Janelle Lockney
2025
Okazaki, Japan
Music Transcends All Barriers, Music Therapy in Japan
Janelle Lockney (2025: Okazaki, Japan) is working with United Planet and partner Deep Japan to create music therapy programs that will enhance the quality of life at various affiliated volunteer sites. Her goal is to gain a better understanding of the different ways music can be used to heal, especially when working with clients of different backgrounds.
Hello! I am Janelle Lockney. I am 22 and graduated with a Bachelors of Music in Music Therapy in December 2024. My parents were in the Navy, so we have moved 7 times since I was born. Currently, we reside in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
I am traveling to Okazaki Japan for six months to pursue music therapy! Some of my responsibilities will include educating and advocating for music therapy, building new music therapy programs, and providing music therapy for various populations. What drew me to music therapy was that it allowed me to use music to help children with special needs. Since starting my degree I have learned that I not only love working with children with special needs, but also infants in the NICU and Older Adults.
This trip is incredibly special for me. When my mom was my age she lived in Japan for four months and I am excited to follow in her footsteps. I have always been adventurous and long to experience living in many parts of the world. Personally, this trip feels very spiritual for me, because I feel I am pursuing God’s purpose for me and using the spirit of adventure he gave me to live my life to the fullest.
More about me....
Home Town: Spring Hill, TN
Major(s): Music Therapy
Country Highlights
My Stories
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Final Blog Post
This is my final blog post for my time here. It is so sad to be leaving. I will miss Japan so much!
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Savoring each moment
The past two weeks, I have been with the babies and five-year-olds. The teachers in the baby class made it very apparent to
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Rotate the bowl twice clockwise!
These past two weeks, I was with the three-year-olds and the four-year-olds. The three-year-olds were so sweet to me! They started telling me
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Wow these kids are smart!
These past two weeks, I was with the one-year-olds, the babies, and the five-year-olds. It is very nice to be back volunteering at
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Brief intermission for a Family Vacation!
My family came to see me and we took a vacation! The day they flew in, I had the day off, so I
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More Responsibilities and a Happy Birthday
These past two weeks, I was with the five-year-olds and three-year-olds. The five-year-olds were way more relaxed than the four-year-olds, which was refreshing.
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Mostly South Korea
These past two weeks, I was with the four-year-olds. The kids have gotten to know me since I have been here for three
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I can do it with a broken heart – Taylor Swift
I have been with the new five- and four-year-olds for two weeks. All the kids are in new classes now. Everyone moved up
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Graduation and Getting Sick
It is that time of year when kids are moving on to their new grade. These last two weeks started with the five-year-olds
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Endless Amounts of Fun!
These past two weeks I was with the babies, and then back to the five-year-olds. Babies are precious. Many are walking, but a
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New Challenges, Interviews, and Festivals
These past two weeks, I have been with the two-year-olds and one-year-olds. Both ages were super adorable. The only real downside of transitioning
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Starting to Feel like Home
Since my last post, Japan has started to feel like another home. I have never lived anywhere for an extremely long time, so
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Japanese Bathrooms
This post is going to be weird. I adore my host family’s bathrooms! Their toilet seat is heated! The toilet has an entire
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Beginning the Adventure!
After over 24 hours of traveling, I was exhausted, to say the least. I started strong because I do genuinely enjoy flying and
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Off to Japan!
I am so excited to be in Japan! I have been making the preparations since my internship ended right before Christmas. There was
