Our Board Members
Lyz Cooper
British Academy of Sound Therapy
Lyz began her journey with sound in 1994 when she had to leave a busy career in advertising due to a life-limiting illness. During this time she found that sound and music not only helped her relax, but certain sounds actually improved her health and well-being.
Lyz continues to conduct research, the results of which enrich the courses and projects at The British Academy of Sound Therapy and Lyz’s other companies under the Healthy Sound Group. Lyz is a published author of two successful books – ‘Sounding the Mind of God’ (O Books) and ‘What is Sound Healing?’ (Watkins). She is also a member of many different organisations that help her to bring therapeutic sound and music into the mainstream.
Lyz’s compositions and music projects have received excellent feedback – listeners have reported becoming pain free, deeply relaxed and uplifted.
Ruth Summers
Dao Natural Health founder, Health Arts Facilitator, Complementary Therapist, Musician, Tutor and Course & Systems Manager at the British Academy of Sound Therapy
Ruth is passionate about empowering people to improve their own sense of health and well-being by providing a complementary approach whilst working alongside conventional medicine.
With this in mind Ruth founded ‘Dao Natural Health’ in 2012 offering sound therapy, medical qigong therapy, group sound & rhythm sessions and teaches Tai Chi Qigong.
Ruth is involved with several local hospices, organisations and charities holding regular sound therapy and community music making sessions, with the aim of enhancing quality of life for all, naturally.
Ruth has been a passionate musician and drummer since she was young and her love for both sound/music and complementary therapy led her to study with British Academy of Sound Therapy in 2014 and she is now assisting Lyz Cooper in the running of the academy and has assisted in courses in the UK and Australia.
Ruth is dedicated to helping to further the sound therapy field and joined the board of directors of the Therapeutic Sound Association (TSA). Ruth is driven to continue her research in the field of Therapeutic Sound in order to progress it’s standing in mainstream medicine.
Andrea Lowry-Offner
Sound therapist, Music therapist, Teacher and Singer-songwriter
Andrea is a sound therapist, music therapist, teacher and singer-songwriter and is passionate about supporting the therapeutic sound community. Originally from Texas, Andrea is currently living in London.
Her faith in the transformative power of music began singing sacred music as a young child and continues to this day. After completing a degree in Music Therapy from SMU in Dallas, she provided clinical music therapy for 15 years in psychiatric hospitals, geriatric facilities and pain clinics. She also managed the Expressive Arts Therapy department at St. Joseph’s Mental Health Center in Houston for 3 years. Andrea lectures, teaches and brings music wherever she goes. Her first CD - Life’s Too Short - is a semi-autobiographical work that sings the praises of a life filled with peace and joy.
Andrea currently provides Sound Therapy, Music Therapy, and teaches Expressive arts classes for Personal Growth in London. She has always volunteered wherever she lives - so speaking, hosting communal music making and encouraging creativity are part of her practice. She feels strongly that this is the perfect time and place to grow international relationships, make joyful noises, and raise the vibration!
Vlad Maruntis
Multi-instrumentalist, Sound therapist & Sound Therapy Romania founder.
Vlad was born in Romania and his family soon found out that he was a musically inclined child. He was fascinated by any musical instrument he saw and curious by the sounds that would come out of those instruments. His curiosity was satisfied when he started playing the piano at the age of 3, the classical guitar and later on, the drums.
After taking part in several musical projects and completing a degree in Jazz Composition at the National University of Music in Bucharest, he discovered another passion – sound therapy. He chose to study at British Academy of Sound Therapy in the UK, beginning his journey in exploring the infinite sonic universe. With that knowledge in mind, he returned to his native country and founded Sound Therapy Romania and co-hosted several workshops and musical events. Vlad is aspiring to collaborate with sound therapists across the world and bring different cultures and beliefs together by sharing the same passion.
Currently his mission is to help people discover the world of sound therapy by becoming a medium between the instruments themselves and the souls and ears receiving their vibrations and sounds.
Deborah Burnett
Singer & Holistic Voice Practitioner
Deborah’s driving passion is empowering women to give voice to self, in every part of their lives, believing that this is the missing piece in enabling women to thrive, at home, work and in the community. In short, to live life out loud.
Deborah is an accomplished pianist, singer and holistic voice practitioner based in Melbourne, Australia. Originally from Sydney, she has been immersed in music and voice her whole life, with her professional opera singing parents as the earliest influence. Singing has always felt as natural as breathing.
She has explored many different music genres as a performer and teacher. Deborah’s journey in therapeutic sound began in 2010. She is a Group Voice Therapy facilitator and runs workshops with groups of women seeking to explore and free their voices and by so doing, gain confidence, self-belief and create personal freedom and deep wellbeing.
Deborah founded Live Life Out Loud in 2019 to further her work in empowering women, and has
recently released an album co-created with her oldest son playing didgeridoo and acoustic guitar – a definite labour of love!
She is delighted to be working with ITSA to help broaden its global reach and in so doing, support others who are creating communities of therapeutic sound, wherever they live.
Suzy Nairn
Singer, Sound Therapist and Educator
Suzy is a singer, sound therapist, educator and mum based in the beautiful Scottish Borders. Growing up Suzy began with her own songwriting although was too shy to perform, and always had an intuition to work with sound as a healing tool. In 2009 she qualified as a Sound Therapy Practitioner, obtaining a Distinction. Suzy then founded "Soundsphere" in Scotland offering sound based workshops, training, recordings, concerts, group journeys, sessions in schools and individual treatments. As her work continued to grow she also co-founded the ANSU School of Sound offering an annual Certificate in Creative Therapeutic Sound.
Suzy also has a background as Adult Education Manager at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (16 years) and is fully supportive of high quality education and training within the realms of complimentary medicine.
Suzy is delighted to join the Therapeutic Sound Association as a Board member to support the vision of high quality and professional therapeutic sound being available to all.