Birgit loves connecting with people through music. With children, youth and young adults she uses a developmental approach, blending music instruction, play-based improvisation, and skills acquisition in the areas of speech and language, social communication, fine and gross motor development and cognition. With older adults, she strives to meet their needs in areas of social connection, validation, spiritual care and physical rehabilitation support. She uses group singing and instrumental music making, neurologic music therapy techniques and integrates her participants’ life experience and knowledge into the sessions.

Birgit has worked in long-term care facilities from Vancouver, Burnaby, the Tri-Cities to Maple Ridge for over 20 years. She is also an experienced early childhood music educator and has worked in preschools, daycares and community music schools in Coquitlam and Maple Ridge. She has developed many music therapy programs for children, adults and seniors from the ground up. Her work and advocacy has been featured on local radio and print media.

B.Ed. (1995), BMT (1997), MTA (1999), Neurologic Music Therapist NMT (2019).

In 2018, 2019 and 2020, Birgit was the recipient of several Music Heals grants for her work with children, youth and adults with ASD and developmental disabilities.

Birgit won a provincial CLBC WOW Award in 2020 for keeping her participants safely connected and served through mobile, outdoors music therapy services.

When not working as a music therapist, Birgit is busy with her family, gardening, walking, or volunteering for community causes.