music therapist

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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Am I a Therapist First or a Musician?

July 20, 2015
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I’m two-thirds of the way through reading Ken Aigen’s 2013 book The Study of Music Therapy: Current Issues and Concepts. It’s been sitting on my shelf for almost a year, now, as I made myself focus solely on chipping away at my dissertation and completing first year of teaching. Now that both of those are […]

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Comments on “Using” vs “Working In” Music

March 6, 2014
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I’ve been percolating on the ideas presented by Dr. John Carpente in a blog post he wrote this week in which he explores the concept of music being “used” in therapy as opposed to music being “worked in” in therapy. It’s not a new conversation—I usually read about the music AS versus music IN therapy […]

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[Guest Post] We Are…MUSIC THERAPISTS!

January 16, 2014
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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 […]

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[Guest Post] Welcome to 2014: Declaring Our Independence

January 9, 2014
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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 […]

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The Music Therapist as Composer?

April 25, 2013
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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 […]

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Stuck in a Rut? 11 Ways to Get Your Music Therapy Mojo Back

August 2, 2012
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I remember the feeling well of trying to prepare for a session and feeling like I was doing the same thing over and over and over again. Feeling bored. Feeling worried that my client might be getting bored. And what happens if they are? Will they continue to improve in music therapy? And what if […]

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Top 10 Worst Things About Being a Music Therapist

July 26, 2012
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Last week, prompted by a question from a Maven reader, I shared with you my list of the top 10 best things about being a music therapist. This week, it’s time for that “other” list. Strangely enough (or maybe luckily enough?), this one took a little more thought and time to figure out… Top 10 […]

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Top 10 Best Things About Being a Music Therapist

July 19, 2012
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Earlier this week, I received an email from a Maven reader with an interesting question: I was wondering, what is the greatest and hardest/disliked part of your job? Funny enough, I have never considered this question before! Although I was able to give him an answer fairly easily, his question sparked an idea: Can I […]

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