chiang Mai University.
The Connection of the 5-Step Healing System to Diverse Traditional Practices, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The Five Factors of Music, The Mind, and Meditation in Wellness and Healing, Udon Thani Rajabhat University, Thailand.
Musical Healing in Cultural Contexts, Udon Thani Rajabhat University, Thailand.
Musical Improvisation Workshop and Performance, Udon Thani Rajabhat University, Thailand.
Music Primes Psychological Flexibility in Counseling: A Cognitive-Behavioral Healing Model, International Conference on Business Tourism and Applied Sciences. University of London.
Poetic Heritage and Memory: Musical Meditations, Transcendence, and Healing Words in the Museum of the Mind, International Symposium—Heritage, Tourism, and Museums: New Perspectives from Anthropology, Xiamen University, China.
Healing Exemplars of Flexibility in Music, Poetry, and Place, Symposium on Badakhshani Culture and Diaspora, University of Toronto.
New Approaches in Medical Anthropology and Music: Advancing Knowledge, Serving Society, Benefiting People, Symposium on the Development of Anthropology and Ethnology in Southeast China, Xiamen University.
Cognitive Flexibility and Religious Coping: Transforming Stress and Depression Through Falak Performance. 50th Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Atlanta.
Invited Speaker: “The Physiology and Spirituality of Music and Healing: Cognitive Flexibility and Transformational Consciousness.
Physiology and Spirituality: Balancing the Culture and Science of Healing.
the Pamir Mountains and Beyond” Processes for Prevention and Cure. Music, Medicine, & Culture: Medical Ethnomusicology and Global Perspectives on Health & Healing. International Symposium on Medical Ethnomusicology
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Recipient of numerous grants and awards for groundbreaking research and innovative music methods and performance.
Winner of the 2004 International Innovative Dissertation Award for Developing New Dimensions in Scholarship – NDLTD (Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations)
Forttuna Global Excellence Awards Nominee
Wellness Leader of the Year.
Healthcare Education Leader of the Year.
Top Albums of All Time List by CIMP (Creative Improvised Music Projects)
Friendship Award, Fujian Province
China’s highest honor for foreign experts, to recognize distinguished and valuable service to economic and social wellbeing.
Wisdom of the Elders
Project and radio show for culture and health of indigenous people featuring selections of my music and compositions.
Outstanding Research Presentation - Music Primes Psychological Flexibility In Counseling: A Cognitive-Behavioral Healing Model. University of London.
Distinguished Professor Minjiang Scholar, Xiamen University.
Hakubi Research Program Finalist, Kyoto University Japan.
Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society
Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society
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Founder, CEO - Sound Health Ltd.
Training and education company helping individuals, groups, businesses, and organizations improve their health, wellbeing, and wealth to realize their goals and vision through mindful action, personal development, strategic planning, and execution.Consultant, Coach - Music-Meditation, Sound Healing, Wellness, Fitness, & Business
Evidence-based practices and techniques taught and applied in individual, clinical, group, lecture, seminar, and workshop contexts.Consultant in Higher Education and Industry
Consultancy, strategic planning, and execution for business owners, executives, educators, and administrators to create actionable, systematic plans to achieve their personal and team goals within existing systems and by creating innovative, collaborative systems and programs.MUSIC PERFORMANCE - COMPOSITION
Performed in over fifty countries as a soloist, improviser, studio musician, leader of
Original jazz and world-music ensembles, and member of numerous other ensembles.
Specialized instruments include:Woodwinds: Tenor and soprano saxophones, C and alto flutes, b-flat and bass clarinets, Chinese xiao, dizi, and xun, Persian ney, Badakhshani ney, Lakota and Plains-style flute, Indian bansuri, Peruvian quena, ocarina, and didgeridoo.
Drums: West African djembe and palago, Central Asian doira, Middle Eastern daf and tonbak, and multiple percussion instruments.
Collaborations include:Jazz ensembles with David Murray, Lawrence Butch Morris, Cecil Taylor, Tete Montoliu, D.D. Jackson, William Parker, Billy Bang, and others.
World music projects with José Gualberto, African drumming masters, Balinese Gamelan ensembles, and Latin-jazz groups.
CONCERT ORGANIZER - PRESENTER
Flute Summit: Health and Healing Traditions from the Americas
Co-organizer, Performer, and Presenter with Kevin Locke, James Pellerite, and Alberto Almarza.Whirling Dervishes of Rumi, Sufi Music and Performance
Co-organizer and Presenter with FSU Association Students for Tolerance and Dialogue.Zafer Tawil: Traditional Folk and Classical Arabic Music
Co-organizer with the FSU Arab Cultural Association and Middle East Center.Sohale Zolfonoon: Traditional Folk and Classical Persian Music
Organizer and Presenter, Dohnanyi Recital Hall, College of Music, Florida State University.Peer-Reviewer
Ethnomusicology; Asian Music; The World of Music; Music Psychology;Medical Anthropology: Current Anthropology; Cross-Cultural Studies in Health and Illness; Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing; Oxford University Press;Routledge;Bloomsbury Publishing; Prentice Hall Pearson Publishing.
Society for Ethnomusicology
Past Chair, Association for Medical Ethnomusicology
Co-chair, Association for Medical Ethnomusicology
Founding Member Social Science Studies of CAM and IM
Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Medicine, A Special Interest Group of the Society for Medical Anthropology
SOCIETIES and ASSOCIATIONS (past and present)
Society for Asian Music; Society for Ethnomusicology, International Council for Traditional Music; College Music Society; SEM Special Interest Group for Medical Ethnomusicology; Social Science Studies of Complementary, Alternative,and Integrative Medicine; Society For Medical Anthropology; American Anthropological Association; Central Eurasian Studies Society; Association for the Study of Persianate Societies; Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society; Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society.