Introductions

[Meredith Pizzi]

Introduce yourself to the group. Tell us about your professional experiences and what motivated you to take this course. Be sure to include where you live, if you are already doing work in early childhood and how you would like to make this information part of your practice.

[Johanna Horn]

Hello!

My name is Johanna Horn and I am from Sterling, Virginia. I graduated from Shenandoah University in 2007 with my Bachelors of Music Therapy, minor in psychology and my concentration in voice. I did my music therapy internship at a public middle school and worked with students with autism and emotional irregularities. After my internship, I got s job at an early childhood center “teaching” music, but felt like I wanted to use my MT-BC credential so I left after a year and got a job at a private elementary school for individuals with autism for 5 years. During my time, I became pregnant with twins and needed to go on hospitalized bed rest early on in my pregnancy. When my daughters were finally born, I decided I needed to find a place to work where I could send my babies as well. I went back to the school I worked at right out of college “teaching” music and I have been for 2 1/2 years. I also work with a private music therapy company out of DC, Capital Music Therapy Services. I love early childhood and I truly feel it’s my wheelhouse!

Can’t wait to begin this new program.

[Kristen McSorley]

Great to meet you Johanna! I went to school with someone at Capital- Wren McNany! This happens more often than not in our small music therapy bubble.

[Johanna Horn]

Nice to meet you too, Kristen! Lauren is fantastic and such an asset to our company. It really is a small community, and I love that about our profession!

[Sarah Szymanowski]

Hello, Johanna! We’re practically neighbors.

[Johanna Horn]

I know! That is so cool that we are very close by! I interned with Fairfax County Public Schools under the supervision of Gary Verhagen and I work for Josh Schrader now with his private music therapy company, Capital Music Therapy Services. Small world!

[Meredith Pizzi]

Hi Everyone,
It is so wonderful to meet all of you and hear your stories! As for me, Sprouting Melodies has been an incredible part of my professional journey! I began Sprouting Melodies 6 and a half years ago as a way to meet a need in my community and I am thrilled to share this opportunity with all of you! My family enjoyed our years of Sprouting Melodies classes as my husband would bring them to Roman Music Therapy Services every Saturday morning! Even though our kids, now 10, 8 and 5 don’t attend classes, the 9am Saturday class is still on our calendars as a reminder of the great memories of time in class!
Then later, one of my greatest joys in developing our Raising Harmony community was knowing that my sister who lived across the country was able to bring her baby to Sprouting Melodies! That was my baby shower gift to her and she kept going because she and her son enjoyed it and their family valued it deeply!!
I look forward to being in touch with you throughout the course, and I too will jump into the forum from time to time. Erika and Kristina will be post even more frequently, but please don’t hesitate to reach out to me personally as well at Meredith@RaisingHarmony.com if you have any questions at any time. I look forward to getting to know you more throughout this course!

[Kristen McSorley]

Hi everyone! My name is Kristen McSorley and I live in Fairfield County, Connecticut. I have a bachelor’s in music therapy from Slippery Rock (PA) and am currently pursuing a master’s through Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (IN). I’m originally from Pittsburgh, PA and moved to Connecticut recently to start my second job with a private practice (Connecticut Music Therapy Services). The private practice serves a diverse clientele of all ages. I currently work with early childhood, developmental disabilities, educational enrichment, and older adults. Prior to this work, I worked in psychiatric and my undergraduate clinical work was focused primarily on adults who have experienced trauma. The type of work I’m doing now is very different! I’m finding immense joy in my early childhood groups but feel that I could use more information on development to maximize my effectiveness. I’m looking forward to learning more in this course.

[Ann Marie Raddell]

Hi, everyone! It’s nice to meet you all! My name is Ann Marie Raddell. I am from Wickliffe, Ohio, which is a suburb of Cleveland. I graduated from the University of Dayton in 2005. I completed my music therapy internship at an inpatient adult psychiatric hospital. Once I completed my internship, I became a full-time music therapist at that hospital. The state eventually closed down that facility, which led to my decision to move back to my hometown with my husband as opposed to accepting a position with the sister hospital in another city. Upon moving home, I accepted a music therapy position at a school for “troubled and troubling children and adolescents” (Kindergarten-High School). I worked there for one year and then had a baby girl. Initially I was permitted to work part time, but then was told I needed to work full-time. I decided I wanted to find a part-time position and accepted a job at the Fine Arts Association of Willoughby, a community based arts agency very near to my own home that provides music therapy services both on-site and off-site around the area. I have now been a part of the Fine Arts community for almost seven years. Initially I only provided music therapy services to individual clients with varying needs. I realized a large need for early childhood music experiences when I took a music class with my own infant. I was really disappointed with the experience and realized how few music options exist for the early childhood group. At that time, I asked permission to start a group on site at my agency. They loved the idea and helped me move forward. From there it really took off, (other people near me also observed the lack of opportunity for infants and toddlers!) and I have been running early childhood groups for five years. One of my current contracts also includes the preschool and kindergarten classes at my daughters’ school, which has been wonderful.

