I was today-minus-3-days years old when I first heard about the Disability Day of Mourning. This is a day for remembering the victims of filicide, specifically victims who were people with disabilities. It started in 2012 and is held annually on March 1st. I’m grateful to music therapist Jessica Leza for my introduction to this […]

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It’s not a reach to say that the healthcare system in the United States is….well, rather complex. Particularly as it relates to insurance reimbursement, whether that comes from federal funds, state funds, or private companies. Just ask any music therapy business owner, parent (or loved one) of a client, policy wonk, or advocate—it takes a great […]

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Two professionals, one man in glasses and one women, in a discussion at a table

Things to Look for in a Referral

by Kimberly on January 21, 2021 · 0 comments

A social worker posted the following query on Twitter the other day: The music therapy tweeting community was quick to respond, sharing who typically provides referrals and what NOT to refer for. (Please don’t tell us it’s because that person “likes music.” Just…no.) These recommendations came in short, Twitter-appropriate sound bites. But it’s an important […]

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Must-have Musical Skills for Student Music Therapists to Develop

October 22, 2020
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My primary responsibility in my current academic position is to train future music therapists. The vast majority of my more traditional teaching load is geared towards the preprofessional music therapist—introduction to music therapy, two music therapy methods courses, and pre-practicum, a course where students learn foundational elements of how to “do” music therapy (assessment, goals […]

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What’s in a name? Reflections on describing the work we do

September 3, 2020

Note: This is a blog post with no answers. Socrates (470-399 B.C.E.) is credited with saying “The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms.” In my work, this “definition of terms” idea can be expressed in various ways, such as through operational definitions.  (An operational definition is a description of a variable, procedure, process, […]

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An Open Letter to My Students

August 6, 2020

Dear Student, The fall 2020 term is now upon us. The world as we know it has turned upside-down over the last six months. We are living in a pandemic and are facing difficult (and necessary) personal and societal issues sparked by the Black Lives Matters movement. Your learning experience will be different this fall, […]

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5 Lessons for my Graduate Students

August 28, 2018
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ICMPC (the International Conference of Music Perception and Cognition meeting I attended in July) is most succinctly described as a music science conference. Although various fields are represented, including music psychology, music cognition, music theory, music therapy, and more, at its core it’s a science conference. And I find it fascinating to note the differences […]

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Music and Musicking

August 7, 2018
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I have a confession: I am not a fan of the word “musicking.” Not only is it a silly-sounding word to me, but you can’t even find it in Merriam-Webster. (Okay, technically it’s described as the “present participle of music,” meaning it’s the ongoing action of the thing called “music.” But unlike other present participles […]

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2018 Summer Reading Book Reviews: Music Therapy Texts

June 29, 2018
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I’m continuing an idea started last summer to churn through multiple work-related books in the “off” summer break. (“Off” in written air quotes as many academics understand the work, particularly the scholarly and creative work, never stops…it just changes tempo.) I begin my 2018 summer reading list with two music therapy-related texts, both of which […]

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