Music has a powerful place in our lives. At IU Health Bloomington, board-certified music therapist Sami Taggart, MM, MT-BC, uses music to help patients relax and manage anxiety, depression, and pain.

Her therapy begins when she enters a patient’s room. She analyzes a patient’s current state and needs to know which interventions will be most appropriate.

“Music is a great distractor from pain, and it’s also a great motivator to recall fond memories,” she says. “For anxiety, we do a lot of relaxing, just simple [guitar] playing. And for emotional and spiritual wellness, I’ll play whatever helps patients relax and connect to themselves.”

Taggart earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Music Therapy from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia. She practiced music therapy in New York for three years and obtained a Master of Music Therapy at SUNY Fredonia in 2020. She joined IU Health Bloomington in 2022.

“I always loved music, and I wanted to be able to help people. And then I fell upon music therapy, and it was both, so it was meant to be.”