Stories Love Music’s Caregiver Symposium:
“De-escalation Through Connection & Creativity”
We are providing you an opportunity to empower caregivers and healthcare professionals on the shore. Stories Love Music, an organization that was founded for the purpose of guiding caregivers who care for those individuals living with dementia and Alzheimers, to utilize creative engagement for self care and stress management.
Join us for this year’s Stories Love Music Caregiver Symposium, where we kick off with a special coffee hour for attendees and sponsors from 9 AM to 10 AM, offering a unique opportunity for networking and sharing experiences.
Throughout the day, enjoy our Caregiver Relaxation Room, engage in thought-provoking panel discussions, and participate in interactive workshops such as Stories Love Music meets Lego Serious Play with Loretta Veney, Ilyana Kadushin, and James Harrell, Guided Art Sessions with Sivan Perdue, and Sound Healing with Chrissy Earhart, and much more. These activities are designed to empower caregivers through creative engagement and self-care.
Click to explore the schedule
9:00 am-10:00 am
Special coffee hour for symposium ticket holders and sponsors
10:00 am-10:25
Waking Up Music Session with: Ilyana Kadushin, James Harrell, and Special Guest, Jamie Leonhart ( vocalist with Steely Dan and St.Vincent)
10:30 am-11:30 am
Panel Discussion and Community Conversation on “De-escalation through Connection and Creativity,” moderated by the Executive Director of Stories Love Music, Ilyana Kadushin.
Panelists include:
-
- Crystal Heiser (Certified Senior Advisor at Home Instead, End-of-Life Doula, Alzheimer’s Community Educator, MS and Parkinson’s Advocate)
- Cherilynn Parks (Memory Care Director, Activities Director)
- Rose K. O’Neill (Director of Community Relations at Bay Harbor)
- Dr. Sharon Willey Spurrier (PSYD, BCBA, LBA, Founder of Ocean Front Counseling)
- Dr. Janice Schreibman (MM, MT-BC, CCLS-Assistant Professor Music Therapy Coordinator, and Assistant Professor of Music at Salisbury University. She is completing her Ph.D. in Expressive Therapies at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.)
11:30 am-11:50 am*
Break to visit vendors and Relaxation Room (with massage therapist, Hillari Brandt)
12:00 pm-12:30 pm
Somatic Voice Session with Jamie Leonhart.
Jamie is a New York City-based singer/songwriter and educator, Leonhart is a Certified Somatic Voicework™ the Lovetri Method teacher, trained to teach in a curious, mindful, science-based manner.
Caregivers are often the mouthpiece for those they care for, and are continuously using their voices to communicate with the recipient of their care, whether through speech or song.
Studies have shown that frustration, fatigue, and unexpressed emotions can cause tension in our throats and disconnection from our bodies and selves.
In this short workshop, we’ll use the principles of Somatic Voicework(™) to help attendees connect to their embodied voices. We will explore vocalization, simple self-massage, and mindful breathing to find ease in all sorts of vocal production and develop a deeper connection to our voices.
12:30 pm-1:00 pm
Music Therapy session with Niki Runge. MCAT, LPMT, MT-BC is a Board Certified and Licensed Professional Music Therapist and the owner of Chesapeake Music Therapy in Salisbury, MD. Niki has over 30 years of experience using music to guide the connection of clients across the lifespan and caregivers towards a deeper understanding of themselves and others. This workshop will guide participants in feeling how the power of music fosters connection by offering participants the opportunity to create music together and share in the experience of feeling heard and supported by others. Participants will further deepen their understanding through discussion of the experience for themselves and how their experience may impact those in their care.
1:00 pm-2:00 pm
Lunch Hour provided by Symposium
2:00 pm-3:00 pm
Lego and Live Music Session with *Loretta Veney (Lego Serious Play Facilitator) and Stories Love Music’s founders/musicians, Ilyana Kadushin and James Harrell.
Loretta Veney is an Inspirational Speaker, certified LEGO® Serious Play® facilitator, and author of Being My Mom’s Mom, Refreshment for the Caregiver’s Spirit, and Colors Flowing from My Mind. In 2006, after her mother Doris was diagnosed with dementia, Loretta learned everything she could about the disease, becoming a fierce advocate for her Mom. They were featured in the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The NY Times and two PBS specials. Loretta’s engagement with her Mom using LEGO bricks and her facilitation of LEGO Serious Play workshops for those with dementia and their caregivers resulted in them being selected as one of Robin Roberts Thriver Thursday recipients, which were previewed on Good Morning America.
3:00 pm-3:50 pm
Sound Healing Session with Chrissy Earhart, (Sound Healer and owner of Zenna Wellness)
Sound healing/sound therapy is an ancient healing modality using vibrational musical instruments such as crystal and Himalayan Bowls, drums, bells, and voice that will bring clients into a deep relaxation while vibrations of sound will travel through the body, creating a harmonious balance of the body and mind’s cells. Sound therapy nourishes the body’s nerve endings, reducing chronic pain and inflammation while lowering heart rate, blood pressure, and toxic levels in the body. Sound healing is used in clinical, personal, and hospital settings in the US and all around the world.
4:00 pm-4:50 pm
Guided Art Session with Sivan Perdue, Art Therapist and Founder of Perdue Art Therapy.
What I Hold / What Holds Me
In this guided art-making session for family and professional caregivers, we’ll explore the emotional weight and support we carry in our caregiving roles. Starting with a creative reflection on the sound bath, participants will then use simple drawing and collage techniques to express “what I hold” on one side of the page, and “what holds me” on the other. No art experience needed—just bring your curiosity and a willingness to pause, reflect, and connect through creativity.
5:00 pm
Symposium Ends
*Vendors and the Relaxation Room will be open throughout the event.
WHEN
Friday, June 6th 2025
From 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
WHERE
Salisbury University’s
Downtown Gallery
212 West Main Street
Salisbury, Maryland 21801
Suite #201
Don’t Miss Out –
Purchase Your Ticket Today!
Sponsorship Tiers
Vendors
$250
This year, we are introducing a vendor sponsorship opportunity that allows you to set up a table at the symposium. This intimate setting is an ideal space to connect with the caregiver and health professional community, offering significant exposure and interaction opportunities.
Caregiver Relaxation Room
$500
This sponsorship level supports the most popular feature from last year’s symposium, the Caregiver Relaxation Room. Your contribution ensures this tranquil space continues to offer respite and rejuvenation to caregivers throughout the event.
Patron of the Arts
$1,000
Your sponsorship supports the heart of our symposium, the interactive and creative workshops. These workshops are crucial for engaging and educating caregivers in new, innovative ways, making your contribution vital to the enrichment of our attendees.
Create the Space
$2,000
By sponsoring at this level, you will help secure the beautiful Salisbury University Downtown Gallery, located on the plaza in downtown Salisbury, as the venue for our symposium. Your contribution will cover the cost of this location, providing a scenic and accommodating space for our sessions and activities.
Nourish a Caregiver
$3,000
Your exclusive sponsorship at this level ensures that all caregivers attending the symposium are well-nourished throughout the event. This sponsorship covers all meals, including breakfast and lunch, allowing participants to focus fully on their learning and networking without worrying about meal arrangements.