My desire to provide meaningful music experiences in early childhood increased even more after having my second daughter. She had a bone marrow transplant when she was nine months old, and I experienced firsthand how much music helped her. I was very grateful for my own background most especially during that time.

I am looking forward to gaining more ideas and resources to use as part of my early childhood music classes.

[Ashley Carroll]

Hello everyone! My name is Ashley Carroll. I currently live in Norfolk, VA. I graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2010, and completed my internship at Bethany Lutheran Village, a Continuing Care Facility in Centerville, OH (near Dayton). After I completed my internship I moved to FL (to be with my now husband) and started working in hospice. I worked there for a little over 3 years until January 2015. My husband joined the Navy in March of 2014 and was completing his training. In the midst of this enormous life change we found out I was pregnant in September 2014. So, in the final weeks before the big move from FL to VA I decided to spend some time with my family in OH. I left my job at the hospice agency, and have been out of the field for a year. My daughter has kept me VERY busy since her birth in May. This leads me to what I’m looking forward to most in this course: I have had some training with children in a music therapy setting, but it is quite limited. I would love to learn more in terms of songs and getting more information on musical development. My “five year plan” is to build a private practice focusing on early childhood as well as pre/postnatal music therapy. Having a Trademarked and marketable structure will definitely help when it comes to the marketing journey of a new practice. Can’t wait to “meet” everyone. 🙂

[Ann Marie Raddell]

Ashley, I know Bethany Lutheran Village well, since I went to the University of Dayton. I had practicum experience there. Small world 🙂

[Laetitia Brundage]

Hello Everyone,
It’s wonderful to meet all of you! My name is Laetitia Brundage. I’m originally from Quincy, MA and now reside in Somerville, MA. I graduated from Marylhurst University in Oregon with my bachelor’s in music therapy in 2008, and completed my internship at Shriners Hospitals for Children at Boston in 2009. For much of my professional career, clinically, I have worked with children and adolescents with D.D. in school settings, and otherwise, have taught early childhood music classes in and around my community. Most recently, I have joined the music therapy team at Roman Music Therapy Services in Melrose and work with clients ranging from Early Intervention to End of Life. Exploring avenues of music therapy that I only briefly touched upon in school has already been an exciting and fulfilling adventure.

I have always had a passion for working with children, so I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge and “toolkit” by taking this course. I’m sure it will be applicable to my time as a new mom as well as a professional!

[Kristina Rio]

Hi Everyone! My name is Kristina Rio (formerly Kristina Barbo) and I am one of the online moderators for this course. I live in Reading MA. I graduated from Anna Maria College, and I currently work at Roman Music Therapy Services(RMTS) with Meredith Pizzi as a music therapist, Sprouting Melodies Coordinator, Sprouting Melodies Provider, and practicum/internship supervisor. I work with a diverse clientele from birth to end of life in various populations. I have been a Sprouting Melodies Provider for three and a half years. I participated in the live training in NY with Beth and Meredith in June of 2012, and completed the online training in November of 2012 after I became a board certified music therapist. My online training experience was unique as I had already started to lead SM groups of my own, which was very helpful as a refresher, and gave me the opportunity to absorb the information in a more applicable way. I will be present during this entire online training course to be a resource for you throughout your experience. I am here to respond to any questions you may have and offer my support as best I can, so please feel free to contact me here on the forum! You can also contact me by email with any specific questions you may have at kristina@romanmusictherapy.com. I look forward to getting to know all of you over the next several weeks!​

[Noelle Larson]

Hello everyone! My name is Noelle Larson, I live in Dorchester, MA, and I became a freshly-minted music therapist this past summer. I earned my bachelor degree from Berklee College of Music and completed my internship at Sherrill House Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation last spring. I was blessed to have a steady stream of work following my internship, starting as an early education substitute teacher for the remainder of the school year, transitioning to the “music fun time” instructor for 3-5 year-old day campers at a local summer camp, and then starting full-time work in the activities department of my internship nursing home. I have since transitioned away from my full-time work and resumed substitute teaching as my husband and I get ready to welcome our first child into the world this March. I am particularly interested in taking this course for both personal and professional reasons. Personally, I’m really looking forward to having new skills and resources that I can use as a new parent myself in the months to come. Professionally, I am excited to be in a field where I can use my strengths and skills to contribute meaning to my community as well as income to my family while still maintaining a flexible schedule. I love making music with young children and I can’t wait to learn how to better use my training and the research available to equip parents and caregivers to support their child’s developmental journey. I really look forward to learning and growing along with all of you these next few weeks!

