Barbara Dunn PhD

Please see http://www.barbaradunn.com/calendar.html for update of current performances and presentations.

Barbara Dunn began singing at the age of three and music has remained a life-long passion since then. Working with and helping people has also been a major part of her life. Whether working with people in hospital setting, a community event, or in her private psychotherapy/music therapy practice, she has always been inspired by the resiliency of the human spirt and richness of live – in all it’s variations. with music as an accompaniment, it has become the language she uses to communicate ideas, truth, joy and sadness.

Barbara received her degree in Music Therapy in 1982 from Michigan State University; this is a music degree and voice was her primary instrument of focus. In 1987, she received her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Washington. Her social work experiences include hospital and medical based work as well as areas of mental health. In her professional work, she has found the combination of music therapy with social work to be invaluable. This promotes a more systemic approach allowing for deeper experiences and greater opportunities for healing.

In 1988, she spent a year living in New Zealand (Aotearoa) studying ethnomusicology at Victoria University. Her primary focus in these studies was to look at how other cultures use the arts (specifically music) to address social concerns and challenges. This is has become a lifelong interest of hers, particularly in her work with music in community based settings.

Barbara completed her doctoral work in 2008. Studying Music and Conflict Transformation, her focus was on bringing music into a process of mediation. Inspiration for this work came from positive experiences in music therapy of using music to help people with a wide variety of challenges. A conflict transformational approach extends beyond resolution to create change that can have a far-reaching and lasting impact on a conflicted situation.

Barbara is an accomplished musician, composer and songwriter with four albums to her credit. The songs she writes are often a reflection of life in general, community, and her work. Styles of music she performs can range from folk to jazz to classical. In addition to singing, Barbara is a trained and gifted vocalist, and plays guitar, piano, recorder, and assorted percussion and folk instruments.