Winter 2010 issue (print view)
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PRESIDENT'S REPORT article 01
Deborah Benkovitz, LSW, MSW, MT-BC
Happy 2010! I hope you had a good holiday and are enjoying the winter season.
I enjoyed seeing many of you in San Diego at the AMTA conference in November. The conference was stimulating and enjoyable, and it was wonderful to network with AMTA members from other regions. The November 2010 AMTA conference is just next door to the MAR in Cleveland, and I look forward to great MAR representation!
As always, there is a lot going on in our region. Several states are actively engaged in various stages of the legislative process, protecting our right to practice. Membership continues to hold steady in our region, and we are financially sound. Public relations are moving us forward with our efforts to be “green” and tech- savvy, and the our students are energetic and intelligent. Please read the detailed reports of board members and task force chairs to learn more about all these areas of the MAR.
This is a very exciting time to be a music therapist in Pittsburgh. Our MAR 2010 conference takes place in Pittsburgh, and because I live here I have been privy to the details of the exciting conference being planned. Registration and hotel costs are less than previous years and there are numerous outstanding sessions in store for students, young professionals and veterans of music therapy. Additionally, there are many unusual and fun “after hours” activities planned for you. Check out the conference information online and register!
Stay warm and healthy! I am looking forward to seeing you in Pittsburgh in a couple of months!
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ARCHIVIST REPORT article 02
Sr. Donna Marie Beck, PhD, FAMI, MT-BC
Katelyn Myers, the new student archivist, has already begun her work of scanning the completed and well-organized materials that were collated for the MAR Archives.
Elaine Abbott, PhD, FAMI, LCAT, MT-BC purchased the required scanning tools for Kate and the project is moving along well.
The most recent materials submitted included the wonderful biography of Mr. Richard Gray, the founder of Duquesne University's music therapy program. The AMTA newsletter publication was a sterling tribute to Dick.
Thanks to all who assisted in this endeavor.
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ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES article 03
Donna W. Polen, LCAT, MT-BC
As you know, the work of the Assembly occurs strictly at the annual national conference. At their meetings in San Diego, the 2008-2000 Assembly dealt with a variety of association business, including revisions to the National Roster Internship Training Guidelines, Standards for Masters Degrees, revisions to the Standards of Clinical Practice (dealing with cultural considerations of clients as well as standards for supervision), and the Advanced Competencies. Details on all of this will be available soon on the Assembly of Delegates page in the Member Area of the AMTA website.
The 2010-2011 Assembly-Elect held their first meeting on Sunday morning. At this meeting, the 2010-2011 Assembly elected four Assembly Delegates and four Alternate Delegates to the AMTA Board of Directors. The complete list of Delegates and Alternates will be posted on the Assembly page in the Member Area soon. The four full Delegates are Brian Abrams, Ruthlee Adler, Susan Gardstrom, and Kathy Murphy. Kathy was elected as Speaker of the Assembly, and Susan was elected as Assistant Speaker. Congratulations to everyone! The MAR should be proud of our representation on the Board!
The MAR had a difficult time filling all of our Assembly seats (we have 19 Delegates), as well as filling all of our Assembly-Elect seats. As a result, a “Statement of Understanding of Assembly Delegate/Alternate Duties” was drafted by the outgoing MAR Assembly Chair and reviewed and approved by the MAR Executive Board. It includes selected Articles and Sections from the AMTA Bylaws and the Mid-Atlantic Region Bylaws pertaining to the Assembly. In the future, MAR members who agree to run for Assembly will be asked to read and sign this “Statement of Understanding.”
One crucial item of business has yet to be completed, and that is the selection of a new MAR Assembly Chair. The outgoing Assembly Chair is working with MAR President Benkovitz and the Executive Board to clarify this process, as well as to further formalize the duties and deadlines associated with the position. It has been my pleasure to serve the MAR in this capacity over the last two years.
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FINAL CALL FOR POSTERS article 04
Tony Meadows, PhD, MT-BC, FAMI
The MAR Research Committee is sponsoring a Research Poster Session on Saturday March 29th, 2010 as part of the regional conference.
This session will provide participants with an opportunity to display their research in exhibition format as well as briefly summarize the purpose, method, and findings of the research in presentation format (approx. 10 minutes) using PowerPoint slides. Only completed research will be considered for the poster session, although researchers who have gathered their data and are in the final stages of analysis are encouraged to discuss their research with Dr. Meadows to determine its suitability for poster submission.
