Today we’d like to introduce you to Mason Green and Cathleen Gempeler.
Hi Mason and Cathleen, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Mason Green: I started writing songs in high school. Back then, my only musical experience was taking piano lessons as a kid and singing in the choir at school.
The first song I started writing also took a very long time to finish—nearly 15 years in fact. It was about the first friend I made in high school, a girl who had just transferred from a different school. I didn’t really have any friends either—I was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 5 so social interactions had always been a major challenge for me. My friend used to write poetry back then and was a very creative person, and she inspired me to become more creative as well. One of the things she said—that all the autumn leaves looked different but were still beautiful, just like people—ended up becoming a line in the song I wrote about her.
Not long after I met her, I found out that other students at my school were saying horrible racist things to her—she was one of very few Black students there. I was shocked that this kind of thing was still happening. The way racism was taught to us in school, it was always presented as something that happened in the past, and that today’s young people had moved beyond that.
It just hadn’t occurred to me that people today (let alone students at MY school) were still racist. I thought that maybe if I wrote a song and it became popular, it could prevent this kind of thing from happening again. That didn’t come to pass, unfortunately—it took me a long time to get the song right because of how personal the lyrics were, and I didn’t release a finished version until 2020. If anything, people in this country (including politicians) are displaying their racial biases far _more_ openly now than in 2004. It’s sad, and it’s a bigger problem than just one song could possibly fix.
During that time, though, I was writing a lot of other songs and found I really enjoyed it. I practiced by finding another artist that I liked and trying to write something they could have recorded. Most of these songs haven’t been recorded yet (at least not in a professional setting), but one day I’d like to make that happen.
After I finally released “Autumn Girl” in 2020, I wanted to make more music but I was having a lot of anxiety, and my productivity was seriously affected. Some of the anxiety was probably pandemic-related. I ended up signing up for music therapy with Cathleen, and she’s helped me a lot with my mood issues. During one of the sessions, I came up with an idea for a concept album that would tell a story with a mental health theme. Cathleen and I started working on these songs and it was definitely a therapeutic experience. We found a music studio in Savage and have been recording tracks there. We’ve finished a little over half the project so far—the title is going to be The Mountain EP. I hope listening to these songs will inspire other people who are going through similar struggles as I did.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Mason Green: Being neurodivergent, it’s really a constant struggle in a lot of ways. Having to balance my day job, living arrangement (my roommate and I don’t always get along perfectly), family life, social life and creative pursuits can get tough and I often get feelings of inadequacy sometimes. Music therapy has definitely helped me with these issues, as have other self-care strategies like getting a lot of exercises.
We’ve been impressed with Music For Healing, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Music For Healing LLC provides music therapy and sound healing services to adult clients who want to improve their physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual lives.
Cathleen Gempeler MT-BC is a music therapist – board certified and she has done this work for almost over 29 years. Music and helping others is her passion.
I am a provider with the State of Minnesota Dept. of Health Services and receive referrals from Case Managers and Social Workers to clients who are on the waivers. The waivers include: BI (brain injury), CAC (Community Alternative Care), CADI (Community Access for Disability Inclusion, and DD (Developmental Disability).
The client who are referred to me have some amazing music abilities and skills and they love to be engaged in music!
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Music For Healing LLC has the goal of reaching the greater community to offer sound healing workshops to teach people how to use the voice to heal physical conditions and many other benefits.
Music For Healing LLC will accept cash, credit card, HSA’s (Health Savings Accounts), private health insurance.
Call 952-567-9117 or go to www.cathleengempeler.com to sign up for a free 30-minute consultation to find out more!
Pricing:
- Standard/Current $90 – $100/hour
- Always negotiable
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cathleengempeler.com
