Staff Highlight: Kara Lewis
Meet Kara
Have you been following our staff highlights recently? If so, you know that Harmony Garden wouldn’t be complete without the fabulous Kara Lewis! We all know her as an amazing music therapist who puts her all into creating quality sessions for a variety of groups and individuals of all ages. Her heart for the people she makes music with is evident in each and every one of her sessions.
But…. Did you know that Kara also plays an entirely different and vital role at Harmony Garden? If you’ve ever read a social media post and thought to yourself, “Hmm… that was great!” … that was Kara (except for this post of course which was written by Bekah!). If you’ve ever received high-quality written information or been kept well-informed about all the exciting things that are happening around Jackson through Harmony Garden, you can bet that Kara was the one to get the message out! And if you’ve ever though to yourself, “Gee, I wonder how Harmony Garden can function so smoothly and efficiently with how busy everyone is?” … Kara’s the one making it happen. Although she won’t say so herself, Kara plays an integral part in making all of the background super important things at Harmony Garden run efficiently. We are so blessed to have her working with us and appreciate her efforts EVERY DAY!
Interview and Chit Chat
Q: If you could have lunch with any musician in history, who would it be? I’m not sure I have anyone specific in mind
A: I have favorite songs, not favorite artists.
Q: What is something you love to do outside of work?
A: Volunteering obviously love family time with my husband, Alex, and daughter, Oli, but outside of that and work, I love to read. I attend a monthly book club and host a monthly coffee meetup in Kalamazoo for other book lovers in the area. I read 87 books last year!
Q: What inspired you to explore music therapy?
A: I first learned about music therapy from my middle school choir director, Mr. Bruce. We were assigned to write a research paper on a music career that WASN’T performance and I was given music therapy. Once I learned how it combines music and helping people, I knew that was what I wanted to do. I had scouted my college by my freshman year of HIGH SCHOOL and pursued it from there.
Q: What’s your favorite part of your job?
A: My favorite part of my job is getting to know all the families I work with and seeing the progress we can make together over time. I only do one day a week of in-person sessions, but the people I work with have been with me for years at this point.
Thank you Kara for all of your work in sessions and in the background that has helped to shape Harmony Garden over the years into the beautiful experience it is for so many today!