Those interested in having their research considered for display during this session should submit 1 copy of a 200 word abstract, which includes the title and name of researcher(s). The deadline for submissions is February 25th, 2010.
Please email submissions to: Dr Tony Meadows, MAR Research Committee: ameadows@immaculata.edu. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Tony at: 610 647 4400 x3159, or at the above email address.
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CONFERENCE PLANNING REPORT article 05
Nina Galerstein, MMEd, MT-BC
Vice President of Conference Planning
Our next regional conference, titled Pittsburgh – Inclined Toward Music Therapy, will be held on March 24-27, 2010. An exciting conference has been planned by the local co-chairs, Jessica Mull and Bob Miller. There is a pre-conference Institute organized by Ken Aigen, Motion and Feeling in Music: Applications of Musical Groove in Music Therapy. There are 11 CMTEs, and over 50 concurrent sessions including 7 research track sessions. There will be a very informative tri-state licensure session for those people facing this important issue. Mike Viega (VPCP-Elect) consulted with the students, and for the first time we are having a specific student track based on their specific requests (of course, all music therapists are invited to attend!). Deborah Benkovitz, President of MAR, has put together a very exciting plenary session titled The Harmony Of Collaboration, featuring members of the Pittsburgh Symphony and the work they do with Deborah at the Children’s Hospital. The conference also boasts some wonderful music – Joy Ike at Opening Session (she is a Nigerian Singer/Songwriter who mixes jazz, pop and neo-soul – best solo artist in a local poll for 2 years!), our own musicians for live Karaoke at the Dessert bar, and more of our wonderful music therapists performing at the Closing Session.
The very exciting news is that registration rates have been reduced this year, and registration will be primarily online. Early bird registration ends on February 19th.
We will once again be having a Silent Auction as a part of the Exhibits Spectacular Thursday evening. We are in need of donations of items for the Silent Auction, as well as for door prizes for conference attendees. Please email Susie Knechtel (suzsie@musictherapyhs.org) or Gina Iuliucci (ginaiuliucci@comcast.net) with a description of the item and the approximate retail by March 1st if you or your organization would like to donate an item.
Melissa King, our Regional Conference Coordinator, listened to everyone’s concerns about conference costs! We have a hotel, the Pittsburgh Radisson, that is charging only $92 a night for rooms! This hotel has many amenities, including an indoor pool, so check out their website! They also offer FREE shuttle service from the airport!
I would like to welcome Brigette Sutton to our group – she has taken on the new role of Regional Registration Chair and this is her first conference in this role. It’s great to have someone doing this job, and she will be working closely with local registration chair, Gretchen Chardos Benner.
We hope to see all of you in March - come join us for an educational and fun-filled experience in the City of Rivers and Bridges!
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GOVERNMENT RELATIONS REPORT article 06
Carol Ann Blank, LCAT, LPC, MMT, MT-BC
It has been my pleasure to work closely with the MARAMTS Government Relations Chair, Elaine Vuong (Nazareth College). In the course of our collaborative efforts to identify students for the three state task forces in PA, NY, and NJ, and preparing a presentation for the MAR-AMTA conference in Pittsburgh (Advocacy: You Can Do It!), we have had the chance to share our own personal experiences with advocacy with each other. We thought we'd share our conversation with you because, chances are, you might have had the similar ones.
Elaine's Story
When I started my academic career as a music therapy student, I knew that I would need to advocate for my future career. Not many people know much about the profession, or have ever heard of it. As passionate as I am about it now, even I did not know about music therapy until a friend introduced me to it. This was the beginning of my personal advocacy for music therapy.
Nearly every time I mention that I am a music therapy major outside of the music therapy network, I come across questioning looks and statements, such as “What is music therapy?,” or “So you play a CD to help people relax?” Reacting to these were my first steps in advocacy for my major. However, advocating for music therapy continues throughout my entire education and career. I have been involved in many class discussions that point out the importance of advocacy in the workplace, as music therapists run the risk of losing their jobs because facilities and agencies do not understand what our work entitles, or there may be financially cheaper routes.
