Music therapy is powerful, personal, and effective; you know it, we know it, our clients know it. Getting the word out to the world isn’t always easy, though, especially with all the misrepresentation in the media. Thanks to the advocacy and amazing work that music therapists around the country do every day, more and more big name news outlets are picking up our stories, sharing our successes, and spreading the news that music therapy not only exists– it WORKS. Check out these stories:
NY Times: “Music Therapy Offers an End-of-Life Grace Note”
This touching write-up shares the impact that music therapists like Kaitlyn Kelly, Russel Hilliard, and Kristen O’Grady have on hospice patients and their families. “‘And I thought to myself, this is it, this is the work,’ she said. “It was as though the light was off for her, and then playing music turned the light back on for her. And for me, that’s really how I see my work. Just turning the light on for people.'”
USA Today: “Music Therapy Isn’t a Dopey College Degree- It’s a Worthy Profession”
If you have ever felt defeated by misrepresentation, this article will give you hope. After an off-key column in the IndyStar, music therapists reached out to the author, who then responded with an apology and an advocacy piece. Thanks to advocacy from MT-BCs like Jennifer Whitlow, we now have another MT ally. “I confess that in my ignorance and attempt at humor, I belittled a legitimate health profession. So I’ve done some research and this is what I’ve learned…”
Huffington Post: “Music, Music Therapy and Neuroscience: Imagining Improvised and Intentional Collaborations”
What happens when you combine Renee Fleming, the Surgeon General, top research doctors, Deforia Lane, Blythe LaGasse, and Ben Folds? Besides possibly the coolest dinner party ever, you get a powerful event that imagines a new era of collaboration, innovation, and advocacy for music and healthcare. “Imagine the present, where over 7,000 Board Certified Music Therapists blend art and science, develop therapeutic relationships, and systematically deliver music experiences to promote recovery, resilience, and enhanced quality of life, to name only a few positive outcomes, and music therapy researchers are adding to our 70-year evidence base to demonstrate the efficacy and effectiveness of our interventions.”
Want more news articles to share with your friends and family? Check out AMTA’s Music Therapy in the Media list for over a decade’s worth of advocacy at work.
