Nonprofit offers music therapy to address mental health

A recent

indicates Americans are now more likely to die of an opioid overdose than a car accident. A local nonprofit hopes to help change that with music therapy.

services around 2,000 people in the Reno area. It recently received a Renown Community Benefit Partnership Grant, allowing it to partner with four other local organizations - Bristlecone Family Resources, Northern Nevada HOPES, Quest Counseling and Consulting, and Ridge House - to provide music therapy services to address mental health issues in our community.

Manaal Toppozada, executive director of Note-Able Music Therapy Services, said the class will help address our community's mental health issues, including addiction, suicide and depression.

"We do songwriting, we listen to songs and do lyric analysis, we do drumming, we play instruments. It's all of those ways that music can help us get in touch with our creative selves," Toppozada said.

Music therapy is a research-based and therapeutic use of music to help people gain greater physical and emotional health.

For more information, visit

.