These situations have made it evident that it is important to learn about advocacy and start advocating, even as a student. As a music therapy student, I define “advocacy” as “the act of supporting music therapy, and fostering public awareness on the issue of music therapy.” Advocacy for music therapy needs to start now. Students, early in their academic lives, are faced with crucial questions regarding the purpose and benefit of their future career. These situations will continue throughout our professional life and until we retire.
As a student Government Relations Officer, I am learning that music therapists need to advocate outside of their schools, facilities, and agencies. It needs to extend to our state and federal governments. These lawmakers will help fight for the issues that we care about if we make them aware of our purpose. Issues may include mental health, education for children with special needs, or financial; issues that are discussed at the government level pertain to who or where we will work. If we start advocating about these issues and the debates that come with them now, we can begin working with lawmakers that will stand for issues we care about.
Carol Ann's Story
I entered the workforce excited and empowered and feeling pretty great about my profession. I looked at being in a newer health care profession as a chance to help shape and define it, and I talked about what I did with anyone who would listen. I suspect I was a bit annoying to seasoned professionals at the first facility where I worked.
As I began to suffer that all-too-familiar bout of burn-out, and feeling the lack of a supportive community, I joined NJAMT. I had been a member of AMTA since college, but the state organization was the local community I needed in order to thrive professionally. MAR conferences were much-anticipated boosts to my creativity.
Fast forward several years and a master's degree later, I found my efforts in advocacy taking different shapes. State house events in Trenton progressed to more consistent awareness in the local legislation and eventually to my interest in federal legislation that impacts the practice of and access to music therapy.
Take Home Message
As I continue to teach music therapists and music therapy students, I find that the purpose of advocacy has not changed: we need to tell the story of our work, and we need to be educated about the processes and proposals that affect our work. What is different is how we advocate. In private ways, such as participating in the political process through voting; in public ways, such as writing letters or sending emails to our elected officials on topics that matter to us and to our clients' access of music therapy services; and even in more social ways, such as sharing our excitement and delight in our work in posts on our social networking pages.
None of these advocacy moments take an extraordinary amount of effort or time. Awareness and mindfulness are the key ingredients here. Contact any of the Task Forces on Occupational Regulation to get on their email lists. Keep your "ear to the ground" about efforts in your area to regulate the practice of music therapy. Contact me or the AMTA office if you are concerned about something you hear. And if you find yourself getting frustrated with budget cuts, rules or regulations, get curious about the process. There is a lot we can contribute. Elaine and I are looking forward to continuing this conversation in Pittsburgh.
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ASSOCIATION INTERNSHIP APPROVAL COMMITTEE article 07
Theresa McManus, LCAT, MT-BC, NICU-MT
Happy New Year to all. Thank you to all the internship directors (ID) who have maintained contact and sent me their intern’s site evaluations. If I don’t receive any site evaluations from a site, then I have no way of knowing if there is training going on at your site. It is the responsibility of the ID to send these site evaluations to the AIAC representative and also to the academic faculty. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Please note the following news from the AIAC committee. First, we have a new chairperson, Mary Jane Landaker, who previously served as the Midwestern regional representative. All national roster internship (NRI) internship directors will be receiving an annual report and the report is to be completed and sent to me (previously they went to the national office). Also, a reminder to IDs to advise prospective interns of any legal affiliations that require completion before the internship starts and to remain in contact with the intern about the status of the legal affiliation. And finally the NRI guidelines are updated to include the ID responsibility of notifying the academic faculty, as well as the regional representative, when an intern accepts an internship at their facility. Finally, the committee encourages everyone to join the Internship Director’s Forum.
Those interested in establishing a national roster internship please feel free to contact me for assistance. We recommend that once the application is completed that it is sent to the national office in .pdf format. Only completed applications will be reviewed.
I want to reiterate that as the regional representative to the AIAC committee I am available for assistance or questions and this availability extends to internship directors, supervising music therapists, interns, students as well as academic faculty. I can be contacted at tmcmanus@notes.cc.sunysb.edu. Thank you for all the work that you do in training future music therapists.
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THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION NEEDS YOU! article 08
Brian Abrams, Ph.D., MT-BC, LPC, LCAT, FAMI
We need energetic and creative people to share their talents
in various capacities with the Mid-Atlantic Region!!!
Think about what kind of position you have the time for and let me know in what capacity you would want to serve. Simply send back this form or e-mail me the information. If you would like more information about a particular position, please contact me! Also indicate if you want to get involved now or in the future (1-2 years). I’ll keep your name on file for future reference.
