MAR Response to AMTA Apology Statement 10.6.21

Anti-Oppressive Accountability Ad-Hoc Committee Report Link

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Reports

President

President-Elect

Immediate Past President

Vice President for Membership

Public Relations Chair

Government Relations Chair

Vice President for Conference Planning

MAR Assembly Chair

Treasurer

Parliamentarian

Student Affairs

MAR-AMTS Vice President

Continuing Education

Dear MAR-AMTA community,

We, the members of the MAR-AMTA Executive Board, acknowledge and apologize for the harm that we have caused and continue to cause by prioritizing the comfort of white, cis, abled, and allistic music therapists over historically marginalized music therapists, students, and stakeholders. We also recognize the harm that has been caused by the American Music Therapy Association and by music therapists during MAR meetings. 

We are grateful to everyone who has shared their reactions to the recent apology statement from the AMTA Board of Directors that was released on October 6, 2021. We recognize that the lack of action in relation to statements and the use of minimizing language has caused further harm. We have reached out to the AMTA Board of Directors to request a meeting where together we can explore the harm that has been enacted. We look forward to collaborating on tangible actions that will be put into place on the national and regional levels. 

Through the research of the Anti-Oppressive Accountability Ad-Hoc Committee and the gracious labor of those interviewed, we can explicitly name some forms of harm perpetuated by the MAR, and are actively working to dismantle the systems ingrained into the structures and practices of the MAR that have led to silenced voices and unsafe working and volunteer experiences. We appreciate what has been shared directly by community members and the courage it has taken for them to share with us. This report and recommended action steps will be shared in our newsletter and can be found on our website here: https://mar-amta.org/anti-oppressive-report/. A summary and audio files of this report are forthcoming. We will organize a meeting within the next few months specifically for the community to come together to discuss this report.  

Additionally, the second iteration of the ad-hoc committee has been formed and charged with the following: Utilize findings of the recent comprehensive report to: 1) research anti-oppressive practice/structures; and 2) explore and gather resources as recommended by the previous Anti-Oppressive Accountability Ad-Hoc Committee. Recommendations and resources for continued anti-oppressive work will be presented to the region and board.

We recognize the importance of being accountable and responsible for the implementation of change within MAR and look forward to hearing from the community throughout this process. You can find our emails in the signature below or through the following link: Executive Board : Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Music Therapy

In service,

The Mar-AMTA Executive Board

Cheyenna Eagle, Public Relations Chair [email protected]

Clarissa Lacson, Vice President for Membership [email protected]

Tatyana Martin, Government Relations-Elect [email protected]

Ian Vereen, Vice President-Elect for Conference Planning [email protected]

Nina Alden, Treasurer Elect [email protected]

Beth Deyermond, Immediate Past President [email protected]

Audrey Hausig, President-Elect [email protected]

Amanda Montera, Treasurer [email protected]

Donna Polen, Assembly Chair [email protected]

Meghan Smith, Student Affairs Advisor [email protected]

Stephenie Sofield, Government Relations Chair [email protected]

Janet Spink, Archivist [email protected] 

Melissa Srolovitz, Assistant Editor [email protected] 

Liz Stevenson, Parliamentarian [email protected] 

Lauren Stoner, Secretary [email protected] 

Mark Ahola, Editor and Historian [email protected] / [email protected] 

Timothy Doak, Vice President for Conference Planning [email protected]

Bob Miller, President [email protected] 

Happening now at Molloy College!

OPEN HOUSE Sunday November 7th 

DID YOU KNOW?

Molly College Music Therapy Program has introduced our AMTA approved low-residency hybrid model to allow for distance learning. LEARN MORE!

Upcoming CE (CMTE/LCAT) Live Online Thursday November 18th:

• Embracing the Musical-Clinical Pivot

Suzanne Sorel, DA, LCAT, MT-BC

Grants and Scholarships:

• NEA Research Grants in the Arts award funding The Rebecca Center for Music Therapy's research study, Improving Neurological Functioning in Autistic Children through Music.
• Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Mobile Care Clinic awarded scholarship and funding for multidisciplinary work, offering free services to Long Island’s low-resourced communities. We are thrilled to have several of our music therapy students involved in this wonderful program.

