by Amy Thomas | Mar 4, 2020
The Annual Nazareth College Mini Conference for Music Therapists
was held on February 29th. The all-day event was a wonderful opportunity to attend
presentations, meet area professionals and students, and learn more about what
is changing in the music therapy community. Advocacy was a key element of the conference
and we were very fortunate to have Judy Simpson, Director of AMTA government
relations, opening the conference on that important topic.
Upstate Music Therapy Center employees were eager to
participate this year. During the lunch
hour an Internship Fair was offered. Two
of our Internship Supervisors, Rebecca Szalay, LCAT, MT-BC and Erin Valvo,
MT-BC ran the UMTC agency booth. Discussions were held with students from
Nazareth College, Marywood College, and Fredonia College. Rebecca Szalay, our Education Coordinator,
shared that she was very excited to see so many students interested in the
profession of music therapy. Many signed
up looking forward to receiving applications for our upcoming school year
internship opening.
Erin Valvo, MT-BC also was part of a presentation team,
joining employees Kayla Davitt, MT-BC and Jamie Swieringa, MT-BC after the
lunch break. Their presentation was
titled “Tell Me a Story: The Use of Children’s Books in the Music Therapy
Setting”. Erin, Jamie, and Kayla work
with children ranging from pre-school to school age each week. As a result, they had a plethora of book
recommendations to pair with music intervention. They spoke about the highly
motivating aspect of books in music therapy, as books can provide exciting and
interesting visual cues for our students. Paired with music, books can be an enticing
means for kids to work on socialization, communication, and cognitive-based
goals.
Continuing education is a priority for employees at UMTC. Local events offer area Music Therapists and
students the ideal opportunity to stay in tune and in touch with others in our
music therapy community. Learning and collaboration are essential for the
continued growth of our field. Employee Katie
Hall,
MT-BC attended a session called “MT-BC and Licensure Lingo:
A Crash Course in What You Need to Know”, presented by Donna Polen, LCAT, MT-BC
and Alex Palese, a music therapy student. This is an exciting time for music therapy in
New York, as the effort to obtain licensure for Music Therapy in New York
continues and is gaining momentum. This
session was timely in helping us stay on track with the changes that are being
proposed at the state level. The next
Hill Day in Albany NY is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, 2020. This offers a specific time to meet our
representatives and have face-to-face conversations to explain the importance
of consumer protection and other rationale of the need for a separate
licensure. We will be sharing a future blog on
participating in this upcoming event.
A main takeaway from the conference was to treat every chance to speak about music therapy as an opportunity to advocate. Music Therapists and current students in New York have an incredible chance to help make a historical change through their advocacy efforts in the coming year. If you are reading this and have questions about Music Therapy, we would love to talk with you more. Send your questions to us using our Contact Us tab on our website. We look forward to answering your questions.
This blog was submitted by Amy Thomas and Katie Hall
by Amy Thomas | Jan 22, 2020
Next week, Upstate Music Therapy Center is excited to attend a panel at Nazareth College titled “Music Therapy, IDEA, and FAPE”. This seminar is an opportunity for parents and educators to learn about music therapy as a related service. While music therapy grows in recognition, it is important that teachers and parents understand what it means to have music therapy as a related service on an IEP.
The keynote speaker, Betsey King, Ph.D., LCAT, MT-BC and other
panelists, will be answering many common questions, including:
- What is a music therapy assessment and what
does an assessment look like? Who will be providing it?
- How do I know if my student is eligible for
music therapy services?
- What are my legal rights when it comes to
obtaining a music therapy assessment for my student?
The music therapists at UMTC are looking
forward to this opportunity to discuss a common concern in our community: advocacy.
By getting together and engaging in these conversations, we hope to grow
stronger as a music therapy community.
Not a teacher or parent? All individuals
are welcome to join! Counselors, CSEs, CPSEs, or anyone who may be interested
in learning about music therapy is encouraged to come.
This seminar will be occurring on two dates:
Wednesday January 29th from
6:30pm-9:00pm
OR
Thursday January 30th from 7:30-10:00am
For information related to registration and directions click here.
We hope to see you there!
This blog was submitted by: Katie Hall
by Amy Thomas | Jan 9, 2020
Here at Upstate Music Therapy Center (UMTC) we have been hard at work creating a new website. We hope that with an updated online presence we can spread awareness and knowledge of music therapy. It is our hope to end 2019 on a high note and enter into 2020 ready to engage with the Rochester music therapy community!
Let’s take a tour of the new site! Throughout this post you
will see many underlined topics. To learn more about that topic click on the
text and you will be redirected to that page on our website.
Services
UMTC primarily services children ages 5 to 21 in the pre-school and school-based settings. The majority of our client base consists of children in the school-based setting. Parents, teachers, and other school professionals are encouraged to refer a child if they observe improved attention, communication, participation, or other skills in the presence of music.
We also provide private and community-based music therapy services to children outside of the school setting, in day care, in-home, or other facilities.
We’d like to emphasize that UMTC services all individuals, not just children! There are a variety of community-based programs for adults including:
- Private music therapy sessions
- Music Appreciation class
- Adaptive Instrument Lessons (group or
individual)
- Learning Through Music class
Education
Being involved in the education of aspiring music therapists is a priority at UMTC. If you are in high school and wondering if music therapy is the career for you, we invite you to come and observe one of our staff members and see for yourself. College students, you are also welcome to come and shadow.
UMTC also offers an internship affiliated with Nazareth College. If you are a Nazareth student in the music therapy program and looking for a school-based internship in the Rochester area, check out our internship application details.
Additionally, we are able to support local high schools and school counselors in student’s career exploration. Please contact us if you are interested in having a music therapy booth at your high school’s career day.
Community
UMTC is eager to spread the word and raise awareness for music therapy in our community. We are able to offer presentations on a variety of topics such as:
- Introduction
to Music Therapy
- Music
Therapy and the Pre-Schooler
- Music
Therapy in Special Education
- Music
and Relaxation
- Music
Therapy as a Co-Treat to Related Services
- Music
Therapy in Mental Health
Please contact us if your school or organization is interested in one of these presentations.
Thank you!
UMTC has certainly evolved over the last twenty-years. We
look forward to sharing all we have to offer with our clients, aspiring
MT-BC’s, and all those who are a part of the music therapy community. Thank you
for taking the time to read and explore our new website.
If you have any questions or want to get in contact please give us a call at (585) 377-1000 or email our director Amy Thomas at Amy@upstatemtc.com
This blog was submitted by: Katie Hall
by Amy Thomas | Jun 10, 2011
Check out what some of the parents have to say about Music Explorers:
“It’s a small group with excellent 1:1 attention. Teachers know what they are doing – organized and creative. They work exceptionally well with kids with special needs…”
“It was a lot of fun. The kids enjoyed singing and making motions. They loved learning and using new instruments.”
“[The therapists] did an excellent job incorporating movements and fun activities with the songs they chose.”
“It was really great. My daughter couldn’t sit still at the beginning of classes and by the end of them she was doing much better.”
Come and see for yourself what a great program Music Explorers is for young children and their parents.