Choose any position(s) in which you might be interested:
BIG JOBS:
Elected Officers:
- President (6 year commitment)
- Vice President for Conference Planning (4 year commitment)
- Vice-President for Membership
- Government Relations Chair
- Public Relations Chair
- Treasurer
- Assembly Delegate
Appointed Officers:
- Newsletter Editor
- Assistant Editor
- Secretary
- Parliamentarian
- Historian
Appointed Positions:
- Archivist
- Continuing Education Coordinator
- Exhibits Coordinator
- Conference Coordinator
- Representatives to AMTA Standing Committees
- Task Force Chairs
MEDIUM JOBS:
- Task force members
- Members of Government Relations and Public Relations Committees
- Local Conference Chairs
- Committees Coordinator of Special Projects
SMALLER JOBS:
- CMTE Presenter
- one time jobs with an ending and deadline
- special projects
- column writers for the newsletter
Please send response to:
Brian Abrams, PhD, MT-BC, LPC, LCAT, FAMI
brabrams@earthlink.net
(610) 299-9630
Include your:
- Name
- Phone Number
- Email Addres
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MEMBERSHIP REPORT article 09
Gene Ann Behrens, PhD, MT-BC
Send in Your AMTA Membership Fees for 2010!
The sooner AMTA receives them – the sooner the region’s budget will benefit.
Your membership fees assist us in serving you, the members!
Come re-charge your batteries by connecting with friends at the Regional Conference!
Look for the 2010 Conference Registration form on-line! Lower hotel and registration costs!
The third quarter membership numbers increased from the second quarter, but we continue to be down about 44 members from this time last year. We had 890 members as of 10/2/09 which was a 4.46% increase from the previous quarter, but a 4.71% decrease from the membership totals in 2008. Professional members increased by 3.65%, students by 5.65%, and graduate students by 5.81%. However, they also were down in comparison to 2008 by 4.88%, 9.66%, and 3.19% respectively. The greatest decreases have shifted back to within the area of student membership.
The national membership committee has elected to complete several projects to increase the membership this next year. One will be another callathon of approximately 100 people who did not rejoin AMTA since 2008. I also will be devising a plan to contact professors at the various schools to encourage student membership.
Highlights from AMTA.PRO – one of your membership benefits. AMTA.PRO can be found within the members only area of the AMTA website. It includes podcasts on a variety of topics important for music therapists. Did you know that you can listen to presentations on the following topics by fellow professionals?
- Detective Work in Music Therapy by Annie Heiderscheit, PhD, FAMI, MFT, MT-BC
- Music Therapy and Eating Disorders by Gloria McDaniel, MT-BC
- Music Therapy and Alzheimer's Disease, Larissa McHugh, MA, MT-BC
- Medical Music Therapy by Michelle Erich, MM, CCLS, MT-BC
- Keys to Effective Group Facilitation for Adults by Mary Morreale, MT-BC
- Music Therapy Reimbursement by Judy Simpson, MHP, MT-BC
Other noteworthy announcements for the membership:
- Professors and internship directors – Encourage your students completing their internships to complete forms for MAR and AMTA to receive discount coupons!
- New professionals - Complete the New Professional Membership Form on the website to obtain a one-time $75 discount coupon for the upcoming spring conference. We would like to recognize all new professionals attending conference for the first time with their professional status – make sure you indicate you are a new professional on the conference registration form.
- All members – Please let me know about any accomplishments or challenges for our members so that we can support them. Check out the new additions to AMTA.PRO. Contact Brian Abrams to volunteer for various positions within the MAR.
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NEW JERSEY TASK FORCE ON OCCUPATIONAL REGULATION article 10
Kathy Murphy, PhD, MT-BC, FAMI, LPC, LCAT
The New Jersey Task Force (NJSTF) will continue its work to gain official state recognition of music therapy. Members of the task force are: David Ramsey, Kristen O’Grady, Leah Oswanski, Carol Ann Blank and student member Suzanne Kobb. We would to thank MAR, AMTA and CBMT for their continued support of our work, and for agreeing to renew Patrick Stewart’s contract for 2010.
