Music Therapy

#MTAdvocacy: What We Are

January 23, 2014
Thumbnail image for #MTAdvocacy: What We Are

The second definition for “identity” in the Merriam Webster dictionary reads: the qualities, beliefs, etc., that make a particular person or group different than others. This month marks the 4th annual Social Media Advocacy month, a project whereby music therapy bloggers, podcasters, tweeters, Instagramers, and Facebook users flood the online airwaves with articles, likes, and shares […]

4 comments Read more…

[Guest Post] We Are…MUSIC THERAPISTS!

January 16, 2014
Thumbnail image for [Guest Post] We Are…MUSIC THERAPISTS!

When I started my career as a music therapist in 1983, it was not uncommon for me to describe my profession by comparing it to other professions which were more well-known. If people gave me a puzzled look after I proudly stated, “I use music to change behaviors,” I would add, “Music therapy is like […]

0 comments Read more…

[Guest Post] Welcome to 2014: Declaring Our Independence

January 9, 2014
Thumbnail image for [Guest Post] Welcome to 2014: Declaring Our Independence

January is Social Media Advocacy Month for the music therapy community. This year’s theme is “We are…” so join us as we celebrate our identity as a distinct and unique profession! This week I invite you to read what my fellow CBMT colleague and friend Dr. Dena Register has to say about declaring our independence […]

0 comments Read more…

2014 Social Media Advocacy Month Kickoff

January 2, 2014
Thumbnail image for 2014 Social Media Advocacy Month Kickoff

Today marks the start of one of my favorite times of year: it’s Social Media Advocacy Month! For the past 4 years, music therapy bloggers and podcasters have banded together throughout the month of January to talk, write, question, share, and advocate for music therapy. This project is part of the collaborative AMTA/CBMT State Recognition […]

0 comments Read more…

A Call to Action: Help Preserve our Music Therapy History

December 6, 2013

I’m a sucker for history. My non-professional reading list commonly includes political biographies (just finished Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power), historical fiction (loooove Philippa Gregory), and memoirs (which I’ve blogged about before). Knowing this, it may come as no surprise that I support the American Music Therapy Association’s (AMTA) Archive Project, an initiative spearheaded […]

1 comment Read more…

What to Do When Your Profession is Dissed

August 29, 2013
Thumbnail image for What to Do When Your Profession is Dissed

I love music therapy. I am fascinated with the science of it, the art of it, and the humanity of it. It’s intellectually and emotionally challenging and rewarding. I have chosen to make music therapy my life’s work. No matter what particular “job” I may be doing—Regulatory Affairs Associate, PhD student, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Clinician, […]

4 comments Read more…

The Music Therapist as Composer?

April 25, 2013
Thumbnail image for The Music Therapist as Composer?

We had a guest lecturer attend a graduate seminar on music and emotions the other week. This guest was Dr. Jim Mobberley, who serves on the composition faculty at the UMKC Conservatory. Dr. Mobberley was there to share his thoughts on music and emotion and how that influences his compositions and compositional process. He was […]

5 comments Read more…

Book Review: A White Wind Blew

March 21, 2013
Thumbnail image for Book Review: A White Wind Blew

Tuberculosis. Prohibition. Segregation. The Great War. The KKK. Faith. Musical medicine. These are many of the themes interwoven in James Markert’s latest novel, A White Wind Blew. Set in the late 1920s in TB-ridden Louisville, Kentucky, A White Wind Blew follows Wolfgang Pike, a doctor-musician-almost priest, through his journey of healing and self-discovery. Markert is […]

0 comments Read more…

[PsychToday] Can You Divorce Music from Communication?

March 7, 2013
Thumbnail image for [PsychToday] Can You Divorce Music from Communication?

I heard a claim this week that has thrown me for a loop: Music therapists should not be allowed to work by themselves with individuals with communication disorders. Given that I am a board certified music therapist (and have been for 10 years), my reaction to this claim is likely stronger than most. Nonetheless, I […]

0 comments Read more…

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →