When Melody Meets Therapy
“There’s no such thing as ‘no musical bone.’ We are made of rhythm and frequencies and are all given a voice.” - Rachel Postma
Making a Musician
As the eldest daughter in a line of 7 children, Rachel was never a stranger to noise. “The pattern of babies is boy, girl, girl, boy, girl, girl, boy. The boys are all separated so they couldn’t gang up on us,” she giggled. Rachel was exclusively homeschooled, spending the majority of her time as a child with just her siblings.
She reminisced on her early exposure to music: “The only music we listened to was Christian contemporary or hymns, so I didn’t know anything at all until college; as far as pop music goes.” She tried her hand with piano at 8, but after her beloved teacher moved away, she refused to train with anyone else.
Music was always a part of her life, even if only in the background as other interests played out. “I took voice lessons in high school to prepare for a play, but not very many at all.” she explained, as she traced back to her first interests in singing.
Shy and soft-spoken, Rachel was never one to seek the spotlight, preferring to stay behind the scenes. “I would hum or sing to myself — I never imagined I could sing in front of people; that felt impossible.” That is, until one teacher tugged at a thread that would eventually pull her courage to the surface. But we’ll get to that part later.
Rachel graduated high school a year later than her peers — time she used not only to finish her credits but to pause and consider what her future might hold. “I didn’t have a plan for after high school, I didn’t have plans to go to college, I didn’t really feel like I had any skills or things that I was good at,” she mused. After high school, Rachel spent her time traveling and diving into books that challenged and encouraged her. “There was something that came alive, maybe with creativity, and really just getting to know myself better,” she reflected.
To Train a Song Bird
So, how did the path to college begin? It was none other than a Hollywood-esque, chance encounter. “I ran into a friend who was going to be traveling to Blinn [College] in Brenham to do voice classes and choir, and I was like ‘I don’t know what I’m doing and I like to sing so maybe I will commute with you once a week and we’ll take choir together.’” With that one step forward, she moved from uncertainty to purpose— her blurry future now coming into focus.
She started with voice lessons, and at 20 she bought her first guitar (a Seagull she named Sophie) so she could learn to accompany herself. She noted that she had always figured she would become a missionary, but this new musical element was a twist she hadn’t seen coming. Her interests started to shift, but her love for people remained.
Her interest in mission work was rooted in her desire to help people “live their best lives and be fully whole,” she explained to me. So, when her voice teacher at Blinn suggested she look into music therapy as a vocation, it was like a firework exploded within her. “I was like really? That’s a thing?” she beamed. It was the perfect fit.
She researched a few schools in Texas, wanting to stay close to home, but found that none of the options fit with her musical preferences. She had a cousin who auditioned for the Berklee School of Music in Boston and after doing some research, found that it was the perfect fit. “I saw on their website that they do ‘mission trips’, like going to Africa and doing music therapy things there, and so that was really up my alley. So that was a big part of what made me interested initially,” she added.
“It was a shot in the dark. I was like ‘I don’t even know where Boston is, Texas is the only place I know.” Berklee quickly became her goal, and when the traveling audition team stopped in Houston, she took her shot. She hadn’t seen the school — or even visited the city — but soon enough, she was on a plane to Massachusetts.
It’s 2011, and 22-year-old Rachel Postma, with no car and only her Samsung Juke as a lifeline, finds herself in a new city with big plans for her future. She had completed her basics at a community college in her hometown of Bryan, Tx, so she was able to focus entirely on her music.
Each semester offered a new challenge. She had whole seasons devoted to just jazz, which was a stark contrast to her conservative, hymnal laced upbringing. Her taste in music expanded while her love for the craft deepened.
She reflected on her many internships, which included working in a school for children with special needs, a retirement community, a Boston hospital supporting children with cancer, and an eight-month placement at a state psychiatric hospital. Those experiences refined her craft as a therapist, nurtured her growth as a person, and strengthened her skills as a singer and musician.
She told me about her time in the hospitals; a weight clinging to each word. “If people are in the hospital for a long stay, they don’t really have a stay in their treatment–so music gives them a way to make choices.” She went on, “There was a baby having a seizure and we went in and sang lullaby’s and played guitar and that helped regulate her nervous system to where the seizure stopped while we were there.” This experience was a breath of fresh air amid the practicums that seemed to swallow every spare minute.
She officially graduated in 2016 after finishing her final internship. Trading in the crisp New England air, she made her way back to the warmth of the Texas sun.
Building a Baseline
Upon her return to College Station, a family friend offered her a position at a rehab facility they owned–a chance to put her training as a music therapist to the test. She began contracting with them, creating her programs from scratch. This opportunity scratched the missionary itch in her; “I wanted to see people heal in their heart–I had a passion to see people thrive and live fully,” she said softly.
Word of mouth was soon in full effect, and Rachel’s work load began to grow exponentially. She took on contract work with a Houston company and began offering music lessons locally. She humbly admitted that at one point, she had 30 students per week.
By 2019, she had set up a DBA and created a website for her business “Bloem Music.” The name is pronounced like “bloom”, and the story behind it is pretty remarkable. She relayed that she had a direct encounter with God while in a season wrought with sadness and depression. “I had never experienced that before. It felt very foreign and confusing,” she went on.
“I was sitting outside crying and praying and asking God what was going on. At that moment, I felt like God said he was going to give me a new name, and it was ‘Bloom’- I held on to that. It felt like a promise that my life would be beautiful again.”
She looked up the word, trying to make sense of it all, and discovered the dutch word for flower which was “bloem”. Given her Dutch roots, the name felt like the perfect fit. Plus, the distinct spelling made it, as she put it, “not so cheesy.” It was around this time that she had started doing some singing locally and she began using Bloem as her stage name, and eventually dubbed her business “Bloem Music.”
Dealing with her own mental health struggles gave Rachel the dimension needed to relate to her clients. Her experiences helped her better understand the weight of grief and pain in a way that she hadn’t seen before– deepening her approach to each therapy session.
She found her voice at Berklee, but she found herself through tears on her back porch. While she views her relationship with God a little differently now, she still fondly remembers that divine intervention. It took time, but Rachel would eventually find her way back to the music.
Soon enough, Rachel would begin performing at open mic nights, where she met fellow musician Colten. Together, they formed a duo that quickly became a staple at local restaurants and events. “I had this period of getting to know my voice and now I’m very confident in how I want to sound,” she reflected. “As a singer I feel like I’ve come into my voice. I think it is important to come into who you are. You can’t fully sing your best if you are hindered in some way or if you don’t know yourself.”
She would go on to perform with many different people and groups over the next few years, growing her business all the while, and continuing to heal herself using a method called melody.
Rachel admired her growth as a person and as a professional as she went on, “I do feel like I’ve blossomed into using my singing voice–I feel like if I am not singing, there is a part of me that is not being seen or expressed and known–it’s cool to see myself come alive and have that blooming beauty.”
Today and Tomorrow
Rachel officially joined a band in 2025 called the Blue Daniel Jazz Group, who started as an instrumental trio initially. Once Rachel joined, a drummer soon followed, completing the snazzy jazz ensemble they’ve become today. They perform all throughout BCS and beyond. You can catch one of their next pop ups here.
Alongside her sparkling musical ventures, Rachel is expanding her reach as a music therapist — now contracting with several local school districts to support children with special needs and learning disabilities. She’s also stepping into a new partnership with Living Well through Texas A&M, leading corporate wellness programs — an opportunity she’s long hoped to explore.
I asked Rachel what advice she would give those wanting to explore music as a career and she imparted some very practical knowledge:
Don’t Delay
“Start learning now! If I can do it from scratch at 20 years old, then you can do it! The sooner you start, the quicker you will get where you want to be. Musical growth takes time–but you get better and more confident every time you sing or pick up an instrument.”
Don’t Compare
“It’s your journey alone and you should do it because it brings you joy. Confidence comes with knowledge of yourself; You can direct it the way you want once you know yourself. You have a unique sound unlike anyone else.”
If you are interested in pursuing music therapy, she weighed in on that too:
“Start at a community college. It’s probably not what you think it is but it can be so much better. Think of it as being a therapist that uses music, not a typical musician career. You may have to do multiple music jobs unless you live in a big city.”
Reflection
To bloom is to be in the most intense state of beauty; the perfect way to describe the intention behind all of Rachel’s work. A light flashed in her eyes as she spoke from the heart stating, “I want people to bloom and thrive and be their fullest self–when we start to heal, we are able to be who we want to be.”
Music’s purpose isn’t just to be heard, but to to be felt. You see it when you watch a pianist play; their bodies curving and swaying with each soaring note. Consider a guitarist, cellist, or violinist. Each strum, each drag of the bow across a string causes a physical reaction in the musician–Eyes closed, brows drawn together. You realize in an instant that music, like life giving blood, flows through everything that we do.
You don’t have to be a musician to find healing through the magic of music. Rachel’s work is the proof.
Rachel is a board certified music therapist with a bachelor’s degree in music therapy and a minor in psychology from Berklee College of Music.
Beginner music lessons and one on one therapy sessions are currently available to those interested.
If you are looking to add an employee wellness program to your business, please contact Rachel using the information below.
Rachel teaches: Voice, Guitar, Ukulele, Piano, Bass Guitar, Harmonica, and offers Performance Coaching.
Email: Rachel@bloemmusic.net
Phone: 979-399-2838
Website: bloemmusic.net
Instagram: @bloemmusic
Facebook: @bloemmusicco
