About Us
Our Mission
The mission of Music Heals of Florida is to assist clients toward improving, maintaining, or restoring a state of optimal well-being by using evidence-based music interventions. Music, which is an art form within all cultures, enables people to feel a sense of belonging, have an identity and creatively express themselves.
Who We Are
Music Heals of Florida is a subsidiary of Music Therapy Services, Inc., which was established in 1986 in the Tampa Bay area, and was one of only a very few Music Therapy companies throughout the state of Florida at that time. The company was founded by Jan Barbour and expanded to Jacksonville, Florida in 2016. Now serving 7 counties in the Sunshine State, a team of credentialed, highly experienced Music Therapists & Music Educators design & implement evidence-based music interventions to reach largely non-musical goals. The company’s therapists and educators use music, in its’ countless forms, to provide safe spaces for creativity, communication, social connectivity & growth (musical, behavioral and academic) to emerge and be validated. High-quality musical instruments that are age & developmentally appropriate are provided to all participants to engage with during the sessions. The company serves ages 2 – 102 in a variety of settings including Memory Care units, Assisted Living Facilities, Private Schools, group homes, day programs for developmentally delayed adults, ABA Clinics, Behavioral Clinics, and in the comfort of our clients’ private homes. Clients of Music Heals of Florida may have one — or more — of the following diagnosis: Alzheimer’s/Related Dementias, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), OCD, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Spina Bifida, Pfeiffer Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, PTSD, and Medical Complexities.
What We Do
Specific types of music engagement may include singing, playing musical instruments, dancing, story-telling & music, songwriting, drumming, performing in the community, intentional listening, designing individual playlists, teaching music concepts (pitch, rhythm, harmony), genre studies.
Therapeutic music interventions provide a supportive and engaging avenue for enhancing communication, learning, social connectivity, skill development, emotional regulation, and sensory processing. Individual and group sessions are carefully designed & facilitated to improve the overall well-being and quality of life throughout the life cycle.
FES Scholarship & Private Pay are accepted forms of payment. Jan Barbour is a skilled and successful grant writer, having been awarded grants from the Mayo Clinic, Florida Blue, The Community Foundation, Pinellas County Schools (numerous grants), and the HEAL Foundation.
Meet the Team
Jan Barbour
Founder | Executive Director
Jan Barbour is the Founder and President of Music Therapy Services, Inc., established in 1986. During the past four decades, she has built a career that integrates clinical music therapy, music education, program development, strategic partnerships, and professional grant writing.
Her career includes extensive experience as a Music Therapist serving older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, as well as fifteen years (2001–2016) as a full-time Music Educator, the majority of which was spent teaching students with special needs. This combination of clinical and educational experience has provided a unique foundation for developing programs that serve individuals with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities, veterans, older adults, refugee families, and children participating in school, after-school, and homeschool educational settings.
Today, Jan partners with nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, healthcare providers, and community agencies to develop innovative programs, secure sustainable grant funding, and expand access to music therapy and music-based educational services. Her work reflects a long-standing commitment to building strategic partnerships that improve lives and strengthen communities.
Kim Keith
Music Educator
Kim Keith is a life-long Floridian, and long time Jacksonville resident. She completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Church Music in 1991 at Florida Baptist Theological College, Master’s Degree in Music Education in 1994 at Florids State University, and a Master’s in Church Music in 1997 at LOGOS Christian College. After working as a Music Educator in several different schools in Duval County, Florida, Kim became a staff member at Music Therapy Services, Inc. in 2019.
Her primary client populations include older adults with Alzheimer’s & Related Dementias, children/teen & adults on the autism spectrum and/or developmental disabilities, and children on Hospice care. She is a gifted vocalist, and a piano & vocal instructor. Kim offers a person-centered approach to sharing music and encourages her clients to share their music through singing, playing instruments, dancing and developing their own personal playlists. Watching her clients learn, achieve and enjoy music brings Kim immense joy and satisfaction, as her approach is one of care, understanding, honoring the individual and giving each client the freedom to make their own choices and their own music that is inside of them.
Music Therapy Services, Inc. recognizes the HEAL Foundation & Mayo Clinic of Jacksonville for supporting our efforts through grant funding.
