American Music Therapy Association

2018 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients

Press Release

Announcing AMTA 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients

Each year, the AMTA Board of Directors honors two deserving individuals with the Lifetime Achievement Award.   The 2018 recipients are Dr. Michelle Hairston and Dr. Andrea Farbman.

Michelle Hairston

Dr. Michelle Hairston, past AMTA President, researcher, scholar and overall leader in the field of music therapy, is perhaps best known in her role as a passionate educator.   While maintaining the heavy schedule of chairing the East Carolina University Music Education/Music Therapy program, Dr. Hairston has continued to serve in numerous leadership roles with the North Carolina state organization, the Southeast Region of the AMTA, and within the AMTA Board of Directors.   Perhaps most importantly, though, are the lasting impressions she makes on her students, who describe her as “thoughtful, kind, and dedicated to enriching lives through the power of music.”   We acknowledge Dr. Hairston’s exemplary service and dedication to the profession of music therapy. 

Andrea Farbman

When Dr. Andrea Farbman joined AMTA in 1980 as Director of Government Relations, no one realized that she was launching a thirty-year career that would guide the music therapy world through major organizational change.    Under her leadership, AMTA became involved in numerous accomplishments including the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Senate Hearing on Music Therapy and Older Adults, unification of AAMT and NAMT, partnership with Oxford University Press, oversight of AMTA’s research symposium “Music Therapy Research 2025,” and collaboration with the NIH and Kennedy Center to produce the public education initiative, “Sound Health: Music and the Mind.”  As a result of Dr. Farbman’s communication and organizational skills, AMTA has strong relationships with numerous government agencies, creative arts organizations, and allied health professionals.   Her business and management acumen have benefited the organization in terms of budget, oversight, implementation and stability.  The loyalty and passion of the National Office staff are an additional testament to Dr. Farbman’s exceptional leadership skills.  We recognize Dr. Farbman’s outstanding commitment to the music therapy profession.   

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