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

[Meredith Pizzi]

[Emily Baroody]

I think the role of music therapy in community based setting is in fulfilling community needs. As music therapist we are able to support and address many diverse community needs whether its providing opportunities for families to engage in developmentally supportive activities or serving a community that maybe just faced a trauma and needs help working through that and healing. Music making is often a community experience. People of all different backgrounds and cultures enjoy making music in groups, listening to music in groups, dancing to music in groups, it is an enjoyable social experience. And I think that’s why music therapy lends itself to a community setting. Offering music therapy as a clinical service is an important thing we do. We are helping people change their lives by providing them with clinical tools and support. But music can be an accessible healing or supportive tool for everyone, even those not seeking clinical therapy and as music therapists we can provide that support in general way outside of the clinical setting and that also helps to legitimize our profession within our community. We are a valuable part of the community and we have something to offer to almost everyone.

[Kristina Rio]

Emily, I completely agree with you about how valuable we are as a part of the communities we work with as far as providing music making experiences for all even those not seeking clinical therapy. I’ve enjoyed leading community concerts and drum circles to support our community through my work at Roman Music Therapy Services, and it is a very important part of what we do!

[Cynthia Cross]

Agreed Emily! I am very excited about the idea of music therapy as a wellness tool. When I think about how much I paid for a gym membership, a yoga class, or a massage I realize that wellness is an untapped area for me as a therapist. I think we have so much to contribute. Primary for me is that music provides a place where absolutely anyone can participate. Through this participation the goals they can achieve so many: bonding with your child, leisure skills, self-confidence, social interaction, independence…

I am looking forward to promoting wellness in my community through Music Therapy!

[Mary Jane Dibble]

I like the goals that Cynthia mentioned, these are great ways that music therapists can help in a community based setting. I think music therapists play an important role in this setting because we are able to offer a unique skill set, having been trained and had experience with people of varying abilities and challenges. We are trained to assess and help people work towards goals that will empower them to be able to better participate in their communities.

[Corie Barkey]

In the community, music therapist occupy an extremely unique position not only with children but in all age populations. I believe that the community music therapy goals are very important especially in the realm of wellness and bonding. There is a togetherness that happens automatically when making music or even just experiencing music that can strengthen a community. Goals for community are equally important as individual goals and especially when there is a transition element for individuals who are learning to integrate and be part of a larger community. The community goals that these families in Sprouting Melodies are achieving is special and unparalleled anywhere else.

[Molly Moses]

Music therapy provides a unique way to meet the needs of the community. I think we are effective because we give people a new and different way to meet the needs of the community. I agree with Emily that people of different cultures and backgrounds are all able to connect and relate in music, and that makes us so accessible.

[Laura Silvestain]

I completely agree with Emily in that music therapy in a community based setting should fulfill the needs of the community. It is important to be aware of what your community wants and needs, and using your skills, provide the best services for those desires. In fulfilling the needs of the community, music therapy is a unique experience that many people can enjoy and benefit from. It also helps spread the word that music therapy is out there and is helpful for many people.

[Mary Kerrigan]

I agree with what a lot of you have already mentioned. What makes us stand out in community based music experiences is our “therapy” training and background. We are unique in the general music community because although we may not be practicing clinical therapy in those community experiences we have the advanced skills in both music and therapy that help us to think clinically in order to continue to promote that wellness and growth for those around us and those making music with us. I think when explaining to parents that we aren’t practicing clinical music therapy by using the vocabulary that Meredith mentioned towards the beginning of the first video such as we are not doing a formal assessment, treatment plan, termination plan etc. that parents will feel a little more open to the experience because in fact it isn’t therapy it is simply music therapy based. We are taking our training and skills and adapting them to promote wellness and growth for their children which is I think a complete advantage in comparison to other community based music experiences with “teachers” that may not have the advanced training and clinical background we have as music therapists.

[Mary Carter]

Many of you have mentioned the benefits (which I do agree with) of what Music Therapy can do FOR a community in a community based setting so I’m going to approach this question from a different angle and say what I think the role the COMMUNITY can do for music therapy in the community based setting. I think by expanding your practice and offering community based programs we become advocates for our field. We are able to reach more people, show more facets of what we can do and as such the people who attend our programs become advocates for us and for Music Therapy. More people are able to answer the question, what is music therapy? can provide support for us which may open more jobs for our field and help when it comes to things like passing legislation for licensure or reimbursement.

[Kristina Rio]

Well said Mary K.!Great job with this reflection everyone. Mary C. I totally agree with you about having stake holders and advocates through our community based program. We have so many families that come to Sprouting Melodies that are now advocates for Music Therapy and for the unique qualities we bring to Sprouting Melodies.

[Anonymous]

It was great to see how you each see how valuable music therapy is to our communities.

[Brianna McCulloch]

I think the importance of music therapy in community based settings is the ability of the MT to really be flexible and respond to the needs of the group. I love how sprouting melodies is broken down into age groups in order to address the needs of children at various developmental levels. Specifically, I thought it was great that Meredith said that a SM1 class with babies 3 and 4 mos old looks different than SM1 full of babies who are a little older. I think the MT’s understanding of child development, and our use of LIVE MUSIC allows us to really reach each individual group exactly where they are. I also love the idea of the MT working to promote wellness. By encouraging development through music, by educating parents and by promoting the bonding between caregiver and baby, the MT is positioned to make a huge impact in the community.

[Melaine Pohlman]

In a society with increased focus on wellness and more wellness based modalities of treatment Music Therapy has great potential to be a leader. As clinicians, we’re familiar with a broad range of diagnoses, disabilities and such. And while we can fine tune our work to address the symptoms and affects of these, we also have the ability and skill set to focus on the health of the whole person. We are able to promote health, wellness and even happiness through our modality of treatment. Specific to the area of early childhood, I think that as Music Therapists we have a very unique set of traits and skills that make us natural residents of the community based treatment setting. I find that even in some of the older adult facilities I work in the word “therapy” has a stigma. Those high functioning and very independent residents don’t want therapy, yet they totally embrace Music Therapy as a tool to maintain wellness. This is true for the early childhood environment as well. So many parents are seeking high quality services for their kids. Music Therapist offer that skill set to offer extremely high levels of music interaction as well as the child development background. As MTs I think we must be flexible to wrap our minds around this mentality.

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