American Music Therapy Association, Inc.
8455 Colesville Road, Suite 1000
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, USA
Phone: (301) 589-3300
Fax: (301) 589-5175
E-mail: info@musictherapy.org

New Benefit in 2009 for AMTA Members Only

Learn More about AMTA.pro

Learn techniques, strategies, interventions, and insider tips from your professional colleagues sharing their expertise from the trenches.

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AMTA.Pro is an on-line symposium with podcasts featuring experienced music therapists sharing one aspect of their practice. The targeted audio discussions, accompanied by a wealth of text resources, are designed to help music therapists sharpen their knowledge and skills efficiently.

Annie Heiderscheit has nearly 20 years of clinical music therapy experience. She is on the graduate faculty at the University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality and Healing , and maintains a private music therapy practice employing five music therapists providing services to a variety of healthcare settings. In this AMTA.Pro symposium, Annie shares her insights and experiences  as a clinical music therapist at The Emily Program, an outpatient eating disorder treatment program, where she provides music therapy in the residential, intensive and outpatient settings.

Board certified music therapist Gloria McDaniel has 27 years experience in a large metropolitan school district near Houston, Texas, working with students from 3 to 21 years old with a wide variety of abilities and exceptionalities. In this AMTA.Pro symposium, Gloria discusses the necessity of intense detective work in music therapy, watching for subtle clues that help therapists discern the needs of individuals and develop effective strategies and interventions to meet those unique needs. Gloria also talks about the need to sniff out evidence and follow leads to develop new music therapy positions or to expand programs. Her persistent detective work helped launch the music therapy program in her school district in 1982 and has lead to the expansion of that program this fall in spite of economic restraints.

Larisa McHugh, MA, MT-BC is Music Therapist and Internship Director at Bethany Village, a continuing care retirement community in Dayton, Ohio. In this AMTA.pro symposium, she describes effective music therapy interventions and methods for fostering meaningful relationships with individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia living in memory supported care. She also shares some compelling stories highlighting the impact of music therapy on the quality of life of her friends in the Memory Support Center

Michele Erich is a board certified music therapist and certified child life specialist with twenty years experience in the field. In this AMTA.Pro symposium, she shares valuable information gained from twelve years on the staff of the Healing Arts Network, an integrative therapy program at the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in North Carolina. Symposium topics include:

I. Descriptions of effective music therapy interventions in four medical settings: pediatric procedural support, cancer center, adult intensive care unit, and palliative care.

II. Details about successful strategies for creating music therapy programs in hospitals: (1) network, (2) sell the concept to administrators, staff, and customers, (3) scout out creative funding options, and (4) take systematic steps to sustain the program.

Mary Morreale, a board-certified music therapist shares some basic principles of facilitating groups of adults that have proven successful in her practice over the years. The audio discussion of this AMTA.Pro symposium covers these topics:

I. Know your leadership style and skills.
II. Know your group.
III. Know your material.
IV. Know your plan.
V. An example from the field.

AMTA at Your Service - On the behalf of AMTA, Executive Director Andi Farbman welcomes AMTA members to the Special Edition of AMTA.Pro Symposium series. The purpose of the Job Solutions symposium and other AMTA resources is to provide members with cutting-edge, timely advice and assistance during challenging times. Andi describes a wealth of resources in this audio discussion.

Real Life Examples of Meeting Challenges Head-On - Almost twenty years ago, Amber Weldon-Stephens established a successful music therapy program in a large school-district with ten music therapists on staff and a long-standing music therapy internship. Suddenly, that program faces significant cuts in staff and services. And Amber’s interns find themselves looking at an uncertain future. Amber takes just 8 minutes to describe some specific steps she is taking to meet these challenges head-on rather than buckling under the cuts.

Moving Forward in Good Times and Bad - In this 13-minute conversation, Cathy Knoll shares six specific strategies for a successful career, no matter the circumstances. The recommended pro-active steps emerged from Cathy’s bumpy 40-year journey as a music therapist.

Unemployment Lessons: VOLUNTEER - In this 3-minute conversation, Tom Dolan, Associate Director of Texas Tech University at Abilene shares unemployment lesson of volunteering.

MT-BC Speak-UP #1 - Several dozen music therapists sent e-mail messages to economy@musictherapy.org in response to a call in the AMTA eNews for input about the impact of the economy on their jobs. Let’s check in to see what some of our colleagues around the country have to say.

Unemployment Lessons: TARGETED NETWORKING - Tom Dolan, Associate Director of Texas Tech University at Abilene, takes 4 minutes to share valuable tips for targeted networking. Don’t just add names to your network. Know the decision-makers and get on their radar.

MT-BC Speak-UP #2 - Listen and learn from your fellow music therapists from around the country – some just finishing internship and others with many years of experience - who sent career status reports to economy@musictherapy.org.

Stimulating Your Own Economy - In this 9-minute conversation, Kathleen Coleman shares nine specific strategies for jump starting your own economy. These ideas were developed from her journey as a music therapist for the past 28 years.

From the AMTA Thrive Guide - In this segment of the Job Solutions special edition symposium, music therapist Barb Else shares some excerpts and thoughts from the AMTA Thrive Guide.

AMTA StudentSpeak - Cara McBurney, Krysta Davis, Klayci Peck, Lydia Pratt, and Paul Todd, music therapy students at West Texas A&M University, chat informally about the future of music therapy as a career.

Unemployment Lessons:  SUDDEN JOB LOSS - What do you do if you suddenly lose your job? Tom Dolan, associate director of Texas Tech University at Abilene, shares five steps to take immediately upon receiving your pink slip.

Resources for Music Therapists - Check out some free career-related materials for professionals, interns, and students -valuable resources proven to impact careers of music therapists and related professionals over the past decades. ALSO – a chance win a free professional study course.

AMTA’s Director of Government Relations provides helpful information about the primary sources of healthcare reimbursement and about how these sources might be used to pay for music therapy, as well as a step-by-step guide to obtaining reimbursement.

An experienced music therapist examines the challenges of managing behavior in circle time groups of young children, and outlines six tried-and-true strategies for minimizing disruptive behaviors while maximizing the benefits of group therapy.

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