Crains New York - May 13, 2013 - (Page 7)

BUSINESS PEOPLE $1.6M 30-year net return on investment, the city’s highest, for a bachelor’s degree at NYU-Poly Source: PayScale EXECUTIVE MOVES buck ennis AHEAD OF HER TIME: Connie Tomaino learned years ago that singing helped patients regain their ability to talk. GOTHAM GIGS The singing cure, so to speak Connie Tomaino helps patients find their voice Music therapy aids those who have lost the ability to speak Connie Tomaino has spent the past three decades helping patients discover that they can sing before they can talk. ¶ The executive director of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function at Beth Abraham Hospital in the Bronx has worked closely with notable neurologist Oliver Sacks. Around 1980, as Dr. Sacks was discovering that music could help Parkinson’s patients, Ms. Tomaino found that people who had lost the ability to talk could nonetheless sing words—and that the act of singing helped them regain their speech. ¶ “Once a person is engaged in singing, there’s a bit of disinhibition that takes place that allows for the flow of words and the flow of ideas,” she said. ¶ Ms. Tomaino originally set out to be a doctor, but the trumpet player switched her major from premed to music performance in her senior year at SUNY-Stony Brook. She soon discovered music therapy and applied to NYU’s fledgling master’s program, returning later for a Ph.D. Now science is beginning to corroborate what Ms. Tomaino has seen anecdotally for years: that music is closely connected with memory. ¶ When working with people suffering from aphasia (loss of speaking ability, usually owing to a stroke), Ms. Tomaino will sing a song patients know by heart, then leave a word out, prompting the patient to fill in the blank. Then they’ll move on to songs that require the insertion of a new word, like “If I Had a Hammer.” A patient who cannot speak can often still sing “If I had a bell” on the second verse. ¶ The institute recently opened an outpatient facility for this sort of therapy; outpatients tend to show improvement after about 12 sessions. ¶ “What science is showing us is that there are preserved networks that inform language through singing,” she said. —ali elkin Giggle: Beth Guastella, 50, joined the retail company as president and chief operating officer. She was previously vice president, direct to consumer, at Cole Haan. Western Asset Management Co.: Kenneth D. Fuller, 55, was appointed president and trustee of the fixedincome manager’s Western Asset/Claymore Inflation-Linked Opportunities & Income Fund and Securities & Income Fund. He continues as managing director of Legg Mason & Co. The Foundation Center: Viviana Bianchi, 54, joined the nonprofit as director of partnerships. She was previously director of development at the Inter American Press Association. Jen Bokoff, 26, joined as director of GrantCraft. She was previously program officer for the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. United Entertainment Group: Michael Dunn, 34, joined the entertainment marketing and branding company as senior vice president and group account director. He was previously director of strategy and client services at Superfly Productions. uSamp: Alan Gould, 51, joined the market-research company as chief executive. He was previously co-chief executive at IAG Research, which he founded. Chobani: Brad Charron, 34, joined the yogurt company as senior vice president, marketing, a newly created position. He was previously head of marketing for strategic partnerships at Under Armour Inc. Nickelodeon Group: Jessica Murphy, 36, was promoted to vice president of strategic property planning and marketing at the media company. She was previously senior director of integrated marketing, new business. Catchpoint: Mark Riendeau, 43, joined the technology company as vice president of sales, a newly created position. He was previously vice president of sales, North America, at Webtrends. Building Conservation Associates Inc.: Beth Bailly, 37, was promoted to vice president of operations at the consulting firm, a newly created position. She was previously director of business development. Eastern Consolidated Inc.: Nicole Rabinowitsch, 39, joined the real estate investment firm as associate director. She was previously owner of Takiba Tile & Stone. BankUnited: Patricia Kelly, 44, joined as vice president and banking center manager. She was previously director and district manager at Capital One Bank. —eva saviano May 13, 2013 | Crain’s New York Business | 7

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - May 13, 2013

Crains New York - May 13, 2013
IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
REAL ESTATE DEALS
THE INSIDER
BUSINESS PEOPLE
OPINION
STEVE HINDY
GREG DAVID
SMALL BUSINESS
REPORT: TECHNOLOGY
THE LIST
CLASSIFIEDS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE LUNCH
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crains New York - May 13, 2013