[Anonymous]

Hello everyone. My name is Erika Svolos. I am one of the online moderators for this training. I live in New Jersey with my husband, my 27- month old daughter, and our four cats. It is a joy to be apart of this fantastic program and to join in your Sprouting Melodies journey. I am a graduate of Marywood University and have been a music therapist in New Jersey for the past 16+ years. Over that time I have worked in a variety of settings including in-patient child/adolescent psychiatry, a private clinic for autism, a large urban public school, private practice, and a private special education high school for individual’s with emotional and behavioral disorders. In August 2013 I started my own business/private practice; Music Therapy Services of New Jersey, LLC. I completed the April 2013 Sprouting Melodies online training and it is a wonderful addition to my practice. I began offering Sprouting Melodies classes in February of 2014 and I am truly enjoying working with my SM families.

I will be assisting with any questions and/or technical difficulties. I will be sending you an email with information about the online forum technology and my contact information. If you do not receive the email, please contact me at erika.svolos@gmail.com.

I am looking forward to getting to know each of you over the next ten weeks!

[Kelsy Gati]

Hello everyone!
My name is Kelsy Gati, I am so looking forward to working with you all over the next 10 weeks.
I am from Woodbury Connecticut and have a Bachelor’s in Music Therapy from Anna Maria College in Paxton MA. I currently work for Connecticut Music Therapy Services LLC. Our practice serves a wide variety of clientele ranging from early childhood to adolescents to geriatric music therapy services. We also provide learning enrichment opportunities through music including adaptive instrument lessons. Prior to my work at CTMTS I spent a year at a nursing home as the Music Therapist for their Memory Unit but found myself craving more variety. I transitioned to CTMTS in March of last year and the broad scope of clients has given me the opportunity to learn and grow as a clinician and has given me insight about what populations I am most interested in working with, one of those being early childhood! I am looking forward to gaining and applying the information this course will offer!

[Belinda Adams]

Hello everyone. My name is Belinda Adams and I am currently a ‘music teacher’ in Ithaca, NY. I put that in quotations because that is my title but without my music therapy background I would have never been prepared to work in a BOCES special education school. I have undergraduate degrees from Mansfield University of PA in music education and music therapy and a minor in psychology of childhood development. I have a master’s of science in ‘Students with Disabilities’ from Western Governor’s University out of Salt Lake City.
I have spent my time working in various BOCES programs in upstate NY from the time I completed my internship (which was in a BOCES program) in 2008. My current job placement supports about 180 students with disabilities from ages 5 to 21. In addition, I am the mother of a 21 month old little girl. Because Ithaca is so music rich it is often really expensive to enroll your child in a music class but I really wanted to meet people…. So I am teaching a toddler music class at a local Y. I’m hoping that all of these insights from Sprouting Melodies will overlap in a variety of ways in my professions.

[Tiffany Lee]

Hello Everyone! My name is Tiffany Lee and I live in Weatherford, OK. I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 2010 and completed my internship at The Children’s Center and Rehabilitation Hospital in Bethany, OK in 2011. I have always loved working with kids and have provided music therapy services in multiple public school systems working with clients with special needs. My husband and I have a 2 year old, 1 year old, and one baby on the way! I recently took a job with Southwestern Oklahoma State University as adjunct faculty in the music therapy department and supervise music therapy students’ field studies. We provide MT services in many different facilities across our community, and I currently do work with some young clients. Being a mom to young children myself and having done my undergrad research in MT and parent/ child bonding, I am so excited to learn through this program. I live in a growing rural community with many young families, and I am surprised at how little resources there are for young families in this area. I am very interested in becoming a sprouting melodies provider and to bring meaningful experiences to our community and local families, as well as model this knowledge while working in my current position as an MT-BC supervisor.

