The Music Therapy Show

imagine, is the first annual online magazine dedicated to Early Childhood Music Therapy, sponsored by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). The purpose of this new publication is to improve access to and distribute knowledge and information about early childhood music therapy in clinical terms. imagine is free to everyone and accessible around the world. The inaugural issue of imagine has been released on September, 1 2010 with over 50 contributions from 10 countries. Initial reviews of imagine readers speak for a remarkable success of AMTA’s new publication line. You can find imagine on the web at www.imagine.musictherapy.biz Today, I am speaking with Dr. Petra Kern, the editor of imagine. She will tell as more about the development, goals, and content of the new early childhood online magazine.

Last week I talked about the therapeutic benefits of performance. This week I will discuss how to find or create the right performance opportunity for your child. Listen live at 12 noon Eastern, 11:00 Central, 10:00 Mountain, 9:00 Pacific, or listen to the archived show (available 15 minutes after the show ends), or subscribe via iTunes.

I have many clients who perform as part of their therapeutic program. I have a bell choir of adults with developmental disabilities, a group that wrote and is producing a musical, and a guitar student who performed at a benefit concert with a country music star. These performances brought out some amazing qualities and provided some amazing opportunities for my clients. This week, I'm going to talk about the importance of performance for personal growth and development and the goals that can be accomplished in performance opportunities.

Kat Fulton, MM, MT-BC, NICU MT, is a speaker and board-certified music therapist whose passion is achieving therapeutic goals through making music. Simply put, her motto is Be well, feel good, and make MUSIC. With a Masters in Music Therapy from The Florida State University (headquarter for the National Institute for Infant and Child Medical Music Therapy), she holds high standards for scientific research and maintains a practice infused with the latest evidence-based techniques and strategies. Kat is pleased to be associated with Remo® as an endorsed facilitator. She maintains professional membership in the American Music Therapy Association, Early Childhood Music and Movement Association, and the Drum Circle Facilitators Guild. Kat Fulton is my guest this week to talk about Sound Health Music and Rhythm for Good.

I know, I know. If you are reading this, obviously you are breathing. But did you know that how you breathe can affect how you feel? Breathing is an important part of life (obviously) and music-making. This week I'll discuss how to breathe to reduce stress, increase energy, and clear your mind. I'll give examples of techniques I use with my clients.

Transitions can be tough for routine-oriented clients. This week I will talk about strategies for making transitions easier, including unplanned schedule changes.

Last week, I talked with Charli Brown about song writing and writing your own personal song. This week, I'm going to give you steps to take to write your own personal song: 1. Don't worry if it's not good enough for anyone else to hear. Just sing, sing a song! 2. To Rhyme or Not To Rhyme--That is the question! 3. Which came first: The Melody or The Words? 4. Be like Nike: Just do it!

When she was in the 12th grade, Charlene (Charli) Brown wanted to run away and become a “Queen of the Gypsies.” Since then, she has worked constantly to find ways which spoke to her nomadic, creative and independent spirit. With 10+ years working with youth and a variety of other experiences including nonprofit, government, and leadership development under her belt, in 2009, Charli started “You Can Love Your Life Now!” (www.YouCanLoveYourLifeNow.com) to “help women find and live their Best lives!” A gifted life coach and workshop leader, Charli, through You Can Love Your Life Now!, has designed an enriching curriculum for girls, which opens up a healthy dialogue between them and adult women, as well as with their peers. She is also hard at work writing a guidebook for teen girls that will help them recognize their own unique inner light. Charli can be reached through her website www.YouCanLoveYourLifeNow.com.

This week's show is on early: 11:30 Eastern, 10:30 Central, 9:30 Mountain, 8:30 Pacific. Bill Matney is my guest to talk about Music Therapy Drumming. Music Therapy Drumming is a curriculum that includes percussion and rhythm skills that are designed to increase the capacity for a Music Therapist to effectively use drums, percussion instruments, and traditional rhythms within the music therapy setting. The Music Therapy Drumming curriculum is designed and taught by Music Therapists who are professional percussionists with years of experience in both music performance and clinical settings.

Back in May, before the World Cup hiatus, I attended the Central Texas Music Therapy Association conference in Seguin, TX. An amazing thing happened at that conference and I'm going to share the story.

Why should we develop a personal or professional perspective? I have been thinking a lot about this since interviewing Brian Abrams on May 7 about Development of a Humanistic Perspective on Music Therapy. I also studied different perspectives and developed my own during my graduate work at Texas Woman's University. Lately, I've been reviewing my perspective, both for my work and my personal goals. In this show, find out how to develop a personal and professional perspective. Be sure to tell me your thoughts by commenting at http://themusictherapyshow.blogspot.com

While there have certainly been humanistic points of view on the discipline since its inception, I would like to explore a particular way of understanding what music therapy is and what music therapists do, based upon a specific set of inter-related principles with foundations in humanism and person-centered orientations of therapy. It's my hope that developing a perspective in this area will help meaningfully inform music therapy practice, research, and education in ways that are unique, indigenous, and congruent with what many music therapists believe to be the essential core of their work. Brian Abrams, Ph.D., MT-BC, LPC, LCAT, FAMI, has been a music therapist since 1995, with clinical experience involving a wide range of populations. He completed undergraduate studies at Vassar College and SUNY New Paltz, and graduate studies at Temple University. He has served on the music therapy faculty at Utah State University (2001-2004) and Immaculata University (2004-2008), and currently serves as Associate Professor of Music in the Cali School of Music at Montclair State University (since 2008). He has published and presented internationally on a wide range of topics such as person-centered and humanistic perspectives on music therapy, music therapy in cancer care, music psychotherapy, and music therapy research. He has served on numerous editorial boards, including Music Therapy Perspectives, Qualitative Inquiries in Music Therapy, and Voices, and has been a frequent guest reviewer for the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy. Currently, he is serving on the Board of Directors of the American Music Therapy Association (2010-2011), and as Immediate Past-President of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Music Therapy Association (2009-2011). In addition, he maintains an individual practice in music psychotherapy, and periodically offers music-centered support groups for cancer survivors. Email: abramsb@mail.montclair.edu

This week I'll discuss four types of assessments: School, Private Practice, Business, and Personal. I'll explain the differences and similarities and some techniques you can use to assess situations in your life.

I keep trying to get back to a regular broadcast schedule, but life keeps me sidetracked. On this show, I'll update you on what's been going on in my music therapy life and then talk about self care. Taking care of ourselves is very important! I've gotten a lot of messages from the universe reminding me of this lately. So I'll give some suggestions for doing this even though you are super busy!

The show is off hiatus this week with a new show. This week I'm going to share resources I find useful.