Jodi McLaren
Board Certified Music Therapist | Neurologic Music Therapy Fellow
Asheville, NC
BIO
Jodi McLaren is a Board Certified Music Therapist with a passion for helping individuals and groups heal and thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally through music. Jodi has been featured on local and national news, radio and podcasts for her work bringing music and songwriting to people of all ages in a variety of settings including but not limited to: inpatient mental health facilities, schools, prisons, hospitals, methadone clinics, addiction treatment centers, and indigenous community centers.
For Jodi, Music Therapy is about building relationships and giving people resources to connect with themselves and each other. She supported a stroke-survivor with expressive aphasia to write, sing and perform original music and improve her ability to speak through neurologic music therapy. She led flagship songwriting programs in two state prisons, and co-created the first Reno Lullaby Project in 2017, supporting mothers in inpatient recovery to write lullabies for their children. She advocated for families in the school system, being the first to provide music therapy in Washoe County public schools as part of an IEP (Individualized Education Plan).
Jodi is also a Certified ReBloom Coach, with extensive training in post-traumatic growth and trauma resolution. She is dedicated to unlearning white supremacy and building a more equitable loving liberated culture across race and other differences. She works with clients 1-1 integrating music, music therapy, and coaching based on the needs of her clients.
She’s friendly, adaptable, self-motivated, responsible, well-spoken, and highly-skilled at meeting people where they are and supporting them with their most pressing needs using music.
Press
Testimonials
I truly learned so much from working with Jodi and our vets. The project truly warmed my heart and her wisdom will follow me on future projects as I begin to incorporate more music into my creative endeavors.
-Anonymous, Veteran Songwriting Participant
Jodi is an absolute necessity to our team at Renown Children’s Hospital. As a child life specialist one of my main roles is to ensure that I am offering the tools necessary to help our littlest patients cope with their environment in a healthy way. One of the most successful methods to help them cope is something I’m incapable of, but that Jodi is a master in—music therapy. There are no language or social barriers in the world of music and because of that, Jodi is able to speak to so many of our patients.
–Elizabeth Winkler, Child Life Specialist
It is always a pleasure to know that Jodi is coming to work with us. Whether it is a group of patients, or one on one, her gentle and creative spirit never fails to draw out even the most shy patients. She has an easy going sense of humor that puts people at ease. We see the power of love and music in action every time she is visits.
–Cherie Lordy, Patient Enrichment Coordinator
original music
In addition to being a music therapist, Jodi McLaren is a singer-songwriter. Below are some of her top songs.
GUIDED MEDITATIONS
Due to popular request, Jodi McLaren has recorded three live guided meditations with music that she uses regularly in music therapy groups. Guided meditations can help reduce anxiety and stress, increase relaxation, improve mood, and aide in sleep.