Recent Faculty & Alumni Publications:

• View of Time in Between | Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy 

Lora Heller, MS, LCAT, MT-BC

• The impact of imitation on engagement in minimally verbal children with autism during improvisational music therapy: Nordic Journal of Music Therapy: Vol 0, No 0 (tandfonline.com) Including John Carpente, Michael Kelliher, Jill Mulholland, Anne Crean
• Look out for Together with the Beat: Songs for Me, and You, and Us by Elizabeth K. Schwartz, MA, LCAT, MT-BC including 49 newly composed or adapted songs that are in addition to the 101 songs from You and Me Makes We: A Growing Together Songbook. Both songbooks are designed to musically support and compliment the practice framework and Musical Developmental Levels from Music, Therapy, and Early Childhood: A Developmental Approach.

Reach out to us at [email protected]

You are invited to a Zoom MAR General Business Meeting. 

When: Oct 24, 2021 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) 

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqdeuoqjMiHtEr15heniqETna0A6xr-xi5 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

In response to the Membership Survey about Connection Opportunities, I have organized a series of panel discussions on topics of interest to music therapists in the MAR-AMTA region. The first discussion will take place on October 28th from 11:30 - 1:00 PM, via Zoom. This will be a clinician-led panel discussion on music therapy with older adults. While we recognize the need to move away from population-centric language, we also acknowledge older adults as a potentially oppressed group. This panel brings many years of clinical wisdom on best ways to acknowledge and support the wholeness of older adults in how we approach our clinical practice as music therapists.

For the meeting information, please fill out the following form. This form will give you an opportunity to ask questions of the panelists in advance of the discussion: https://forms.gle/R4aSHu5gxBigBCWu8

We have topics for the next three discussion sessions: 1) Telehealth and best practices; 2) Anti-oppressive practice; and 3) A conversation between different generations of music therapists. Please be on the lookout for email and social media announcements regarding the timing of these sessions.

Thank you to all who participated in the September Town Hall meeting. Many important points were raised regarding the evaluation of the anonymous nomination process, as well as the decline in rates of membership in the MAR-AMTA. I am working on making the video of the Town Hall meeting available to view online, so please be on the lookout for email and social media posts about that. In our next Town Hall meeting, we would like to ask music therapists for feedback and suggestions for how to re-envision our regional conferences. If you have other topics that you would like to hear discussed, please email me at [email protected].

Many music therapists indicated an interest in learning more about state-specific licensure and music therapy recognition updates. I encourage you to read the Government Relations Chair report in this newsletter, and to get in touch with your state task force to discuss further questions. If you need contact information for your state task force, please email the Government Relations Chair (Stephenie Sofield) at [email protected], or the Government Relations Elect Chair (Tatyana Martin) at [email protected].

Public Relations Chair Report

Cheyenna Eagle, MT-BC

Hello, everyone!

MAR is a busy region with lots of amazing things happening all the time, and luckily, we have lots of ways for you to always stay informed! If you haven’t already, I invite you to join our Facebook Group or like our page and follow us on Twitter (@MARAMTA) and Instagram (@MARMusicTherapy). We will be posting on all social media frequently with any updates or upcoming events. We also plan on keeping our website (www.mar-amta.org) updated frequently, so you will always know what is going on in the community. There is so much on our website to explore and learn about our region. My goal is to increase the MAR online presence so that our membership can feel more informed and up to date on everything happening.

Feel free to reach out to me via email if you ever have any suggestions, questions, comments, or concerns about our social media or website! I can always be reached at [email protected]. 

Thank you!

DESTF (Co-Chairs - Keva Melvin, Gina Greeson) 

• No current activities.
• Stephenie and Tatyana will work with National to reconvene with DESTF about next steps for the upcoming legislative cycle

WVSTF (Chair- In transition) 

• Patty Allison stepped down as WVSTF chair due to personal reasons. The MAR team wishes Patty and her family luck in their new endeavors! 
• If you are interested in serving as chair of the WVSTF, please contact Stephenie Sofield at [email protected]

MDSTF (Co-Chairs - Niki Runge, Tatyana Martin) 

• Maryland SB 82 was enacted into law on June 2, 2021. This bill creates a music therapy license, which will be overseen by the newly expanded Board of Audiologists, Hearing-Aid Dispensers, Speech-Language Pathologists, and Music Therapists. 
• All six applications for the board seats have been completed. The Board of Audiologists, Hearing-Aid Dispensers, Speech-Language Pathologists, and Music Therapists and the governor needs to vote on and sign off on the two music therapist board seats later in October.
• The draft of regulations for the license is being reviewed and revised by the MDSTF and national government relations team. Regulations will be voted on October 21, 2021 by the board. 
• MDSTF is looking to add one student and one professional member. If you are interested please contact Tatyana Martin and Niki Runge at this email [email protected].

