Tracey joined Nourishing Minds in early 2024, bringing with her years of experience as a board-certified music therapist. Her role bridges traditional tutoring with the emotional and cognitive benefits of music-based therapy, helping students from pre-K through college reach their goals through creativity and connection.

Music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship. Unlike simply listening to music or using it casually in lessons, true music therapy is conducted by a credentialed professional trained to use rhythm, melody, and movement to achieve developmental, emotional, and educational progress.

Tracey explains:

“Music therapy is clinical, evidence-based, and always led by a credentialed professional. It’s not just playing songs, it’s using music intentionally to support growth.”

At Nourishing Minds Tutoring, music therapy is used to enhance attention, memory, communication, and emotional regulation. For younger children, Tracey runs Tracey’s Twinkle Tunes, a program at the Saratoga Children’s Museum for children under three. Through fun, movement-based sessions, she assesses and supports developmental milestones such as focus, motor skills, and early communication.

For older students, music therapy can help with:

• Speech delays
• Behavioral and emotional regulation
• Confidence building
• Social awareness and interaction
• Academic focus and recall

Music naturally engages multiple parts of the brain, making it a powerful tool for learning. As Tracey puts it,

“Can you name anyone who doesn’t like music? It sparks something in all of us, kids and adults alike.”

Much of Tracey’s work involves supporting students with special education needs. She uses singing, instrument play, and rhythmic movement to strengthen communication, self-awareness, and social skills. In her words,

“Sometimes I’m the therapist, sometimes I’m the friend but I’m always there at their level, not singing at them, but with them.”

For teens, Tracey uses lyric analysis to help students explore emotions and self-expression. Discussing a favorite song’s lyrics can open conversations about identity, mental health, and coping, all through the universal language of music.

Nourishing Minds Tutoring offers both in-person and virtual learning, and while some sessions can be conducted online, Tracey believes face-to-face connection is vital in establishing trust and engagement. Especially in a time when speech delays and learning challenges have increased due to social isolation, music therapy offers a joyful and effective path forward.

“We love music and we love helping people. Music therapy combines both of those passions and it changes lives.”

To learn more about music therapy or schedule a consultation, visit NourishingMindsTutoring.com or email Tracey Puckhaber directly at tracey@nourishingmindstutoring.com.