The accomplished local musicians listed below perform during Harmony for Healing at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton at least once a month. They have a great love for music and enjoy sharing that love with patients, their families, visitors and Tanner employees. Thanks to the availability of these musicians and others, performances are scheduled at least three times a week and average 13 a month.
In 2008, Tanner Health System’s Harmony for Healing music therapy program was developed out of a desire to help team members, patients and their loved ones cope with the stressful times that often accompany a hospital stay.
Music therapy is an established healthcare technique that uses music to address the physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of individuals of all ages. Research has shown that music therapy can help promote wellness, manage stress, alleviate pain and promote physical rehabilitation.
The music therapy program is funded through gifts to Tanner Medical Foundation. Proceeds are used to continue Harmony for Healing performances with the goal of hiring a full-time music therapist.
If you would like more information about Tanner’s Harmony for Healing music therapy program, please contact Jillian Walker at 770.836.9202.
Jan Adams is the accompanist for the Carrollton Community Chorus, a position she has held for 34 years. She is also the staff accompanist and keyboard instructor at the University of West Georgia, positions she has held for 20 years and 10 years respectively. A Nationally Certified Teacher of Piano, she has taught piano lessons in Carrollton for 40 years.
Kathy Chandler is a former public school teacher, who retired after 30 years of service in Georgia. She taught in the field of music for 24 of those years. Music has been an important part of her life since she first started studying piano with Betty Sue (Smith) Mashburn in 1962. She studied with Mashburn for 12 years, eventually earning a bachelor's in music. Chandler enjoys choral and keyboard music, watercolor painting, reading and watching political news, as well as church activities at Roopville Road Baptist Church.
Cheryl Childers studied music at Virginia Commonwealth University and has played piano for church services since she was a teenager. She is currently the pianist at Carrollton First United Methodist Church, a position she has held for 24 years. Her favorite musical genres include classical and hymns.
Joe Lipham, DDS, studied music for 10 years under the late Mary Lou Munn, a music professor at the University of West Georgia. He holds a bachelor's and doctorate from Emory University, and his performance selections are derived primarily from the Romantic and Contemporary Periods.
Terry Lowry has served as the conductor and music director for the Carroll Symphony Orchestra since 2002, and is the volunteer music director for Tanner Health System’s Harmony for Healing music therapy program. Lowry’s schedule includes more than 100 performances worldwide each year. For more information, visit www.MusicalOverture.com.
Harry Nelson, a Carroll County native, has played classical guitar for over 20 years. He began studying classical guitar in 1993 at the University of West Georgia and later studied under John Sutherland at the University of Georgia. Nelson has worked as the program coordinator for the University of West Georgia’s Department of Music, and is currently the business operations specialist for the College of Arts and Humanities. He teaches guitar locally and performs for special occasions around the west Georgia area.
Janice Joyce Robinson performs a mix of pieces from baroque, classical and modern eras. Robinson has a bachelor's and master's in music performance (flute) from the University of Georgia and University of West Georgia. Between degrees, she studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. She has taught and performed throughout the southeastern United States and taught master classes and performed concerts as far away as Regina, Saskatchewan in Canada.
Dale Spivey began playing the piano when she was 10 years old. She earned a minor in music from the University of West Georgia. Since retiring from teaching in public schools and giving private piano lessons, she now enjoys volunteering her time playing for various organizations.
Betty Tumlin began taking piano lessons at age 12 from various teachers, including Janice Warren and Patty Pritchard. She is currently the pianist at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Villa Rica, a position she has held for 55 years. Tumlin is retired from the Bank of Villa Rica where she was employed for 35 years. Her program always contains special arrangements of hymns, her favorite genre.
Jan Watts began piano lessons at age seven, and began her first church pianist job as a pre-teen. She volunteers her musical talents at several venues in the community and is a member of the Carroll Ringers hand bell choir. Watts, a 38-year resident of Carroll County, holds advanced degrees and certifications in mathematics and secondary education and is a retired high school math teacher. Her other interests include aerobics, scrabble, bridge, traveling, and spending time with her four precious grandchildren.