Angela Reimer on using music to heal brain injuries and the work of Cantabrainers Choir

Oct 28, 2019

Angela is a speech and language therapist who works with people who have communication difficulties following brain injuries or disease through Cantabrainers Choir.  Cantabrainers helps people with neurological conditions to find their voice again.  In this interview we talk with Angela about her early days in Springfield, what it was like growing up in a small town of 80 people, the role of steam trains for her Father, how she became a speech and language therapist and what she learned in studying that, and her role today in helping people who have needs for speech and language therapy.  We also dive into what Cantabrainers Choir is and what they are involved in and the role they play for the people who attend.

Website: https://www.cantabrainerschoir.nz

From the website:

The Cantabrainers Choir is a therapeutic choir, led by a registered Music Therapist (Kimberley Wade) and a registered Speech Language Therapist (Angela Reimer, STAR). Cantabrainers exists for people with neurological conditions such as Stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Brain Injury, helping them to improve their voice and communication through singing and socialising.

The choir was established by Therapy Professionals Ltd in 2012, and on 1 January 2019 the Cantabrainers Therapeutic Choir Charitable Trust took over the management of the Choir.

 Through creating a sustainable therapeutic choir, the Trust enables participation, connection and enrichment of the lives of choir members, their carers and families as well as the wider community.