NJSTF (Chair - Paula Unsal) 

• The first meeting of the State Board of Creative Arts and Activities Therapies was held on August 17, 2021. 
• Four remaining nominees for the board await a judiciary hearing and a full senate vote, which is expected to be completed after November. Regulation writing for the music therapy license will begin in sub-committee work.
• NJSTF is actively working on getting music therapy added to the most recent Medicaid Pilot program for reimbursement of services.
• On Sept 21st, Carol Ann Blank was voted in as the Chair of the State Board of Creative Arts and Activities Therapies, and Brooke Campbell, was voted in as the Vice Chair.

NYSTF (Chair - Donna Polen) 

• NYSTF is planning to discuss dates for an in-person Lobby Day for the spring of 2022. In the meantime, NYSTF will reconvene to begin planning strategies for the upcoming legislative session.
• NYSTF continues to closely monitor executive orders and other state new to discern relevance to state recognition and licensure efforts

PASTF (Co-Chairs - Michelle Muth and Nicole Hahna) 

• PASTF hosted a webinar on Aug 24, 2021, to share information with PA music therapists about their collaborative initiative with the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP). This initiative includes a $500,000 Resiliency Through the Arts grant that was awarded to PASTF & HAP to provide music therapy services to healthcare workers throughout PA to combat COVID-related stress. Music therapists who are interested in applying for this opportunity are encouraged to email Michelle Muth at: [email protected]
• PASTF is currency planning their Hill Day and Student Service Project, which will coincide with MAR Regional Conference in 2022

VASTF (Co-Chairs - Tracy Bowdish and Shelby Shrader) 

• VASTF is meeting regularly with the MAR and national GR teams for guidance with decisions regarding regulation writing and reimbursement. 
• The members of Advisory Board of Music Therapy have been posted to the Virginia board of social work page: https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/social/social_board.htm. 
• The VASTF is in correspondence with the regional and national teams to review drafted recommendations for regulation.

(Image description: rectangular starry sky with text MAR-AMTA Conference April 7-9, 2022 Harrisburg PA; Extended Call for Papers October 29, 2021 by 11:59pm; Preconference Institute, CMTE’s, Concurrent; We’re Back in Person!)

Hello MAR-AMTA! 

I am so excited to be your Vice-President for Conference Planning! We have already begun the planning process for our in person conference in Harrisburg, PA. I’m sure you can share in my excitement to gather once again and be amongst our growing music therapy community. The local committee is beginning to form and establish their agendas to ensure this conference is an exciting, educational, and stimulating experience! 

The conference will be held IN PERSON April 7-9th, 2022 in Harrisburg, PA at the Hilton Harrisburg. We are aware the COVID-19 pandemic is ever changing and the planning committee is dedicated to the safety and well-being of all of you, your loved ones, and the individuals who receive your services. We will continue to follow CDC guidelines and recommendations. 

I’d like to introduce the local committee! Thank you all so much for your dedication and continued hard work to make our conference superb! 

LOCAL HOSTS

Gene Ann Behrens

Meng-Shan Lee

ENTERTAINMENT 

Lauren Rowe

Ashley Howson 

REGISTRATION 

Marissa Aulenbach

Terence Xu 

EXHIBITS COORDINATORS

Melissa Ward

Bethany Wentling 

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Emily Boyce

PUBLICITY 

Stephanie Strauss

Andrea Giraldo 

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR 

Beth Ghiorzi 

INSTRUMENT COORDINATORS

Cassy Schoffstalls 

Melanie Walborn

The “Call for Papers” is also OPEN for the 2022 MAR-AMTA Conference! We will only be accepting online submissions. Please refer to the E-Blast which went out on July 15, 2021 at 6pm for more information or utilize this link (2022 Call for Papers Announcement) or this direct link (https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:b3a63c1f-3a80-4502-9d56-f4154ef3e541).

