Share your thoughts with the board members on the role of music therapy in community based settings.

[Meredith Pizzi]

[Kerry Cornelius]

I am a HUGE supporter of community-based music therapy and love knowing that Sprouting Melodies follows this model! Supporting the daily struggles that all families endure while also providing a safe place for parents and their children to interact and build positive relationships only makes for a stronger, more tightly knit community. I volunteer my time to work with The Musical Autist here in MD, which is another community music therapy opportunity created by CJ Shiloh that provides sensory-friendly concerts to the wider community. I’ve seen first-hand the power that a community event can have by bringing together people of all ages and abilities from all walks of life to share in the same experience. I think that because of our diverse knowledge and extensive training, music therapists are well-equipped to serve the needs of the whole community. By advocating about the many ways music can enhance development, academic learning, rehabilitation, wellness and beyond, we can best serve the families living in our hometowns while simultaneously spreading awareness and knowledge about music therapy.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

Music therapy can have several roles in a community including but not limited to:
• Music-based activities for young children and their caregivers or family members to build community in a positive, instructive, and creative setting.
• Music-based interventions in therapeutic settings for children with special needs to address social skills, learning deficiencies, and behavioral issues.
• Group music-based therapeutic interventions for adults in psychiatric settings to assist in developing coping skills and outlets for creative expression.
• Group music-based activities for families and friends in grief counseling at hospice.
• Group music activities for children and adults with speech and language disorders due to traumatic brain injury or stroke.
• Group music activities to assist children and adults with cerebral palsy or other physical disabilities in rehabilitative facilities.
• Group music activities for seniors in community centers, nursing homes, or retirement communities, to provide opportunities for socializing in a creative environment.

[Katie Bagley]

I was very interested in hearing Meredith and Beth distinguish the role of music therapy in Sprouting Melodies. I had not yet thought about how the two are different (ie. no assessment, formal treatment plan, termination). I agree that it is important for board certified music therapists to be the facilitators of SM groups, for use of our training and knowledge in development and music therapy. I also find it important that as music therapists, we branch into community based settings (libraries, classes). This is an opportunity to engage the public in music therapy based experiences, without the possibly negative perspective that their child is in “therapy”. This also increases awareness of our profession, all the benefits it provides, and makes it all the more accessible.

[Katie Romano]

I have very little experience with community based music therapy, except for the small clinic my university had for practicum students. From that little experience, I learned that we were helping bring awareness to music therapy and the benefits it can provide community families. I was able to watch families connect and bond over the musical experiences their children were sharing.
Even though I have limited experience with this model Im really excited to pursue it further. I think the mission of Sprouting Melodies is wonderful and the social/developmental opportunities it can provide are a fun advantage for families.

[Kasey Sollenberger]

The community aspect is one of the main reasons I was so excited to take this course. I think music plays such an important role in our community and in the lives of families in our community. Having young children can be so challenging and an element support is needed. Music groups are a great way for caregivers to bond with others who may be dealing with some of the same struggles. I have been privileged to experience a really great bond between families made in one of my music groups. The best example comes from an older group of teenage girls. Their parents were all in search of a music group that the girls could benefit from socially. Not only do the clients get along well, but the moms have developed this beautiful bond and support system with one another. They have each verbalized how thankful they are that music in the community brought them together (even indirectly).

[Shonda Malik]

Part of my caseload is clinical-based and I also have a variety of community-based settings where my work in groups is more experiential, social or performance based. I believe the work I do in these community-based settings looks much different than what a non-music therapist might provide. When I work in groups with clients who have significant developmental disabilities I provide them with music instrument playing opportunities that are as independent as possible. Non-music therapists might not even give an instrument to these same clients, or play it for them, or do hand over hand play the entire time. In another group for adults with mild cognitive delays, part of our music experience is on-topic group discussions based on themes presented in the songs we play together. A non-music therapist facilitating a music group might think that discussions don’t have a place in music making time.

[Katherine Sestrick]

The role of community music therapy depends on the needs of the communities we are all in. If one practices in an area that can support private pay music therapy groups for young children and their caregivers, there is an excellent opportunity to provide quality programs that use high-quality music to promote healthy development of all children. In other words, we are promoting much more than just musical development and we are providing experiences for all children together, regardless of developmental needs. If one does not practice in an area that supports private pay groups, the opportunity arises for community involvement through libraries, community centers, and other locations. This provides us the chance to reach many more people and educate me about the positive role of music in their child’s development.

[Christina Wensveen]

I believe music therapists bring a unique skill set to community programs. Although Meredith and Elizabeth are correct that we do not do formal assessments or treatment plans, I believe music therapists still approach a music session with this mentality engrained into our facilitating. So we are constantly assessing during the session and modifying according to the needs of the participants that day. Our training also has made us aware of what is happening behind the music and I think we are able to discuss this with participants comfortably. I know for myself, I try to stay on top of research and so would be able to tell them about a study and then do an activity that goes along with it. Music therapists are able to really highlight the connection between music activities and what is happening developmentally with the brain.

[Kathryn Costanza]

The power of music is manifold, but what strikes me is how music is a natural, inherent, human experience. Regardless of function level, music is an integral part of almost every person’s emotional life, social interaction, memory mechanisms, overall cognition, workout patterns, etc. As music therapists, our skill set requires us to understand, isolate, and use different elements of music to provoke specific responses, emphasize certain behavior patterns, and teach information. That skill set lends itself specifically to a clinical setting, but the benefits of that skill set are not limited to the clinical setting. I love how Elizabeth said clinical goals were targeted towards the “symptoms of physical disabilities”, but more general targets and goals can be applied toward typical function, healthy interaction, and healthy development. Whether we as music therapists are addressing needs in a group for adults with developmental delay, the geriatric population, young children with developmental needs, a typical drumming circle, or a music group with our friend’s children, the effective facilitation of the music makes a difference in everyone’s abilities and lives.

[Nicole Sanabria]

Community based music therapy allows for members to come together in order to empathize with other families experiencing similiar circumstances. Essentially, community based music therapy allows for a safe and supportive environment. I need to agree with many members here that have already mentioned it. Even though there is no formal assessment or written goal plan, we as music therapist’s take mental notes of the child’s needs and develop music interventions to address/adapt to those needs. We do this naturally. We are constantly thinking of what we can do to maximize the child’s success in music.

[Jonni Fogerty]

The role of music therapists in a community-based setting is quite simply to provide music therapy services that meet the needs of that specific community. Many of the forum participants have mentioned the way that music therapists are always informally assessing. This assessment process starts broadly with the needs of the greater community in general in order to develop appropriate programs and then becomes more specific to meet the needs of individual clients to help them become more independent within the community.

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