The Music Therapy Show

This week I'll be sharing all the great information I received at the Southwestern Region of the American Music Therapy Association (SWAMTA) conference in Waco, TX. I'll also share what I learned at the Online Conference for Music Therapy a few weeks ago. If you've attended a conference recently and would like to share your experiences, you can call the show at 646-652-2850 on Friday, April 1, 2011 at 11:00 am Central Daylight Time. Once you've dialed in, press 1 to let me know you want to talk, or just listen in through your phone.

This week my guest is Marlon Sobol, a music therapist in New York who created a CD for caregivers to interact with people who have Alzheimer's. Establishing a strong connection between an individual and their caregiver, recreation therapist or creative arts therapist—one that makes them eager to participate in activities--has gotten easier thanks to Keep On Moving – Music for Therapeutic Rhythmic Activities, the newly released CD by board certified music therapist, accomplished musician and Manager of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function at Schnurmacher Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, Marlon Sobol. Accompanied by reggae, hip hop, and jazz influenced band Shem’s Disciples, jazz music icon David Amram, and an all-star line-up of special guest musicians, Sobol has taken American pop standards and infused them with a Caribbean beat, feel and flavor.

The very first guest on my show was Louise Montello back in May of 2008. She spoke about Performance Wellness. Today she will be my guest again! We will get updates on the Performance Wellness program and discuss Essential Musical Intelligence.

Since last Friday, I've been working on advocating for music therapy in Texas after learning that the Department of Aging and Disability Services recommended to the House Appropriations Committee that specialized therapies (under which music therapy is provided) be eliminated from a medicaid waiver program. On the show this week I'll share what I've learned through this process about advocacy. This weekend I'm also participating in the Online Music Therapy Conference, so I'll share about that, too.

This week I am pleased to discuss the Music Therapy and Disorders of Consciousness seminar that I attended last Friday. This was a fantastic seminar and I have the organizers of the seminar as guests this week: Jennifer Townsend, Kristen O'Grady, and James Maxson. The one-day event featured prominent therapists and professional speakers who accepted Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center’s invitation to participate in the one-day event and to share their views and experience on a variety of topics related to the care of people in low awareness states. To learn more about the music therapy program at Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center please go to our website at www.musictherapy-setonpediatric.org You can also learn about the pediatric center by going to www.setonpediatric.org.

The Music Therapy Show is celebrating the second anniversary of the Music Therapy Tween, and the 31st birthday of Michelle Erfurt, MT-BC. This week, we welcome Michelle as our guest to talk about her blogging and music therapy adventures. Michelle provides music therapy services at Treasure Coast Hospice through her private practice: Erfurt Music Therapy, Inc. She also writes for the blog MusicTherapyTween.com - a blog that shares tips and thoughts for the traveling professional AND maintains the ErfurtMusicResource.com - a resource of music related services, products and information. Michelle has been involved in the development of Wade Richards book: Richards Modified Tuning for Adapted Guitar and Rachel Rambach’s first Listen & Learn Songbook.

Today I'm going to talk about some successes I've had with a few clients this week, some motivation issues and solutions, and the new Ethics requirement for continuing education for music therapists. I had a client who wanted to write a song about one of his hobbies this week, so I'll describe the process I used and how I challenged myself to use the piano more in therapy. Piano is not my major instrument and I experienced "piano trauma" in college. So this was a big challenge. I saw another client this week who was stumbling through spelling a word, so I wrote another song on the spot to help with that task. I'll sing a little for you and let you know how that turned out. In the third segment, I took a distance-learning Ethics course that fulfills the CBMT requirement for Ethics credits. I'll give a review of the course. Visit my blog at themusictherapyshow.blogspot.com

Happy New Year! I hope your New Year's Resolutions are off to a good start. I also hope that one of them is to advocate for music therapy! On today's show, my guests are Judy Simpson and Kimberly Sena Moore who, along with Dena Register, work on the State Recognition Operational Plan. Through this Plan, a national initiative being implemented jointly by CBMT and AMTA, Judy, Dena, and Kimberly provide guidance and technical support to State task forces as they work to obtain State recognition of music therapy and the MT-BC credential. Learn how YOU can help music therapy gain State recognition and create greater access to music therapy for members of your community.