Some highlights from the 2022 Call for Papers Announcement:

• The MAR-AMTA seeks to acknowledge and repair the oppressive structures placed upon our historically marginalized music therapy colleagues and students. With this in mind, we are providing compensation in the form of free conference registration for historically marginalized music therapy members who are accepted to present their proposal. We recognize the emotional labor required in both constructing and presenting these sessions. To receive this free conference registration: 
• Individuals must be from a historically marginalized community (e.g. Asian, Black, Disabled, Indigenous, Latinx, LGBTQIA2+, North African, South-West Asian).
• MAR-AMTA recognizes Affinity Groups as those who represent historically marginalized and oppressed community members.
• Individuals must submit their presentation within the “Call for Papers” call period.
• Presentations must undergo the anonymous review process and receive a passing score. 
• In the “Call for Papers,” individuals must select “yes” in the corresponding section for this compensation.
• The Vice-President for Conference Planning will have sole access to this identifying information and will not question or police individuals identity.
• EXTENDED PROPOSAL DEADLINE:
• OCTOBER 29, 2021: Final submission deadline.
• (Both CMTE’s and Pre-Conference Institutes receive a stipend)

If you are interested in submitting a proposal, please follow THIS LINK to submit your proposal. We are looking forward to some excellent submissions!

Here is a direct link to the “Call for Papers” submission: https://forms.gle/mbhEro8u7pif9MPx8

There are lots of exciting things in the works, so we hope to see you April 7-9th, 2022 in Harrisburg, PA!!

If you have any questions please contact Timothy Doak at [email protected] 

In Service,

Timothy Doak, MS, LCAT, MT-BC

Vice-President for Conference Planning

Ian Vereen, MT-BC, NMT

Vice-President Elect for Conference Planning

Updates from recent Assembly of Delegates Meeting

The Assembly met on August 25, 2021. The main items of business addressed included: 

• Integrative Policies and Procedures Assembly (IPPA) Work Group: The final report and recommendations were submitted to the AMTA Board of Directors (BOD) at their mid-year meeting. Many of the recommendations will be implemented to ensure safety at the upcoming AMTA annual conference. 

• Update from the Ethics Board: A new AMTA legal team is reviewing our current Code of Ethics and Procedures. Proposed revisions to the Code of Ethics were sent to the DEI Committee on behalf of the BOD for review.

• Assembly Bylaws Task Force (ABTF): The ABTF presented comprehensive proposed AMTA Bylaws revisions, including an addendum of terms and definitions. A Google doc was created to solicit feedback from the Assembly before sending the recommendations and feedback to the BOD for consideration as part of strategic planning.

• Accessibility Work Group: The accessibility motion asks that a work group form to develop a process for creating a task force. The task force is the group that will work on a long-term approach to evaluating policies and procedures. The motion from February had been updated at the request of the Disabled Music Therapy Collective (DMTC). The deadlines have been removed in favor of updates at each Assembly meeting. The requested actions are still in progress. Anyone who is interested in having input or sharing the work on this topic should reach out to Assembly Speaker Angie Snell at: [email protected] 

AMTA Conference Assembly of Delegates Meetings

The Assembly of Delegates meetings for the 2021 AMTA conference are as follows:

2020-2021 Assembly of Delegates

Tuesday, September 21 from 8:00-10:00pm ET - MEETING HELD

Tuesday, October 12 from 8:00-10:00pm ET - MEETING HELD

Wednesday, October 20 from 8:00-10:00pm ET

***ANNUAL AMTA GENERAL BUSINESS MEETING***

Friday, October 15 from 6:00-7:30pm (Assembly needs to attend to meet quorum)  - HELD

2022-2023 Assembly Elect

Wednesday, November 10 from 8:00-9:30pm ET

If you would like to attend the remaining Assembly meetings as an observer, register through an email that members will receive from AMTA.

Speaker Snell opened the 9/21 Assembly meeting with a reminder to all that our Association is in a time of change. 

• AMTA Vice-President Wendy Woolsey gave a brief conference update. AMTA hired an accessibility consultant through ADA Online and spoke about the conference platform and accessibility, including that an invitation was extended to the entire MT community for volunteers to check the platform in advance. Conference registrants will have 6 months access post-conference to the recorded sessions. Several sessions and highlights will be available in November to ALL, not just those registered for the conference. Gratitude expressed to the IPPA for their report and recommendations regarding safety guidance for this conference.  
• Council Coordinators provided brief updates on the work of the national standing committees.
• Speaker Snell invited MAR Delegate Ming Yuan Low to share information regarding possible work group models. Ming Yuan spoke about ideas to make serving and contributing more collaborative, especially in relation to marginalized communities. He spoke about Participatory Action Research, emphasizing that for every action, there’s a reflection step. Ming Yuan will work with Speaker Snell to create a Google doc for the Assembly to contribute their thoughts on this in advance of the next meeting on 10/12.
• The Assembly Bylaws Task Force (ABTF) reported that they forwarded their AMTA Bylaws revisions recommendations, along with feedback from Assembly members, to the BOD for their consideration as part of upcoming strategic planning and governance review.

