| About Me
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My name is Janet Herman, and I'm passionate about helping seniors find the deep sense of well-being and validation
that the process of life review and storytelling can bring. At the same time, I love to bring generations closer together through the creation of heirloom audio recordings.
I have a Ph.D. in Folklore from UCLA with training in narrative, fieldwork, oral history, and ethnomusicology. In addition to my life history work with private clients in California, since 2008 I have helped to document elder master musicians in the Himalayan country of Bhutan through my affiliation with the Music of Bhutan Research Centre. Some of my other life history projects include interviews for the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the Legacy Oral History Program of the San Francisco Performing Arts Library & Museum, and the Sacred Harp Musical Heritage Association of Alabama. In my hometown I initiated the Musical Lives exhibits for Community Music School of Santa Cruz, and "My Greatest Adventure in Life: 10-Minute True Life Tales from Downtown Santa Cruz Seniors," a public listening booth. As a freelance personal historian, a music researcher, and a former resource specialist for older adults, I've now conducted many dozens of interviews with seniors. I always strive to treat people with warmth and respect, to be well prepared and organized, and to work with utmost focus and integrity. |