Rocking to Recovery with BandJAM: using music to help with mental health
By Natu Tweh
July 17, 2026 at 12:56 PM EDT
BandJAM, a collaborative songwriting program from the non-profit Rock to Recovery, is expanding to South Florida.
The program brings people together to write, record, and perform an original song in a single session. It’s designed to support mental health, addiction recovery, and other behavioral health programs through the power of music.
For more than a decade, Rock to Recovery has worked with treatment centers, hospitals, veterans’ organizations, and community groups across the country, leading more than 45,000 sessions with over 200,000 participants.
As they come to South Florida, the folks behind the program are hoping to bring these sessions into senior care homes and corporate wellness programs.
BandJAM starts with guitarist Wes Geer. After years of playing and touring with his influential band HeD PE and later on with the legendary nu-metal band Korn, he founded Rock To Recovery on December 12, 2012.
Geer was in the throes of addiction when HeD PE signed their first record deal.
Guitarist Wes Geer during his time with Hed PE (645x645, AR: 1.0)
”Fast-forward, you know, eight, eight or so years in, I crash and burn and ended up seeking treatment,” he said. “And in that treatment center, when you're in that setting, there's a lot of shame and guilt, and you feel lost and alone.”
It was in rehab that Geer observed just how music could not only bring people together but also lift their spirits. He saw people stick together with familiar people and stay away from others.
But whenever he would pull out his guitar and start playing, all of that would change. He could play anything, and everyone would start dancing together.
“ That's a powerful thing; I don't even know these people, and we would unite over music,” Geer said. Everybody wanted to learn a chord or show me the one thing they knew how to play, even if they didn't have experience or they weren't musicians, and that stuck with me.”
After he left rehab, he joined Korn in 2010. He knew that gig wouldn’t last forever, and he began looking for something permanent that would follow. The idea to bring music into treatment came to him, and on December 12, 2012, he founded Rock to Recovery.
David Carter is BandJAM's chief operating officer and co-founder. He attended the first Rock to Recovery event in Los Angeles in 2015, and he loved it. Geer was looking for a way to further build the nonprofit and develop its structure. When they both first met, Carter said he thought he could help exactly with that.
READ MORE: From 'hell hole' to healing: Judge Leifman's 20-year fight to open Miami mental health center
As an engineer and venture capitalist, research is important to Carter, and he went around looking into the customer engagement levels with the nonprofit.
“ It is probably the highest I think I've seen; it's crazy … We got people that just love what Wes had built at Rock to Recovery, and he had done an amazing job,” he said. “He had built this up to be quite large for what he's doing in this industry, and I felt like that, is this something that could be replicated?”
BandJAM’s process highlights the neuroscience of music through what is called the D.O.S.E effect, coined by author and neuroscientist TJ Power. The acronym stands for Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins. By coming together in a session and taking part in the songwriting process, participants can experience having these chemicals affected in real time, boosting their mood and broadening connections.
Every session is uploaded to SoundCloud afterwards. If anyone is struggling or has relapsed, they can always go back and listen to the work they were a part of as a reminder of what they are capable of.
The idea to expand and scale the impact of these sessions from being part of a program at a clinic to an entire program itself across the country is what led to the creation of BandJAM. South Florida is one of the first hubs they’re looking to expand to.
“ A lot of people come here for mental health, treatment, and there's a giant movement of corporations coming here, and it's a giant retirement community of senior people,” Geer said.
Rock to Recovery benefit show at the Fonda Theater on September 16, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif. (3000x2000, AR: 1.5)
“ We have existing clients that are in the California area that have offices here, so that was a natural fit for us,” Carter said.
Spearheading their expansion into South Florida is William Hurwitz. The Grammy and Latin Grammy-nominated artist is from Miami and is the East Coast lead for BandJAM and a facilitator for the program. He has always had a passion for serving and melding music and psychology, and getting in contact with Carter allowed him to do just that.
He has been running sessions at facilities all the way from Miami to West Palm Beach, and he loves seeing the shift in those attending the sessions. They’ll stop talking about how they don’t have any musical talent immediately after one meeting.
The programs start with conversation. If people feel like they can’t write any lyrics, Geer and Hurwitz ask the group some questions about their lives and emotions and then use those for their lyrics. Once everyone gets connected, they find it much easier to open up and engage with the songwriting process.
“ At the end of the sessions, they're like, “Okay, Will, so make sure you send some royalties my way, Hurwitz said. And they're now talking like musicians, and they got this swagger about them.”
You can experience a BandJAM session and learn more about Rock To Recovery at Books and Books in Coral Gables on Sunday, July 19.