There are several administration changes that have occurred since the inauguration of Governor Chris Christie. Therefore, our first order of business will be to meet with the new commissioners and/or their designee in the Department of Education and to develop a relationship with the Governor’s administration. There were also several changes in leadership in the NJ Legislature. Senator Steven Sweeney is the new Senate President. So far, he has been supportive of music therapy and our efforts to gain state recognition. Senator Sweeney appointed Senator Teresa Ruiz as chair of the Senate Education Committee, and Senator Loretta Weinburg as chair of the Senate Health and Senior Services Committee. We have not met with either of these senators in the past, but will reach out to them in the New Year. We will need their support as we move forward with state recognition. Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver is the new Speaker of the NJ Assembly. She is a music therapy supporter and we expect that will continue. To date, there have not been any committee leadership changes in the NJ Assembly that will affect our work. Assemblyman Prieto will retain his chairmanship of the Assembly Regulated Professions Committee and continues to support our efforts towards state recognition.
Update on State Recognition
We are still waiting to see the proposed compromise language for MT Licensure Bill that was drafted last summer. Once the new bill is drafted, it will be shared with the NJ music therapists for review and feedback. The task force will hold meetings throughout the state to answer any questions. If you have not already done so, please sign on the NJAMT and MAR listserves. You can also send an e-mail to: njtaskforce@yahoo.com an you will be added to the task force’s e-mail list.
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PENNSYLVANIA STATE TASK FORCE ON
OCCUPATIONAL REGULATIONS (PASTF) article 11
Valerie F. Uschock, LCAT, MT-BC, NMT
The 2009-2011 Pennsylvania State Task Force on Occupational Regulations (PASTF) is composed of the following members:
Voting members: Dena Condron, MMT, MT-BC, LPC; Nicole Hahna, MS, MT-BC, FAMI; Caroline Servinsky, MT-BC; Valerie Uschock, LCAT, MT-BC, NMT (Chair); Melanie Walborn, MT-BC
Non-voting ex-officio members: Deborah Benkovitz, LSW, MSW, MT-BC (MAR President); Carol Ann Blank, LCAT, LPC, FAMI, MMT, MT-BC (MAR Government Relations Chair); Judy Simpson, MHP, MT-BC (AMTA Director of Government Relations); Dena Register, PhD, MT-BC (CBMT Regulatory Affairs Advisor).
Hello and Happy New Year!! PASTF has had some changes in membership which have all been approved by the MAR Executive Board. We appreciate the work of members past and look forward to continued good work from current members.We welcome Caroline Servinsky and Nicole Hahna as our newest members to PASTF.
HB 1250: PA COUNSELOR PRACTICE BILL
In mid-October 2009, PASTF was notified of this proposed bill, therefore it has become the focus of PASTF in the past few months.
1. Background of Bill: HB 1250 is currently in its 9th version, with writing led by Paul West of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association (PCA) who is working with the House Professional Licensure Committee to construct the wording of the bill. This Committee is headed by Representative Michael McGeehan with 25 other State Representatives making up the committee. Support is being offered by Marlene Tremmel, who is the attorney for this committee. HB 1250 is officially considered an amendment to the 1987 licensure bill. It adds to the title act coverage of the original bill, an additional layer of practice act protection. HB 1250 is meant to be a private practice bill which would give counselors more control over who calls themselves a counselor when conducting Private Practice. In other words, if someone decides to hang a shingle and call themselves a Counselor but are not licensed, this will be illegal.
Paul is supportive of Creative Arts Therapists (CATs) and welcoming CATs to PCA, but has questions about how to respond to questions from legislators re: CAT training, education and supervision. Specifically, Paul asks that we CATs review the bill and write a letter to a) support the practice act and b) detail the training, education and supervision. The timeline Paul recently clarified was to suggest developing the foundation of a support letter now and then to modify it once the final version of the bill comes in. Marlene Tremmel, the attorney assisting the Licensure Committee with these efforts is indicating the possibility of a late January vote by the committee. In order for a bill to become law, it is first discussed by and voted on within a committee. After that point it will move to the floor of the full House for a vote and then over to the floor of the full Senate for a vote. Both the House and the Senate must agree on the working for the governor to then sign the bill into law.
