GLR MWR Passages 2021
Keynote Speaker, Dr. Natasha Thomas, MT-BC
Natasha Thomas, PhD is a Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC) and Assistant Professor at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI). She serves on the steering committee of the Black Music Therapists Network (BMTN) and co-facilitates the BMTN sponsored podcast “Black Creative Healing” with Adenike Webb. Natasha is also serving with Marisol Norris as co-editor of an upcoming special issue from the Journal of Music Therapy on equity & justice. Natasha is a committed advocate for creative & culturally sustaining support for marginalized communities. Her current research focus involves Black creativity, particularly identity construction and community care. Natasha’s research and clinical work are inclusive of emerging technology, as well as the perspectives of disability and queer identities, and the unique ways those perspectives and resources can intersect to impact quality of life, identity construction and meaning making.
Dr. Thomas’s presentation is entitled: “Better” in Community - What do we really mean? At a time where the communities we come from and serve are under increasing strain, it is more important than ever to be precise and care-filled with the language we use, the locations we use them in, and the practices that back them up. How much do we really know about the history behind the terms and theories we’ve heard in our classrooms? How can we be clearer, more intentional, and more care-filled? In this keynote, the speaker will walk alongside attendees as a lifelong learner exploring the concepts of healing justice and community care, and what it really means to be an arts-based helping professional in a world full of harm. We’ll revisit terms like health & wellness, harm & safety, and more, from an intention-filled and anti-oppressive lens. Ultimately we seek to find a place where we can begin to answer the questions of what we really mean when we say the things we say, and how we can be sure our actions amplify our words, with contextual and historically mindful care. Dr. Thomas will be presenting from 12-1pm CST during Passages. |
Student Presenters, Christina O'Neil and Laura Blankenship
Christina O'Neil is from the Great Lakes Region. Christina graduated from Eastern Michigan University and completed her music therapy internship December 31, 2020. She was offered a hospice music therapist position at Residential Hospice, where she is currently working while studying for the board examination.
Her presentation is entitled "Pandemic Pivot: Internship During the Viral and Virtual". Read the description of her presentation below: Covid-19 has affected our day-to-day lives. As music therapists, we are continuously trying to improvise and adapt quickly to new situations thrown our way. I was one of the lucky few who were able to start and finish internship, in the midst of a pandemic. Some challenges faced included: weekly Covid tests, learning how to sing and speak in a N95 mask, shifting to virtual visits, singing through windows, being sent out of facilities due to positive Covid cases, and contracting Covid myself. This presentation will discuss the challenges and experiences as an intern during the pandemic, and will review the creative ways care was delivered. Christina will be presenting from 1:00-1:30PM CST during Passages. |
Laura Blankenship is from the Midwestern Region of AMTAS. Laura Blankenship is a current senior at Drury University. She has been set on pursuing music therapy since the age of ten and is passionate about practicing music therapy in the psychiatric setting. Her junior year, Laura worked as Behavioral Health Technician at Lakeland Behavioral Health, an acute in-patient psychiatric hospital in Springfield, Missouri. Laura has recently accepted an internship position at Cornerstones of Care in Kansas City, Missouri, under the supervision of CharCarol Fisher, MT-BC and is set to start in June 2021.
Laura's presentation is entitled "How to Write a Music Therapy Program Proposal". As professionals, music therapists may advocate for the profession through the creation and implementation of new music therapy programs. To acquire funding, music therapists may be required to write a program proposal, which is no simple task. A music therapy program proposal must explain to non-music therapists what the music therapist hopes to accomplish at their facility, and why the donor should fund the program. This presentation will walk through how to write your own music therapy program proposal, by showcasing an example proposal written by Laura Blankenship, that imagines a music therapy program at Lakeland Behavioral Health System, an acute in-patient psychiatric hospital in Springfield, Missouri. Laura will be presenting from 1:30-2:00PM CST during Passages. |
Intervention Swap
Ariel Furgat is a board-certified music therapist from the suburbs of Chicago, IL. She attended Illinois State University in Normal, IL, where she found her passion for music through studying music therapy and being involved in the marching band. She is currently employed at Opportunities for Positive Growth in Lafayette, IN. She supports people of all ages with developmental disabilities, including: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, ADHD, and intellectual disabilities. Ariel also facilitates music therapy groups and 1:1’s for older adults.
