Sunshine Music Therapy
Our History
Sun Joo Lee established Sunshine Music Therapy in 2008, and immediately began introducing music therapy to senior living communities, hospices, adult daycare centers, and individuals in Phoenix, Arizona. In addition, Sun Joo Lee created heath-focused therapeutic choirs for people with neurological diseases such as Tremble Clefs. Her love for sharing music with older adults has resulted in Sunshine Music Therapy becoming a specialized elderly music therapy company serving both the East and West valleys of Phoenix. In 2017 Sunshine Music Therapy, LLC was incorporated so that the company could train interns and add additional music therapists in order to expand service offerings for senior care professionals, senior care organizations, caregiving settings, and private individuals. Also, Sunshine Music Therapy, LLC began to offer Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) to serve the populations who suffer from neurologic diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease (PD), Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), stroke, and ataxia.
Aging is a natural process that we cannot avoid. The key to successful aging is discovering strategies that can be utilized to live meaningful lives despite the decline caused by these types of health issues and the limitations they pose. Sunshine Music Therapy focuses on providing music therapy to enhance the quality of life for all older adults by sharing meaningful musical experiences. We assist clients to not only meet their therapeutic goals but also to discover and experience the joy of making music by celebrating every musical moment we create together.
The therapists of Sunshine Music Therapy will support you in maintaining autonomy, identity, and well-being during your physical, mental, and cognitive limitations and losses. We are ready to provide optimal ways to make the lives of older adults valuable by sharing musical experiences. Are you ready to discover new ways to successfully enjoy aging?
Sun Joo Lee was born in Seoul, Korea, and obtained an undergraduate degree in Voice Performance from Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul. She moved to Arizona in 2003 and earned master’s degrees in Music Therapy and Voice Performance from Arizona State University in 2008. Upon graduation Sun Joo was approached by the Muhammad Ali Parkinson's Center in Phoenix and asked to establish a singing group for people with Parkinson’s disease in the Sun City area. Ms. Lee accepted that offer and continues as Music Director of that group, known as West Side Tremble Clefs. Same year she accepted the position of Music Director of the Original Tremble Clefs, a choral group for people with Parkinson’s founded in Scottsdale in 1994.
Sun Joo Lee is a Board-Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC) and is also certified as a Neurologic Music Therapist Fellow. As owner and clinical director of Sunshine Music Therapy, LLC, Ms. Lee focuses on those with neurological diseases. She has provided Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) programs for PD at Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ, and offers PD group music therapy sessions in the Phoenix Metropolitan area.
In January of 2020, she accepted the position of Music Director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute’s Shine Your Light program, a Life Enrichment Program choir for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and their families. Her passion for creating community choirs for seniors is not limited only for older adults with neurological disease. She also directs the Sonoran Sounds, a women’s chorale in Sun City West composed of singers, enjoying music in their senior years. Other than working in the clinical fields of music therapy, Sun Joo is a pre-clinical supervisor at Arizona State University and enjoys teaching students who intend to become music therapists.
To learn about Tremble Clefs, Arizona click here.
Click here for more information about the Sonoran Sounds.
Meet Sun Joo Lee
MM, MT-BC, NMT FELLOW
The founder/director
Meet Our Team
Jiye Bae
MM, MT-BC, NMT
Ms. Jiye is originally from South Korea. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Cello Performance at Chung-Ang University in South Korea. Then, she came to Arizona to study Music Therapy. She did her internship at school districts for children with special needs, nursing homes, and hospices.
In 2016, She earned her Master's degree in Music Therapy at Arizona State University (Thesis: A Comparison Between American and Korean Music Therapy Treatment Practices for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder).
Also, She is pursuing a doctoral degree in music at Midwest University for her professional growth. Ms. Jiye is currently working with children with developmental delays and seniors as a board certified music therapist.
Kiersten Iris Hillman
Intern
Kiersten, a classically trained soprano, began her college career as a vocal performance major as, having achieved success in many local and state vocal competitions. However, after witnessing the positive effects music therapy had on her grandfather who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, she instead decide to pursue a career in music therapy.
She studies music therapy at Arizona State University and completed her music therapy internship at Sunshine Music Therapy, LLC in May of 2020, and intends to become a board-certified Music Therapist by the end of 2020 or spring of 2021.
Kiersten has been a staff singer at Saint Barnabas on the Desert Episcopal Church in Paradise Valley since 2018. In her free time, she plays the guitar to her four cats and enjoys being serenaded by her equally musical husband, Josh.
Weisai Sun is currently a graduate student of a master’s equivalency degree in music therapy at Arizona State University. She finished her undergraduate degree in musicology in China and moved to Arizona last year.
Weisai has more than 15 years of music learning experience especially, focus on playing accordion and keyboard. During the study at ASU, Weisai gained working experience with a variety of populations including adults with developmental disabilities, geriatric populations, and psychiatric populations.
Weisai believes music is a tool that could help people to communicate with others and she hopes to use her strength to help people and bring them happiness.
Weisai Sun
Intern
.