My Top 10 Music-Therapy-in-Review List of 2012

It’s hard to believe that it’s time once again the end of a year. It’s a time of reflection, an opportunity to review the old year and plan for the new.

This is my list of the top 10 music therapy-related events from 2012. Some are related to my blog, to my schooling, or to my work. Some are about things friends and colleagues did or are going through. Some speak to the music therapy professional at large. All stood out to me as significant events and changes that happened this year.

1. Attending Arts Advocacy Day (and finally meeting Ben Folds!). I attended my first national arts event in Washington DC last April and it was wonderfully exciting. It opened my eyes to the broad scope of the arts and the impact they have for our children and communities. Plus I finally got to meet Ben Folds. Bonus.
2. The launch of “Mommy Mondays.“ As is apparently a pattern for me, I started this series on a whim. The response, however, has been amazing and I love how the Mommy Monday posts have connected me with other music therapy (and non-music therapy) mommies in a spirit of community and common understanding.
3. The growth of Music Therapy Pro. Speaking of community…the music therapists involved in Music Therapy Pro—the online community resource launched in 2011 by Rachel Rambach, Michelle Erfurt, and I—are amazing! We got to meet many of them at the AMTA conference this year and I continue to be blown away by their talent, passion, and dedication to their work.
4. Launching my research line at the 2012 AMTA conference. To me, this year’s national music therapy conference was like my coming out party for my developing research line on music and emotion regulation. It was so exciting to talk about my research during the poster session and to share, as a concurrent session, the theoretical framework supporting my work. Hopefully there will be many more posters, papers, and sessions to come!
5. Amazing dedication of music therapists working on state recognition. I may have one of the best jobs through my work with CBMT—I get to work with some incredible and dedicated music therapists across the country who are working on the national state recognition plan. Music therapists in the following states deserve a special shoutout for the work they’ve done this year: GA, IA, CO, NE, WA, AZ, CA. It is truly an honor and a privilege to work with them.
6. Living vicariously through online music therapy pregnancy announcements. It seems like there is a steady flow of music therapists who are expecting…and 2012 has been no exception. What makes this year fun—at least for me—is getting to see the response as they make their big announcements through social media. I love reading the reactions and sensing the support we have for each other.
7. The continued exploration of music neuroscience research. I don’t think I will ever tire of reading articles and research on the science and development of of music processing. And I find it tremendously exciting to see the explosion of research in this area over the past couple of years, from learning more about the effect of music on emotions to seeing how the neural activity of two people entrain and synchronize when playing a duet together. Fascinating.
8. Teaching my first music therapy class. I have taught before and I have supervised before…but I have never taught a music therapy class before. Until this fall. It was a huge learning experience for me and great fun as well! Here’s hoping this won’t be the last one…
9. New music therapy program at Walter Reed. The beginnings of the music therapy profession in the US is a direct result of the work musicians did with WWII veterans. We are finally beginning to return to our roots. Last month, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Department of Defense announced the launch of a new music therapy program at Walter Reed Medical Center. I am excited to see how this program expands not just at Walter Reed, but also how it is replicated at VA hospitals and military treatment centers across the country.
10. Top Maven Post of 2012 is…So what did you think of the 2012 Maven posts? Your favorite Maven post of 2012, as measured by the number of views it received, was a guest post written by Jesse Kurn that outlined essential iPad apps for the music therapist. Seems we may be a technology-embracing group!

Do you know of a top 2012 music therapy related event that didn’t make this list? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

Tagged as: Music Therapy, Top 10