The Music Therapy Show

This week, my guest is Raymond Day, from A Day's Work. The products presented on this website are the result of 24 years of focused efforts to create musical instruments and aids for the music education classroom with strong emphasis on helping the physically and developmentally challenged through music therapy. They are equally applicable in special education, occupational therapy, and elder care. Special effort has been devoted to those who are confined to wheelchairs.

I took a couple of weeks off to deal with some transitions, but this week I'm back and I'll be reviewing the movie The Music Never Stopped, released on DVD earlier this month. A promoter for the movie generously sent me some copies to give away, so listen in to find out how to win your very own copy!

Kat Fulton is the mastermind behind Rhythm for Good, a blog about music therapy, drumming, and wellness. 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 (headquarters 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. She completed her clinical training for music therapy at Musicworx of California, a music therapy contracting and consulting agency located in Del Mar, CA. Kat runs Sound Health Music (established in 2005), a San Diego-based organization that encourages, enables, and empowers people to develop potential through research-based music experiences. The Sound Health Music team of board-certified music therapists design interventions that use music as the vehicle for positive change within corporate, wellness, medical, and enrichment settings.

My guest this week is Christy Joy Diachenko, who has 15 years experience as a classical piano teacher. She received her Bachelors of Music from Colorado State University-Pueblo, in 2003. She is currently a graduate student for Music Therapy Board Certification, at Shenandoah University. She has 4 years experience in Anne Arundel County Public Schools, in both music and special education departments, and is currently a home/hospital teacher for some of AA County's most medically-fragile kiddos. She is the founder of the Musical Autist Academy, a place where children on the autism spectrum can learn and engage in music, to help fulfill their IEP goals, as well as to promote opportunities for performance. She blogs at The Musical Autist.com.

My guest this week is Karen D. Goodman, Professor, Music, who is credentialed as a music therapist, a special education teacher and a licensed creative arts therapist. She has recently published her second book: Music Therapy Education and Training: From Theory to Practice. It is the only comprehensive resource on education and training in our field. She has just returned from presenting at the 13th World Music Therapy Congress in Korea and will also share her experiences there.

My guest today is JoAnn Jordan, who uses themes in her music therapy practice. We will discuss how and why to use themes to help provide structure in music therapy and in life! JoAnn Jordan, is a board certified music therapist and founder of Music Sparks – a music therapy service serving the needs of preschoolers and older adults. She has served as a presenter at a variety of area workshops speaking on various aspects of her work. Over the past 25 years, she has developed a variety of themed music experiences for these groups. Prior to creating the business, JoAnn served as Life Enrichment Coordinator at Sterling House of Haysand as Activity Coordinator at a variety of other long-term care facilities.  JoAnn is a graduate of the University of Kansaswith a degree in Music Therapy.  Music Sparks: http://musicsparks.wordpress.com ·       Free SPARKS newsletter twice a month. Each is based around a theme and has songs & other resources. Musical Gems: http://musicalgems.wordpress.com ·       This site is my more introspective site where she looks at various aspects of life. ·       Just started a free monthly newsletter FACETS with ideas to explore oneself again based around a theme.

Today I'll be talking with Jim Newton and Paul G. Hill of Hugworks, an organization that I respect and whose music I enjoy. Hugworks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization making a meaningful difference in the lives of children with special needs by delivering services and resources/products to help boost self-esteem and enhance healthy expression of feelings. Hugworks develops innovative ways to address the special needs of children through live Therapeutic Music Entertainment, Music Therapy and other projects/programs. Through a unique collaborative process with early childhood and musical professionals, Hugworks has produced three award-winning children's audio CDs which are used in hospitals, medical camps and homes across the country. Hugworks is committed to the principle that all children deserve healthy ways to express themselves emotionally which will help them reach their full potential.

Drumming is a popular recreational and therapeutic tool. Today I'll discuss why rhtym-based circles are being used with older adults and other settings. I'll also review Kat Fulton's "Drumify" DVD, available through RhythmForGood.com.

Evidenced-based practice is a buzz word being used in most health and education fields. But what is it and how is it used in music therapy? Where did it come from? These and other questions will be the topic of the show today and I'll also offer some questions you can ask your health professional or educator to find out about the evidence that supports the treatment or educational plan. I'll also talk about how to make your practice evidence-based.

Dr. Dorita Berger is my guest this week to discuss Developing Music Therapy Goals for Treating Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). She has done many presentations and research on tempo-based music treatment for people with ASD. She has also written several books, including Music Therapy, Sensory Integration, and the Autistic Child.

A reader wrote in: "The main reason for [cutting back on my responsibilities] is for personal balance and sanity. Truth is that I have so many ideas that I think I should do them all... and I'm learning the hard way that a result of acting willy nilly like that can be overload. I've encountered the same thing with sessions as well. This topic of 'editing yourself' is one that I wonder if other MTs would be interested in hearing about and/or gone through as well. Is this a topic that you and I could discuss on your podcast?" So this week, I'm going to discuss how to find balance and "edit yourself". I don't have all the answers, so call in with your thoughts and ideas!

This week, my guest is Anne Vitort, of www.upbeatmusictherapist.com. Anne Vitort is a board-certified music therapist and a certified teacher in the State of Washington.  After years of working in business, as a Kindermusik educator, and as a stay at home mom, Anne was drawn to music therapy because it combines her love of music with her desire to be of service to those in need. She is maintaining a blog about her 1,000 person project to spread the word about music therapy in Clark County Washington by talking to 1,000 people in her community about music therapy.

I am pleased to speak with Dr. Anita Gadberry this week about Autism and communication. For over a decade, Dr. Anita Gadberry has specialized in music therapy with children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Before moving to Lawrence, Kansas for doctoral studies, Anita owned a private practice in Plano, Texas, was Co-director of Therapies at a private school for children with autism, and contracted with public schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Anita has degrees in music therapy from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Texas Woman’s University, and the University of Kansas. She frequently presents workshops and seminars for music therapists, music educators, and classroom teachers at the regional, national, and international levels.

This week, I'm pleased to have Dr. Blythe LaGasse and Andrew Knight from the Music Therapy Research podcast and blog are my guests this week. They will tell us all about Evidenced Based Practice and how to find and use research in music therapy. http://www.musictherapyresearchblog.com/

April is Autism Month so this week we will discuss how music therapy works with people who have Autism. I'll share some tips and strategies for using music with people who have Autism and share some examples of sessions I've done. I also saw Wretches and Jabberers last weekend, so I'll give a review of that documentary.