Coro Health raises $2M for music therapy

The company provides music and other content therapies to care facilities across the U.S.

More and more specialists, doctors, and organizations are getting behind the healing power of music therapy, and Coro Health, an Austin, TX-based music therapy provider, today announced the close of a $2 million Series A round led by Bob Martin, former CEO of Walmart International, and Kent Lance of KPI Austin. 

Customized, one-on-one music therapy, while effective, is expensive, so Coro Health has developed a suite of Web-based audio products that delivers individualized music therapy to patients.  Music therapies are designed by board-certified music therapists and designers who develop content that can be tailored to an individual patient’s schedule and specific needs.  Therapies may also extend beyond music to include educational content, current events, audio books, and personalized affirmations from local church groups. 

Therapeutic programs include Music First, CoroFaith, and CoroMedia.  Music First has been implemented in care facilities across the country and is projected to reach some 1,000 patients.  It has also entered into clinical trials at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain to study the effects of music therapy on patients with Schizophrenia and dementia.

“Our brain research indicates that playing a person familiar music that evokes strong personal memories engages parts of the brain that are important for maintaining a sense of self and experiencing emotions,” said Dr. Petr Janata, a cognitive neuroscientist in the Center for Mind and Brain at the University of California, Davis, and member of Coro Health's Medical Advisory Board, in a prepared statement.

Other health benefits may include reduced medication, lower incidence rates, increased memory recall, improved pain management, better sleep, lower rates of depression, stronger heart health, and greater social interaction.  Music therapy is also widely used to help autistic children develop language skills and build social connections.

“We have residents who don’t know their name but can sing every line to a certain song, and residents who could not sleep without unhealthy amounts of prescription drugs now sleep through the night,” said Coro Health CEO David Schofman in the company’s announcement. “In addition, memory care facilities have seen dramatic reductions in incident rates due do our sundowning programs.”

Coro Health’s therapeutic offerings include customizable audio hardware such as pillow speakers, headphones, and adjustable volume control.  Hardware can also deliver content on a predetermined schedule or on demand, and automated updates keep content from becoming repetitive.

Coro Health is a founding member of the Texas Culture Change Coalition.

Image source: thehealingsong.ca