IF YOU GO
What: The D.O.S.E. Effect of Music
When: Sunday, July 19
Where: Coral Gables Books and Books
Cost: Free, RSVP here
(2750x625, AR: 4.4)
The program brings people together to write, record, and perform an original song in a single session. It’s designed to support mental health, addiction recovery, and other behavioral health programs through the power of music.
For more than a decade, Rock to Recovery has worked with treatment centers, hospitals, veterans’ organizations, and community groups across the country, leading more than 45,000 sessions with over 200,000 participants.
As they come to South Florida, the folks behind the program are hoping to bring these sessions into senior care homes and corporate wellness programs.
BandJAM starts with guitarist Wes Geer. After years of playing and touring with his influential band HeD PE and later on with the legendary nu-metal band Korn, he founded Rock To Recovery on December 12, 2012.
Geer was in the throes of addiction when HeD PE signed their first record deal.
Guitarist Wes Geer during his time with Hed PE (645x645, AR: 1.0)
”Fast-forward, you know, eight, eight or so years in, I crash and burn and ended up seeking treatment,” he said. “And in that treatment center, when you're in that setting, there's a lot of shame and guilt, and you feel lost and alone.”
It was in rehab that Geer observed just how music could not only bring people together but also lift their spirits. He saw people stick together with familiar people and stay away from others.
But whenever he would pull out his guitar and start playing, all of that would change. He could play anything, and everyone would start dancing together.
“ That's a powerful thing; I don't even know these people, and we would unite over music,” Geer said. Everybody wanted to learn a chord or show me the one thing they knew how to play, even if they didn't have experience or they weren't musicians, and that stuck with me.”
After he left rehab, he joined Korn in 2010. He knew that gig wouldn’t last forever, and he began looking for something permanent that would follow. The idea to bring music into treatment came to him, and on December 12, 2012, he founded Rock to Recovery.
David Carter is BandJAM's chief operating officer and co-founder. He attended the first Rock to Recovery event in Los Angeles in 2015, and he loved it. Geer was looking for a way to further build the nonprofit and develop its structure. When they both first met, Carter said he thought he could help exactly with that.
READ MORE: From 'hell hole' to healing: Judge Leifman's 20-year fight to open Miami mental health center
As an engineer and venture capitalist, research is important to Carter, and he went around looking into the customer engagement levels with the nonprofit.
“ It is probably the highest I think I've seen; it's crazy … We got people that just love what Wes had built at Rock to Recovery, and he had done an amazing job,” he said. “He had built this up to be quite large for what he's doing in this industry, and I felt like that, is this something that could be replicated?”
BandJAM’s process highlights the neuroscience of music through what is called the D.O.S.E effect, coined by author and neuroscientist TJ Power. The acronym stands for Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins. By coming together in a session and taking part in the songwriting process, participants can experience having these chemicals affected in real time, boosting their mood and broadening connections.
Every session is uploaded to SoundCloud afterwards. If anyone is struggling or has relapsed, they can always go back and listen to the work they were a part of as a reminder of what they are capable of.
The idea to expand and scale the impact of these sessions from being part of a program at a clinic to an entire program itself across the country is what led to the creation of BandJAM. South Florida is one of the first hubs they’re looking to expand to.
“ A lot of people come here for mental health, treatment, and there's a giant movement of corporations coming here, and it's a giant retirement community of senior people,” Geer said.
Rock to Recovery benefit show at the Fonda Theater on September 16, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif. (3000x2000, AR: 1.5)
“ We have existing clients that are in the California area that have offices here, so that was a natural fit for us,” Carter said.
Spearheading their expansion into South Florida is William Hurwitz. The Grammy and Latin Grammy-nominated artist is from Miami and is the East Coast lead for BandJAM and a facilitator for the program. He has always had a passion for serving and melding music and psychology, and getting in contact with Carter allowed him to do just that.
He has been running sessions at facilities all the way from Miami to West Palm Beach, and he loves seeing the shift in those attending the sessions. They’ll stop talking about how they don’t have any musical talent immediately after one meeting.
The programs start with conversation. If people feel like they can’t write any lyrics, Geer and Hurwitz ask the group some questions about their lives and emotions and then use those for their lyrics. Once everyone gets connected, they find it much easier to open up and engage with the songwriting process.
“ At the end of the sessions, they're like, “Okay, Will, so make sure you send some royalties my way, Hurwitz said. And they're now talking like musicians, and they got this swagger about them.”
You can experience a BandJAM session and learn more about Rock To Recovery at Books and Books in Coral Gables on Sunday, July 19.
IF YOU GO
What: The D.O.S.E. Effect of Music
When: Sunday, July 19
Where: Coral Gables Books and Books
Cost: Free, RSVP here
(2750x625, AR: 4.4)