2. CAT Work Group: In response to Paul's request, a Creative Arts Therapist (CAT) Work Group was formed which includes representative from Art Therapy, Dance/Movement Therapy, and Music Therapy. A conference call was held on December 21, 2009. The purpose of the work group is to address questions of the bill, discuss the bill in terms of our support of it, and to plan a unified response to the bill. Carol Ann Blank and Dena Register attended this conference call as representatives of PASTF and Music Therapy. Some of the highlights are as follows:
- Currently the fact that this is a practice bill that addresses private practice only is difficult to see in the 8th draft. There needs to be more clarification on this point as it is not clearly stated in the current draft of the bill.
- Music Therapy concerns presented include protecting rights of all music therapists in PA to practice, including those who work and are board certified at the bachelor’s level. Currently the general provisions are not problematic, but there is a need to look at the details of the bill.
- All CAT Disciplines were asked to provide information on PA Master Degrees including diagnosis, assessment, and to emphasize our high level of training. Judy Simpson from AMTA provided a document overview of MT competencies and PA Master's Programs. Carol Ann and Valerie are currently transferring this information to a collective CAT chart.
- The bill is expected to go to vote in late January.
MAR CONFERENCE SESSION ON LICENSING
Look for a special session on licensing in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania to be held at the the MAR Conference in Pittsburgh, PA (Friday, March 26th). The MAR Govt. Relations Chair and the Chairs of each task force will be giving an overview and updates regarding licensure in these states. Discussion of PA licensing will cover becoming licensed, remaining licensed, supervision requirements, and the current status of HB 1250.
As always, PASTF is here for you. Please notify us of any issues you are aware of as this is the best way for us to advocate for you. Please direct any inquiries to: pastate.task.force@gmail.com
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PAST PRESIDENT'S REPORT article 12
Brian Abrams, PhD, MT-BC, LPC, LCAT, FAMI
Greetings from Northern New Jersey! I hope that 2010 has begun favorably for each of you.
The MAR has a great deal of important work to accomplish, and much of that work depends upon the volunteer commitment of our members. If you have not done so already, I encourage you to give serious consideration to serving the region, to share your energy and voice, and contribute your unique abilities to the advancement of our profession within the region. You may indicate your interest in serving using the “MAR Needs You” form, available at http://www.mar-amta.org/opps/volunteer.html.
Please feel free to contact me if I can be of any assistance to you, or should you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
Again, thank you for your membership. A pleasant winter and spring to you and your families.
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PUBLIC RELATIONS REPORT article 13
Meghan Hinman, MA, MT-BC
Thanks to everyone who has been using the form on our Public Relations Page to request materials for public relations presentations and events. We have one small change now, namely that brochures need to be sent out in increments of twenty. I am thrilled that the system is working so well, and I want everyone to know that the PR committee is working on other materials to assist MAR membership with their Public Relations projects.
I also want to share with the region a report from the National Employment and Public Relations Committee meeting, which I attended at the San Diego Conference in November. This committee includes representatives from all of the AMTA regions, and when we meet once yearly at the national conference we discuss various public relations and employment issues, bringing together perspectives from all of our diverse regions. I found the meeting to be exciting this year because all of the representatives from other regions were immensely impressed with our system for providing PR materials to the membership. MAR is the only region that does this right now, but the other PR representatives were excited by the idea and hoping it implement it for their own regions.
The Employment and Public Relations Committee is working on several projects right now. We are preparing a presentation to be submitted to the national conference in 2010 entitled, “Presenting Music Therapy: Basic Tips for Presenting as an In-Service, to the Media, and in the Elevator.” We are also hoping to create a survey for private practice music therapists to monitor trends in music therapy employment. We are following up on contacts with career-counseling websites that do not include music therapy. We also talked a great deal about the AMTA website, which of course is a major public relations tool.
Please feel free to contact me any time (meghan.hinman@gmail.com) if you have questions about public relations in the Mid-Atlantic Region, or if you are interested in helping out and joining the regional PR committee
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RESEARCH COMMITTEE article 14
Tony Meadows, PhD, MT-BC, FAMI
Committee Members: Dr Gene Behrens MT-BC, Andi McGraw-Hunt MMT MT-BC, Dr Kathy Murphy MT-BC, Dr Michael Rohrbacher Mt-BC and Dr Tony Meadows MT-BC
The research committee continues work in two main areas: the Research Track for the regional conference and the MAR Research Grant.