2022-2023 MAR Assembly-Elect

The MAR Assembly-Elect Delegation will have an orientation meeting in October, followed by their first national Assembly meeting on November 10. At the November meeting, they will elect Representatives to the AMTA BOD, including their new Speaker and Assistant Speaker. Following the November meeting, the MAR Delegation will vote to elect their new Assembly Chair. You can find information on the MAR Assembly here: https://mar-amta.org/about/committees/assembly-of-delegates/ 

Greetings MAR music therapists, and happy fall. It’s been a fairly quiet summer for us, but as we head into the new season we’ll start preparing for the fiscal year ahead. As we approach the Fall Business Meeting, we will start collecting info from the board and put together a budget for the fiscal year 2022. We’re planning on an in-person conference for 2022 and will most definitely be incurring more expenses in the coming months as a result. Online conferences for the past two years have allowed the financial health of the region to rebound, but we are still working on being as fiscally conservative and efficient as possible to protect the longevity of the region, as well as increase the resources we are able to provide to you, the members. We look forward to this task. If there are ever questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or Nina!

Hello to the region!

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the newly appointed Parliamentarian for the Mid-Atlantic Region of AMTA. I’m excited and honored by this appointment, and am looking forward to working alongside the Executive Board in service to the music therapists in this region. I’m ready to put my ability to recall minutia to work by advising on and answering questions about parliamentary procedure – so if you have any questions, you may always reach out to me at [email protected].

The students in the MAR have been busy lately! We met for our Fall Business Meeting and Passages conference in September.

Scholarships

• All scholarships will be going live in the next few weeks. Be on the lookout for application Google Forms, which will be sent out via email and on social media.

Passages: Our “Re-Center, Re-Define, Remember” conference was a huge success! 

• Thank you to our co-chairs, Fiona Riso, MT-BC and Victoria King, Graduate Student at MSU for their service to the region through planning this conference. 
• Thank you to Dr. Behrens and her student volunteers at Elizabethtown for their “behind the scenes” work on Passages.
• Thank you to Peggy Tileston, from Temple University, for being our Keynote speaker this year. 
• Thank you to our six student and new professional presenters!! 
• And lastly, thank you to the MAR-AMTS Executive Board for hosting our closing event, Music Bingo!

[Image Description: a "reduce, reuse, recycle" logo of three green curved arrows forming a triangle, inside a green circle with music notes and the words "Re-define", "re-Center", "remember".]

Please feel free to reach out with any inquiries, comments, or concerns!

In service,

Meghan Smith, MT-BC (she/her/hers)

The MAR-AMTS executive board hosted our Fall Business Meeting on September 24th! The Chapter Representatives in attendance discussed fundraising opportunities, MAR-AMTS Gives Back, Bylaw changes, the 2021-2022 budget, and possible virtual bonding opportunities for students.

Fundraising 

● Bonfire: MAR-AMTS is continuing to use Bonfire for music therapy merchandise! You can see our page here: https://www.bonfire.com/store/maramtsmerchandise/

● Digital Dozens! This year, MAR-AMTS is starting a Krispy Kreme fundraiser! Anyone interested can purchase a dozen (or more) doughnuts through MAR-AMTS. You will receive a code that you can then redeem at any Krispy Kreme location* to pick up your doughnuts. The link for purchasing your digital dozens will be shared via email and on social media. 

*This code is valid for use at any Krispy Kreme location in the US, except within the state of Connecticut. 

How to Reach Us 

● Website: MAR-AMTS recently updated their website with the new E-Board Members for the 2021-2022 year. Check us out and keep in touch! Clink the link to visit our page: https://maramts.weebly.com 

● Social Media: Keep up to date with MAR-AMTS events and news through their social media pages 

○ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mar_amts/?hl=en 

○ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/46890735121/

Hello everyone – I am the newly appointed chair for the MAR Continuing Education position. I would like to thank Clare for all of her great work in the past and for helping me transition into this role, and I look forward to working with many of you as well. One way that I can do that is by reading and helping to get scheduled CMTE’s that you would like to present. We currently are accepting presentations for the upcoming 2022 conference. Final deadline for submission has been extended to October 29, so you still have a few days to get proposals in. More information is available on the MAR website under the heading “continuing ed” and “conference,” but if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at continuingeducation.maramta.org.

Thank you for reading the Fall edition of your MAR-AMTA newsletter, Tuning In to Rx Music. As always, feel free to give newsletter feedback by emailing:

[email protected]

[email protected]