[Elizabeth Schwartz]

Welcome to all! It is always so exciting getting to know music therapists with a rich wealth of experiences from all across the country on our forum. You will be hearing a lot from me over the next ten weeks, but I wanted to share a little bit more of who I am. My main job continues to be at a wonderful facility on Long Island, New York called Alternatives for Children. I have had the pleasure of working with all kinds of young children and families through AFC for the past 28 years! And yes, I still spend most of my time on the floor with kids and grownups! My other job is as adjunct faculty in music therapy at Molloy College. Teaching both graduate and undergraduate students really keeps me on my theoretical and clinical toes.
It is great to read about all of you that have young children of your own. One reason Meredith and I created Sprouting Melodies was to provide viable and flexible career options for those who want to balance work and family. My husband and I have three grown children – 28, 27 and 24. At this point, I can say that I’ve been through many if not most of the ups and downs of parenting and I can assure you that all your hard work is worth all the effort!
I will pop into the forum every once in a while, but meanwhile you have two fantastic forum moderators in Erika Svolos and Kristina Rio. As Sprouting Melodies providers themselves, they often know my music and ideas better than I do! If you do find that you are looking for more information or contact, please feel free to email me at Elizabeth@RaisingHarmony.com.
Thanks again for believing in the value of music and music therapists in early childhood.

[Jennifer Whitlow]

Hi Everyone. My name is Jennifer Whitlow and I live in Indianapolis, Indiana. I have a Bachelor’s degree in music from Indiana State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Music Therapy from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. After completing my internship at Orchard Manor, in Lancaster Wisconsin, in 2011 I moved back to Indiana. I am now the owner of Dynamic Music Therapy, LLC. I started my business roughly one year ago. There are not many private practices in this areas and I want to provide more music therapy opportunities in the community. When I initially started my company, early childhood was not my intention. However after welcoming my first daughter in May 2015, I realized the need in this area. I love my new passion to want to support new mothers as well as pregnant mothers. So I plan to spend some time focusing on that population as well. I would also like to continue working with the same population, DD/ID, and believe this course with strengthen my knowledge with them as well.

[Sarah Szymanowski]

Hello! I’m Sarah Szymanowski from Arlington, Virginia. I attended Baldwin Wallace in Ohio, and finished coursework in 2008. From there, I interned in Germany where I worked with a diverse range of populations in the community (including following my supervisor to her sidegig as a Musikgarten provider). My professional career also began in Germany with inpatient psych, a population with which I continued when I moved back to my hometown in 2012. In addition to my work in inpatient psych, I’ve also worked as a part-time music therapist in Fairfax Co. Public Schools and Levine Music, a community music school. I’ve recently decided to leave my hospital job to focus on my work at Levine, which hopefully will include expansion with young children.

I had my first child in December, 2014 and am very much enjoying music exploration with him! Last fall, I decided to experiment with leading a music group with my son present. Each week, a group of friends and neighbors with similarly aged children gathers for an informal “Music with a Mom” group. We’re having a great time, but I’d like to deepen my knowledge! I’m very much looking forward to this course and connecting with you all.

[Kristina Rio]

Welcome everyone! It is so great to read about all of you wonderful personal and professional experiences! Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm and excitement!

[Kristina Rowles]

Hi Everyone,
My name is Kristina Rowles and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone in the coming weeks. I graduated from Ohio University in 2014 and completed my internship in Bar Harbor, ME at Birch Bay Village Retirement Community. I then moved to Middletown, CT where I worked as a music therapist at The Alzheimer’s Resource Center of CT for 1.5 years. After spending so much time working with elders I was looking for more variety in my schedule and the opportunity with work with a variety of populations. I recently began working with Connecticut Music Therapy Services last September. I now work with a variety of populations from early childhood to elders. I am excited to learn through this program so I am able to better serve my younger clients that I now have on my caseload.

[Stephanie Harris]

Hello everyone! My name is Stephanie Harris. I graduated from Ohio University in 2003 and completed my internship at New Avenues to Independence in Cleveland. Following my internship I moved to Valparaiso, Indiana to work for Behavior Specialists of Indiana. I have been there ever since working as a music therapist and gradually moving into the role of Director of MT for our team of 5 music therapists. We work primarily with individuals of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We are mainly funded by the Indiana Medicaid Waiver.

A co-worker completed this training last Spring and thought that it provided information and opportunities that would be beneficial regardless of if we started an early childhood program at our facility. As a music therapist I have tried to make sure that I have a well rounded education and early childhood is an area I wanted to gain more in depth training. As a director, a goal of mine is always to see if there are ways to diversify our funding sources and increase our presence in our community.

Personally, I have been married for almost 9 years. We have 2 beautiful little girls, ages 5 and 17 months. And of course I can’t forget my big dog, Tanner. I’m looking forward to this journey with everyone.

