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ABOUT
Evidence-based Approach Using The Arts
At Music For Life Creative Arts Therapy, we use music, art, drama and movement to transform lives. Our team of licensed creative arts therapists, teachers and professional performers and artists use evidence-based creative arts approaches to bring joy, help build skills, form meaningful relationships and create an accepting community. The arts can change our lives through rewiring our brains, helping us learn to regulate our minds, bodies and feelings, improve focus, attention and memory, connect with others and have joyful experiences.​
Since 1993, Jeffrey Friedberg MT-BC, LCAT has been providing music therapy to children, teens and adults with a wide variety of skills, challenges and abilities. He has worked in hospitals, outpatient treatment centers and schools. In 2013 he opened Music For Life Creative Arts Therapy in Nyack, NY. His goal was to create a center where people could build skills, improve their lives and form meaningful relationship through music and the other creative and performing arts.​The response in the community was tremendous.
Music For Life Creative Arts Therapy currently has 15 staff, a vibrant musical theater program, 5 performing rock bands, 3 choruses, and a wide variety of arts based programing including podcasting class, improv class and more!
At Music For Life Creative Arts Therapy, we combine the science of brain research with the playfulness of the creative arts to help children, teens and adults build skills and improve their lives. Please contact us to find out more about our programs.​
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Children, teens and adults
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Open to all in community including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, social-behavioral challenges, depression, anxiety, developmental delays and disabilities, brain injury, Alzheimer's and dementia, managing with grief and loss
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Individual and group lessons, classes and music and art therapy
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Play therapy and parent coaching
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All skills, abilities and challenges welcome
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State-of-the-art studio in Nyack and Tappan PLUS in-home, virtual, and off-site
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Over 25 years experience
THE TEAM
Music
Alan "Jeffrey" Friedberg,
MT-BC, LCAT
Jeffrey is a board-certified music therapist and a NY State licensed creative arts therapist. He created Music For Life Creative Arts Therapy since in 2013 to help children, teens and adults use music to build important life skills and have meaningful experiences. For 29 years he has provided music therapy to children, teens and adults in schools, hospitals and day programs. He also runs the Parents' Choice Award-winning children band, The Bossy Frog Band. He graduated from NYU with an MA in music therapy.
Molly Gorman,
MT-BC, PLCAT
Molly is a board-certified music therapist and a provisional NY State licensed creative arts therapist. She has worked at Music For Life Creative Arts Therapy for 3 years providing individual and group music therapy and lessons as well as being onsite supervisor for the Musical Theater Program. She has a background in Broadway music, both vocally and piano, and play guitar as well as several other instruments. She graduated from NYU with an MA in music therapy.
Sarah Morris
MT-BC, LCAT
Sarah Morris MT-BC, LCAT is a board certified music therapist and NY State licensed creative arts therapist. She joins Music For Life Creative Arts Therapy after being the director of therapeutic recreation at Mary Manning Walsh Nursing Home in NYC and chorus director at Actionplay Chorus/AIM Workshop. At Mary Manning Walsh she spent several years providing music therapy to seniors before she became director of her department. At Actionplay she lead weakly choir rehearsal s for young adults on the autistic spectrum. She has also worked with young children with special needs. Sarah is a talented vocalist and plays guitar and piano. Sarah has an MA in music therapy from NYU.
Dave Reiss
Dave is a professional musician, educator, sound engineer and entrepreneur. He has taught private music lessons and group lesson sin NY and NJ since 2006. He has helped many students of all ages and skill levels to achieve their musical goals. Dave teaches beginner through expert guitar, bass and music theory lessons. He also teaches beginner piano and drums, and can teach all levels of performers to play cohesively together or to improve their existing band. He graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Matthew Cohen
MT-BC
Matthew Cohen holds an MS in Music Therapy from SUNY New Paltz. He has worked individually and in groups with a variety of populations, including children and adults with neurodevelopmental impairments and mental health needs. Matthew’s background is in musical improvisation, and he has music-directed and taught for the Second City in Chicago and Los Angeles, and was music director for the Groundlings Theatre & School in Los Angeles from 2016 to 2020.
Autumn Hill MT-BC
Autumn Hill is a music therapist and graduate of University of the Pacific in California. She completed her internship at the Salem VA Medical Center in Virginia and has experience in a wide variety of creative arts, including dance, video editing, creative writing, and art. She strives to provide creative expression and connection through several artistic means and hopes that every person she meets will experience the joy of creative art.