The Research Track has been divided into three focus areas for this year’s conference: students, new clinicians and experienced clinicians. For students, we offer Research Alive! Clinical Research in Practice (presented by Karen Dennery) and Making Research Work for You (presented by Kathy Murphy). For new clinicians, two sessions are offered: A Review of Music Therapy Publications in 2008-2009 (presented by Tony Meadows) and Transforming Clinical Data into Data Gathering for Research (presented by Gene Behrens and Kathy Murphy). Finally for experienced clinicians, John Mahoney presents his qualitative research on clinical improvisation and Michael Rohrbacher gives an overview of funding music therapy research.
The Research Track CMTE will focus on Funding Music Therapy Research. Presenters will focus on government, institute and private funding, giving guidelines for eligibility criteria, writing grants, and following the submission process. We are very excited to offer this CMTE, and hope those new to research, in addition to experienced researchers, will gain valuable knowledge related to grant writing.
The Research Track will close with its Poster Session, presenting student and clinician research in both a summary oral presentation and traditional poster. For more information on applying, please see the Call for Posters in this newsletter.
Second, the MAR Research Committee is sponsoring a $1000.00 Research Grant to fund, or partially fund research projects, undertaken by MAR professional and student members. For more information on applying, visit the MAR website. Applications are due February 15th, 2010. Please contact Tony Meadows for an application or for questions related to applying.
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STUDENT AFFAIRS REPORT article 15
Susan Hadley, PhD, MT-BC
The new year is now in full swing, and I would like to wish all of you a wonderful 2010. I wish all the students, their Music Therapy Clubs, and the MARAMTS executive board lots of wonderful fundraising ideas so that as many of them as possible can attend our next MAR conference in Pittsburgh! At the conference, we will announce the sophomore, junior, and graduate scholarship winners, the club award winners, and the Jenny Shinn Memorial Scholarship winners.
Passages 2009 was another great success! I would like to thank Nazareth College for hosting this event! I have much praise and thanks for Noah Potvin and Evangeline Williams, for the excellent job they did as Passages coordinators. It all ran very smoothly, which I appreciated greatly as this was my first year in this role. I also want to thank the local committee and Dr. Bryan Hunter, Dr. Betsey King, and Ms. Laurie Keough for their help with all the logistics. Passages continues to be a wonderful forum for students and new professionals to practice their presentation skills and receive immediate feedback from the audience. It is great preparation for future presenting at regional and national conferences. I strongly encourage all presenters to continue to present at future Passages conferences and to submit proposals for our regional as well as for national conferences. Don’t feel afraid to take this step. Ask your advisor, supervisor, or other mentor for help/feedback. Next year’s Passages will be at Slippery Rock University! Vern Miller (Slippery Rock University senior/intern) and Jillian Argue (Temple University grad student) will be the new Passages Coordinators. A call for papers will be distributed in March.
The MARAMTS EB and I are looking forward to seeing you at the conference—they will have great music therapy T-shirts and classy silver key chains available as their fundraiser. Make sure to support them! Their fundraising supports many student scholarships each year.
If you have any questions related to MARAMTS, please contact Michelle Bonaventura, president of MARAMTS (amtas.mar@gmail.com) or me at susan.hadley@sru.edu
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TREASURER’S REPORT article 16
Elaine A. Abbott, PhD, MT-BC, FAMI, LCAT
Happy New Year! Our Operating Budget checking account currently has a balance of $22,827.42. Our Conference Budget checking account is $2,901.63. The Vanguard Money Market account balance is $27,088.12.
The Finance Committee is reviewing and updating MAR fiscal policies for Executive Board approval and preparing to begin the 2010-2011 budget development process.
Thank-you to the new Finance Committee for their willingness to serve the region. It now includes: Deborah Benkovitz, MAR President; Kristen O'Grady, MAR President Elect; Brian Abrams, MAR Past-President; Brigette Sutton, Regional Conference Registration Chair; and Joshua Schrader, MAR Member.
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SECRETARY'S REPORT article 17
Gretchen Chardos Benner, MT-BC
Happy new year! I am excited to serve as the region's Recording Secretary. Last year I enjoyed serving this role during the Executive Board Meeting in Scranton, PA, Business Meetings in San Diego, CA during the AMTA Conference, and frequent tasks with Microsoft Word! The upcoming MARAMTA Conference that will be hosted in Pittsburgh is just around the corner. As Local Registration Chair I look forward to welcoming you to the City of Champions! Please contact me via e-mail if I may of further assistance (chardosgm@upmc.edu).