Ariel defines her work as person-centered with an integrative approach. She believes that every person deserves an individualized plan for success and overall wellness in life. Ariel strives to create a positive and safe environment for music therapy by developing a strong therapeutic relationship between therapist and person supported. For self-care, Ariel prefers to learn her favorite songs on the guitar and piano. She also enjoys watching cartoons, crocheting, and crafting. Ariel can often be found snuggling her cat, Mocha. |
Chelsea Mabes is a board-certified music therapist from Sidney, Ohio. Chelsea completed her Bachelor of Music at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio and her Master of Arts in Music Therapy at St. Mary of the Woods College in Terre Haute, Indiana. Chelsea has been a member of AMTA and GLR since 2010 and is currently on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of GLR.
Chelsea is employed as a music therapist at Opportunities for Positive Growth, Inc. in Lafayette, Indiana. She supports children, adolescents, and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, mental health disorders, and trauma. Currently, Chelsea maintains a hybrid schedule of in-person and telehealth sessions. Her sessions are 1:1 in an office setting as well as 6 groups from the local school system. She is an advocate for trauma-informed care in the music therapy profession, which was her master's thesis topic. Chelsea is also passionate about education and she has supervised numerous practicum students and interns as a professional. Chelsea defines her work as person-centered with an eclectic approach that is trauma informed. Chelsea believes in a reciprocal relationship between the person-supported, the therapist, and the music as a meaningful and collaborative experience. Safety, respect, dignity, and support are essential elements to Chelsea’s clinical work. For self-care, she recites positive affirmations, practices positive self-talk, and exercises. Chelsea enjoys baking, golfing, Harry Potter, and her cat, Artemis. |
Ariel and Chelsea will be presenting from 3-4pm CST during Passages.
Internship Panel (Images will be uploaded soon!)
Claire Loritz is from Green Bay, Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities in the spring of 2020. During university, she was president and treasurer of the Music Therapy Student Association, a brother of co-ed band fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi, and participated in marching band as a flutist and uniform manager. She is currently completing her internship in Faribault at the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind.
|
Mayte Gomez-Cruz is a current music therapy intern at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. Originally from Des Moines, she attended The University of Iowa and is set to graduate this upcoming May with University Honors and Honors in the Major. After graduation and becoming board-certified, Mayte hopes to continue working in the medical setting in Chicago which she loves more and more everyday.
|
Grace Jones is a music therapy intern originally from Panama and finishing school in Missouri. She loves her guitar, cat, and a good tv show, ideally all together. She's excited to share her internship experiences and have wonderful music therapy discussions!
|
Erica Mohler is a student music therapist completing her internship at Cunningham Children’s Home in Urbana, Illinois. She has a BA in Voice from Kent State University. She says: Don’t ever underestimate the power of music!
|
Austin Thorne is completing his internship at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City under Kim Robertson and finishing his bachelors at UMKC under Amy Robertson (not related!). He states that the experience he's gained in pediatrics has had a profound impact on his development as a music therapist and person. And it’s these experiences, the successes and the growth as well as the mistakes and misconceptions, that he's looking forward to sharing with everyone.
|
Cescily, originally from North Liberty, Iowa, is in her senior year perusing a degree in music therapy with a minor in psychology at the University of Iowa. Cescily is in the process of creating a music therapy student organization at Iowa, in addition to teaching private music lessons and volunteering at a therapeutic horse back riding facility. Cescily found her passion for music in 4th grade, when she started playing the double bass. From there, her interest for music and it's ability to bring people together flourished. She was fascinated how music could move people to tears and bring joy. She wanted a career where she could use the power of music to change lives, but didn't that would that job would be. Then she found music therapy. Cescily first heard of music therapy from her mother, a nurse at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, who had worked with a music therapist in palliative care. She was curious about the field and wanted to learn more about what being a music therapist meant. As she learned more, she found that music therapy was her true passion and calling in life. A way for her to share music and help others, it doesn't get much better than that! In her free time, Cescily enjoys play with and training her new 11 week old German shepherd puppy, Berty.
|
Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Isabella Klotz completed her undergraduate coursework in music therapy at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. She is currently completing her internship at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio where she provides music therapy services to patients of varying ages, needs, and diagnoses on all inpatient units. Throughout her previous pediatric practicum experience and her internship, Isabella has developed a profound passion for medical music therapy. In addition to her internship, Isabella has past clinical experience in working with older adults with dementia, youth in school settings, adolescents with developmental disabilities, and hospice.
Isabella primarily practices from a music-centered, person-centered, humanistic approach. She works to understand her patients as a whole and is passionate about using music to help individuals achieve their fullest potential while providing them the space to freely express themselves. Isabella’s primary instrument is voice/vocal performance. She is also classically trained in piano and harp and possesses a variety of musical skills in guitar and ukulele. In addition to working towards her board certification, Isabella enjoys traveling, adventuring outdoors, and spending time with her family and friends. |