Sun Joo Lee is a Ph.D. candidate in Music Therapy at the University of Iowa. She is a board-certified music therapist and the founder of Sunshine Music Therapy, LLC.
Originally from South Korea, she earned her master’s degree in Voice Performance and Music Therapy at Arizona State University. Since 2008, she has served as the director of Tremble Clefs, a choir for individuals with Parkinson’s disease in Arizona. During her time in Iowa, she established Tremble Clefs Iowa City in 2023 and has actively promoted the use of therapeutic group singing for Parkinson’s disease.
Recently, she was appointed as an Assistant Professor of Music Therapy at the University of Missouri–Kansas City and looks forward to beginning this new chapter in Fall 2025.
Tremble Clefs (TC) is a therapeutic singing group for individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD), their caregivers, and family members. Founded in 1994 by a PD support group in Scottsdale, Arizona, TC was established after the group realized that singing could serve as a therapeutic tool to address speech and voice difficulties in individuals with PD, such as reduced volume and unclear enunciation. Since its inception, TC has continued to support PD communities across various locations, including the recent establishment of Iowa Tremble Clefs in October 2023. TC offers an evidence-based therapeutic singing program, helping participants improve speech and communication, socialization, and mental well-being, ultimately enhancing their overall quality of life.
Hawkeye Choir is an integrated choral singing group made of University of Iowa’s Music Therapy and UI REACH programs. The group provides an inclusive music experience in a supported and structured environment. Hawkeye Choir meets weekly on Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30pm, with at least one performance per semester. Goals include developing musicianship, community, leadership, teamwork, professionalism, interpersonal communication, and self-advocacy and self-determination.
