Music for Veterans

By Evan Dawson,

Published May 22, 2025 at 2:52 PM EDT

Five people sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman front left has short brown hair and is wearing a red, white, and blue scarf; a red top; a black blazer; tan pants; and white sneakers; a man front center has short white hair and is wearing a light blue button-down shirt, a tan blazer, black pants, and tan socks; a man back left has a grey mustache and beard and is wearing glasses, a black cowboy hat, and and brown jacket with patches; a woman back center has long blonde hair and is wearing a baseball hat and a grey pullover; a man at right has short white hair and a white beard and mustache and is wearing glasses, a navy blue Navy veterans hat, a blue short-sleeved button-down shirt under a red vest, and jeans — (foreground) Judy Rose, Roy Ernst, (background) Jimmie Highsmith, Laura Heltz, and (at right) Mike Doolin on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Thursday, May 22, 2025

A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.

How can the arts help us heal?

Experts say music therapy can help people cope with anxiety, depression, and even post-traumatic stress disorder. A program called Music for Veterans aims to leverage the therapeutic qualities of music to support and enrich the lives of military veterans. The head of the program has ties to Rochester, and he's in town this week to help support the local chapter.

This hour, we talk with him and with local program organizers and veterans about the healing power of music.

Our guests:

Roy Ernst, Ph.D., founder of Music for Veterans National Association and professor emeritus of music education at the Eastman School of Music
Mike Doolin, president of Music for Veterans-Rochester, U.S. Navy veteran, and trumpeter in the New Horizons band, among others
Judy Rose, executive director of Music for Veterans-Rochester, bass clarinetist in the New Horizons Band, and vice president of Datrose Inc.
Laura Heltz, executive director of Veterans Outreach Center, U.S. Army veteran, and author