Brandon Isles MT-BC
Brandon Isles is a board certified music therapist. He received his MS in Music Therapy from SUNY New Paltz. He completed his clinical internship at VA Hudson Valley, where he worked with veterans in both long term and psychiatric care. Additional clinical placements included community outreach for substance use and assisted living. He also spent two years working with at-risk adolescents and young adults at a horticultural therapy program in Hawai’i. Brandon specializes in percussion, is passionate about jazz, and has performed professionally around the northeastern US for 15 years.
Michael Flanagan
MT-BC
Michael Flanagan, MT-BC is a board-certified music therapist at Music For Life Creative Arts Therapy. Michael studied at SUNY New Paltz where he received a Bachelor of Science in music and psychology and a Master of Science in music therapy. He has a background in classical piano performance and has also played the cello, violin, and sang in various ensembles since he was younger. Michael strives to provide a safe, fun, and engaging environment for all individuals to express themselves through music!
Arianna Dempsey MT-BC
Arianna Dempsey is a board-certified music therapist. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 2007 from SUNY Fredonia. She completed her internship at Matheny Medical & Educational Center in Peapack, NJ. While her main instrument is voice (classical & Broadway), Arianna also plays piano, guitar, ukulele, and electric bass, with knowledge in African percussion as well. Arianna has worked with a variety of populations including early childhood, adolescents, adults with varied intellectual and physical disabilities, and geriatrics. She also participated in a volunteer trip to Athens, Greece in 2019 with Music Therapy Without Borders. While there, she worked with Afghani refugees at Malakasa Refugee Camp, helping refugees in their day to day lives through the power of music. Arianna is thrilled to be continuing her career with the Music For Life team!
Art
Lindsay Frieman ATR, LCAT
Lindsay Frieman is a LCAT, New York State licensed creative arts therapist, with a Master's Degree in Professional Studies in Art Therapy from The School of Visual Arts in NYC. Helping people and her love of art have always been her passions, so to find a career where she can combine the two is a dream come true. Prior to her experience at Music for Life, she has had the pleasure of working with various populations, including an early intervention preschool with 3-5 year old’s with autism, 20-60 year old’s with various cognitive and developmental needs, as well as adults in Oncology and Palliative Care at Montefiore Hospital in Bronx, New York. No matter the population, she is honored to be a part of everyone's journey. She hopes to instill confidence, creative expression, and self-worth in every individual. It is her hope that the participants at MFL will walk away with positive skills and feel empowered to take on any challenge that comes their way.
Christine Randolph ATR, LCAT
Christine Randolph is a NYS-licensed and board certified art therapist. She has worked at Four Winds Hospital and was the Director of the Rockland Living Museum at Rockland Psychiatric Center in Orangeburg, NY. Christine is very passionate about all forms of creativity and how art can inspire personal growth and healing.
Frank Milillo
Frank Milillo has taught art in the Nyack public school district for 16 years. He has a masters degree in art history from Purchase College. He is also a landscape oil painter and illustrator. One of his aspirations is to have one of his paintings displayed in a museum.
Theatre
Terese Giamarco -
Musical Theatre
Terese has worked at Music For Life Creative Arts Therapy as Director in the musical theater program since 2018. She has worked in The Bossy Frog Band with Jeffrey Friedberg for over 10 years. She has over 20 years' experience as an educator, currently working with individuals with special needs and their families as a curriculum assistant at the Manitou School in Cold Spring New York. She is also a long-time veteran of the theater and film industry. Her son, a young adult with Autism, is the inspiration for combining her background in both areas and joining the team here at Music for Life C.A.T. Terese is passionate about creating more opportunities for people with disabilities through creative expression in this wonderfully, integrated environment that is open to all.
Rick Apicella -
Acting Coach
Rick is an award-winning actor from Pearl River, NY. He has been performing on stage and television in and around NYC for the past fifteen years. He has worked as acting coach in Music For Life Creative Arts Therapy’s Musical Theater Program since 2018. As a playwright, some of Rick’s recent plays include Hang On (2024), performed at Atrim Playhouse, The Legend (2018), which was COMMENDED by the BBC and produced at the Westchester Collaborative Theater in Ossining, NY and The Prodigy (2017) produced at the Studio Theater on Theater Row, NYC. Also, Rick has been a proud member of The Bossy Frog Band since 2014 and proud father to his nine-year-old son, Richie.
Allison Costello
Alison is a teacher, performer, writer and director who has been privileged to work and teach with various creative arts organizations throughout Rockland, Westchester and NYC. She is an elementary school teacher in the South Orangetown School District and serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors at Elmwood Playhouse.
