We had the good fortune of connecting with Raffi Tachdjian and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Raffi, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do” This is a quote by UCLA Basketball Hall of Fame Coach John Wooden. On 2 occasions while I was high school senior, I served him his Sunday donut which was one of his rare indulgence.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Aside from my day job, which is treating adults and children with allergy, immune dysfunction, and rare disease, I am on the board of the charity I founded called Children’s Music Fund (CMF).

CMF is a 501c3 with a mission of bringing music therapy to sick children and young adults to overcome pain, fear and anxiety. We provide a therapy that goes beyond just listening to music; the individual or the group are engaged in the process and the final healing imagery and sound produced.

20 years ago, we started with instrument donation and music therapy, followed by research to look into how music therapy works. The COVID-19 pandemic posed a huge threat to our existence and continuity. But by turning a disadvantage into an advantage, our board came together to adapt to the times by implementing a telehealth aspect to music therapy. Today we are able to help any child with a chronic illness, anywhere in the country, at virtually any time with telemedicine. We have also discovered some incredible physiological changes that occur during and after a music therapy sessions and continue to publish our findings.

My dream is to help develop music therapy to a point where musical prescriptions can be written – instead of the often used medication prescriptions – to help the sick overcome pain, fear and anxiety, and to empower them to become experts of their own mind, body and soul.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would start out with an oat cappuccino that I make, you know, just to get our day going. Then we would go up Mandeville canyon with my dog Roca. The views from up there span the Pacific Ocean all the way to downtown LA. Afterwards we would grab a bite at Gjusta in Venice, where the food – especially the bread – is divine. Mid-afternoon, the beach starts to sparkle and it’s nice to go down and dip your toes in the water and sit on the sand to decompress the LA life. We would then go visit my Dad and take him to dinner with us to Carnival Restaurant in Sherman Oaks. This is my favorite Lebanese restaurant where the staff are amazing, and where you will find Israelis, Arabs, Armenians, and everything else LA under one roof eating and enjoying life.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Speaking from personal experience, I’ve failed when I’ve tried to do the impossible while neglecting the possible and the necessary. In life, as in music, silence or lack of action is fine and should be welcomed when they occur. We often try to do too much, or be too visible and noisy. In fact we are rewarded for this type of behavior in social media and in the workplace. Quiet confidence shows when someone develops into a seasoned leader. And to be a seasoned leader, one must know how to be a great follower. All of these cannot be done without humility and a love of living life to the fullest. One of my proudest achievements is establishing the first charity to bring music therapy to pediatric hospitals and now to sick children everywhere.

In 20 years, Children’s Music Fund has grown from a session with a child battling cancer to a national organization that provides music therapy to sick children and young adults. Our biggest impact is reducing pain, fear and anxiety while researching the physiologic explanations that make music such a great non-medicinal remedy. Sure, it is challenging to fundraise especially in times of economic swings, but in the end there are only two types of music; good music and bad music. We are playing and spreading really good music to help our population heal.