Music Therapy Students and Prospective Music Therapy Students may become members of the American Music Therapy Association Students (AMTAS). AMTAS are undergraduate and graduate student members of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). The goal of the student organization is to increase awareness, involvement, and knowledge of music therapy students by fostering communication and growth in preparation for a professional career. The Student Affairs Advisory Board (SAAB) is one of the boards of the American Music Therapy Association. Its purpose is to establish and strengthen a positive and productive relationship between students and professionals of the organization, consult and advise students regarding any concerns brought to attention by students or concerning students, and to encourage and support students’ professional involvement and growth within AMTAS and eventually AMTA. This week, I'm please to invite Dr. Petra Kern back to the show, along with past and current members of the SAAB, to talk about music therapy students and how they are helping the field of music therapy develop.

You are worth taking care of. Be good to yourself this week.

This week, I'll be broadcasting live from the Erfurt Music Therapy Resource booth in the exhibit hall at the American Music Therapy Association conference in Cleveland, OH. I'm not sure if I'll be able to take callers, but if you'd like to listen live, call 646-652-2850 or listen online on Friday, November 19, at 1:30 EST, 12:30 CST, 11:30 MST, or 10:30 PST. If you miss the live show, all shows are archived as a podcast about 15 minutes after the show ends. Or subscribe to The Music Therapy Show on iTunes.

I work with a lot of clients who would be considered "low functioning" in clinical terms. However, they all are capable of communication, and it's up to me and others around them to honor their communication. This week I'll talk about what that means and how to do it.

Jennifer Haskins, the Music Therapy Department Manager and Internship Director at Big Bend Hospice, is a board certified music therapist and has been serving hospice patients and families for over 5 years. Upon graduation from Florida State University, Jennifer completed Internship working with older adults at Sunshine Terrace Foundation in Logan, Utah. She began working at Big Bend Hospice in March, 2005 and was assigned to the hospice in-patient unit where she gained experience in helping terminally ill patients and their families with acute care needs. Jennifer has also served on the facilities hospice team, and multiple home based hospice teams. In the last two years, Jennifer has collaborated with the Bereavement department, serving children and teen bereavement groups, adult groups and individuals. She is currently leading two bereavement groups in the community, serving individuals in residential court-ordered substance rehab facilities. Above all, the focus of Jennifer's career is to continue to push forward and explore and learn as much as possible.

I am excited to have Michelle Erfurt as my guest this week. Michelle currently provides music therapy at Treasure Coast Hospice and in private practice. She has experience working with a variety of individuals of all ages diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders, motor function problems, intellectual delays, communication disorders, medical problems and social skill needs. Michelle has provided music therapy services at the Orlando campus of Florida Hospital and in private practice before relocating to Florida’s Treasure Coast. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Therapy from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania as well as nationally recognized Board Certification. Michelle has also completed specialized certifications in Neurologic Music Therapy and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Music Therapy. She serves as the Membership Committee Chairperson and Student Advisor for the Southeastern Regional chapter of the American Music Therapy Association. Michelle also maintains The Erfurt Music Resource, a collection of individuals working to promote items and information related to music and music therapy. And she is one of the members of the Music Therapy Roundtable, along with Kimberly Sena Moore and Rachel Rambach.

My guest this week is John Lawrence, a music therapist practicing in Edmonton, AB Canada. He graduated from Temple University in 1995 with a Master's degree in music therapy and has been in private practice since that time. His specialty area has been geriatrics, especially those with Alzheimer's type dementia and more recently, veterans of multiple conflict zones. He has continually been interested in the use of technology, as it can be utlized to enhance clinical knowledge and skills, and has incorporated various technologies into his instruction of several "Introduction to Music Therapy" courses. He is currently serving as chairperson of the 1st ever, Online Conference for Music Therapy (to be held on March 5-6, 2011). John is affiliated with the Canadian Association for Music Therapy and is past-president of the Music Therapy Association of Alberta (MTAA).