Wendell Hanna, Ph.D. is Professor of Music Education at San Francisco State University. She is a Certified Hanna Somatic Educator® (CHSE) and the daughter of Hanna Somatics founder, Thomas Hanna.

Wendell Hanna’s degrees are from the University of Oregon, Ph. D.(2000), Yale University, M. M. (1987) and a B.A. from the University of South Florida (1985). In 2017 she published The Children’s Music Studio: A Reggio Inspired Approach with Oxford University Press. She formerly held prestigious positions as principal bassoonist with the Oregon Mozart Players, the Eugene Opera, and the Salem Chamber Symphony. You can hear some of her eclectic bassoon music here.

Wendell has developed a system of integrating sound, music, and somatic movement education. In 2017 Wendell was awarded a seed grant from the Gary and Mary West Foundation to advance palliative care research and education. The project developed protocols for combining music with somatic exercises for people in hospice care who are bedridden, wheelchair-bound, or ambulatory. The results from that project has informed her further work in developing protocols for a variety of pain conditions. You can view examples of seated somatic exercises with music here.