Dana Duff
Dana Duff (Acting Coach) is a Performer, Director (Most recently Directed ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ at Elmwood Playhouse), Writer, Educator (Tarrytown School District), House Manager (Penguin Rep), Production Assistant (Phoenix Arts Festival), Event Coordinator (Rockland County Pride Center & CANDLE), and The Artistic Director for the new Antrim Playhouse in Tappan. Dana resides in Nyack and is very active in the theater community in Rockland. She has performed in over 100 professional and community productions throughout NJ, NY & NYC. Dana was a Triathlete for her University with a Bachelor of Science in Communications, with Minors in Psychology and Theater Arts. Dana spent 16 years working for the Montclair Y as a Full-time Youth, Teen & Camp Director. Dana’s favorite part of her week is creating art and magical moments with Music For Life participants!
Film
Pascal Akesson
Now in his third year at Music For Life, Pascal is passionate in helping students discover their unique voices through storytelling on film. Pascal is a New York-based documentary filmmaker and editor with decades of production and storytelling experience. His editing credits include episodes for PBS Frontline, Wide Angle, and American Masters and features Sundance entries such as Fire In The Blood, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, and Olympic Pride, American Prejudice. Pascal's work has garnered numerous accolades, including four Cine Golden Eagles, Columbia DuPont, and Overseas Press Club awards, multiple local and national Emmys, and Cable ACE nominations. Pascal believes in the transformative power of art to bring people together.
Staff
Deirdre McLary
Administration
Deirdre has lived and worked in Nyack for over 20 years. She has worked as a board certified lactation consultant, office administrator, and has facilitated countless private classes and support groups for expectant and new families across the county. Before joining Music For Life she spent the past 15 years locally at Dr. Zatz Pediatrics. Deirdre loves working locally, and finds the job of supporting her community deeply rewarding.
Bonnie M
Social Media Coordinator
Bonnie Mukherjee is the social media coordinator for Music For Life. She currently works on Music For Life's email campaigns, Facebook and Instagram accounts, digital media analytics, and graphic designs on Canva. In addition, she attends Music For Life's performances to take photos and videos for social media content and to engage with the community. She supports diversity in the workplace, mental health awareness, and Autism awareness. Bonnie loves creating and designing cartoon characters, hanging out with her friends, and listening to country-pop music in her free time.
Milo F
Band Assistant
Milo is Band Assistant for Beach Down and RNR at Music for Life Creative Arts Therapy. He does marketing for The Rock ‘n’ Rollers by writing Facebook posts and making Facebook reels. He has been the bassist for The Rock ‘n’ Rollers since the band’s beginning in 2015. Milo has played bass guitar in pre-professional musical theater productions “Elf” and “Shrek Jr The Musical” presented by MFL/Elmwood Playhouse. He also played Cowardly Lion in “Land of Oz”, Scar in “The Lion King”, and Johnny in “Sing”. Milo graduated from Impact U at Concordia College, in Bronxville. He studied music theory, composition, world music, Spanish, and took individual lessons in bass guitar, piano, and voice at the Concordia Conservatory. He studied at Berkshire Hills Music Academy in South Hadley, MA in summer of 2017 and 2018. He started bass lessons with Dave Reiss in 2010. He is still learning how to play the guitar. Milo is excited about the classes at Music for Life that are helping him learn to create original music and scripts, to improve acting and voice, and to perform music professionally.
Chris N
MFL Intern
I’ve loved music all my life and play electric guitar, ukulele, drums and sing in the Rock N’ Rollers. For my internship at Music For Life, I help out with video editing on the MFL laptops, keep our Tappan location clean & tidy, and work as a band assistant to 2 of our other MFL bands, The AMPs & Whatta Band. In AMPs rehearsal, I help to set up all the equipment, such as the microphone stands and cords and make sure everything runs smoothly. I also help give the bandmates pointers. I’ve been in several Music for Life Theatre productions, such as “Elf”, “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown”, “Beauty & the Beast” & “Mary Poppins”. I like to be independent and play music with my friends.
Volunteers
Blair P
Chorus and Theatre Volunteer
I've been volunteering at Music For Life since 2018. I help out with the Tuesday night chorus class and teen and youth musical theater classes at Music For Life. I love seeing the smiles on the participants faces and I love seeing how happy they are. They also bring me joy when I help them learn how to sing and act. I am also part of the pre professional musical theater group at Music For Life.