Astoria’s Jeff Angell Recognized for Inspiring Music Therapy

OANA is proud to highlight the outstanding work of Astoria resident Jeff Angell, a Creative Arts Therapy supervisor and music therapist at Rikers Island.

Jeff was recently featured in the documentary “Beautiful Humans,” a film that looks at dance and music therapy inside the Rikers Island health system. The documentary was screened at the first ever New York Documentary Film Festival at Cinema Village, where Jeff and film editor David Schulder attended in person.

“Beautiful Humans” has now been accepted into three local film festivals for 2025 including the New York Documentary Film Festival, Socially Relevant Film Festival and the Inwood Film Festival.

Jeff’s work, along with his colleagues in Creative Arts Therapy, demonstrates how the arts can support healing, emotional resilience, and human connection in some of the city’s most challenging environments. His dedication has also been recognized by NYC Health + Hospitals, which highlighted his team’s presentation of the project at Carnegie Hall.

You can read more about the exhibition and the creative arts therapy program here:
https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/pressrelease/nyc-health-hospitals-presents-new-exhibition-offering-a-unique-inside-look-at-dance-and-music-therapy-on-rikers/

We congratulate Jeff on this well-deserved recognition and thank him for representing Astoria! His leadership and compassion show the powerful impact of arts in medicine. Thank you Jeff!