[Stephanie Harris]

I was reading through other posts and saw another Woodsie! I can’t believe I forgot to mention that I completed my master’s at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in 2008!

[Kristen McSorley]

Awesome Stephanie! I am in my second semester at the Woods right now and am having a great time! Great place.

[Anonymous]

Welcome everyone! I am enjoying reading everyone’s introductions and learning about you.

[Tracy Wanamaker]

Hi Everyone! My name is Tracy Wanamaker and I live in Potsdam, NY with my husband and three cats. Potsdam is a small rural community in Northern NY (above the Adirondacks!). Like Johanna, I graduated from Shenandoah University with a Bachelors in Music Therapy, a minor in Psychology and a concentration in voice, but I did it a few years earlier in 1992. I also did my internship in a school system and after finishing, I spent a few years working in the schools in Tallahassee, FL while also maintaining a small private practice. My husband’s job took us to Potsdam, NY in 1997 and after having my daughter (who is now 18 and in college out of state) I worked outside of the field for several years. In 2004 I took at position teaching at the Crane School of Music at the State University of NY College at Potsdam as the Music in Special Education Concentration Coordinator. What this means is that my “day job” is teaching music education students how to reimagine their traditional music classrooms to be inclusive for students with a wide variety of disabilities. In 2008, I completed a Masters in Special Education.

My work at Crane and the fact that I am the only MT-BC in a 100 mile radius naturally led to starting a new private practice a few years ago. In my practice I currently work primarily with adults with developmental disabilities and seniors in memory care. Recently I have started working with a few more children and have been asked to consider starting inclusive music groups for young children in the community. This is why I am here – if I’m going to start working with young children, I need to brush up my skills and learn a lot more about how to effectively work with little ones and their families.

I look forward to learning and sharing with everyone over the next few weeks!

[Noelle Larson]

Hello again, everyone! As one of the newest music therapists in this class, I’d like to say how inspiring it is to see all of you with more experience and training still passionate to learn more and expound on your skills and practices. It sounds like we have a good mix in this group of people who have worked primarily for institutions, regional music therapy providers, and private practices. Since I’m about to enter a less traditional working phase of my life (I probably won’t be doing a 9-5 for a while), it’s really encouraging to hear how many of you continue to engage with your passion and pursue professional development while still maintaining a balance with personal/family life. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to soaking up any tidbits you might share along the way!

[Kristen McSorley]

Hi Tracy, You were my supervisor on a Jamaica trip back in 2013. Great to virtually see you again!

[Jennifer Whitlow]

Hi Tracy! Good to see you on the forum. Hope things are going well for you. Kristen, I also know Tracy from the JAFSP! I went in June of 2010. What an awesome and life changing experience!

[Elizabeth Schwartz]

I love reading about all the connections! Community is what Raising Harmony is all about!

[Tracy Wanamaker]

Hi Kristen and Jennifer! It’s great to see you “virtually” and I look forward to working with both of you again! Of course a few palm trees would be nice about this time of year though! 😉

[Katy Hutchings]

Hello everyone! My apologies to being late to this whole thing. Somehow I had it in my head that the training started Jan. 31 not 13! Well better late than never! I loved reading all of your bios. My name is Katy Hutchings and I live in Audubon, New Jersey. I work just across the river in South Philadelphia at Young Children’s Center for the Arts, an early childhood center that was founded by a music therapist. It’s s typical daycare/preschool but with an emphasis on the arts and the children participate in group music at least twice a day. I work with children ages 6 months to 4 year olds. We do have some children with some developmental delays. I started the job in Setember of 2015 and so far I love it.

My life story is that I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, moved to the east coast to attend Haverford College just outside of Philly. I graduated in 2005 with a liberal arts music degree, determined I would become an opera singer. I then got my masters in Voice at Temple University and tried the whole starving artist/juggling many jobs at once for several years before realizing it just wasn’t making me happy. I had vaguely heard of music therapy and once I investigated more I was hooked. I just finished my masters at Drexel University in 2015 and got certified this summer. My internship was at The Center for Neurological and Neurodevelopmental Health (CNNH) in Voorhees, NJ working with mostly children with various neurological issues. I also completed the Music Together Teacher training in 2015 and led some Music Together within Therapy groups at my internship.

I joined this group to learn more about the population and for new inspiration for my work. But mostly I’m so excited to find a community of amazing women who are balancing motherhood and their careers. My husband and I hope to start a family in the next few years.

[Kristina Rio]

Welcome Katy!

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