Here is the spring edition of your MAR-AMTA newsletter, Tuning into Rx Music. We apologize for the delay in getting it out to you as summer is soon upon us! In this edition, you will find final reports of outgoing executive officers as well as results of our recent election.

You will probably notice that this newsletter has a new look. It has been modified to be more user friendly for those reading on various devices. However, some features are no longer available, such as moving between reports within the newsletter and displaying images within text blocks. We will continue to improve the look and features in future editions!

As always, feel free to give newsletter feedback by emailing:

editor@maramta.org

assistanteditor@maramta.org

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Reports

President

President-Elect

Immediate Past President

Vice President for Membership

Government Relations Chair

Vice President for Conference Planning

MAR Assembly Chair

International Relations Committee

Student Affairs

Historical Preservation Committee

Thank you to everyone who responded to the MAR-AMTA Town Hall Survey and attended the Town Hall meeting on May 4, 2021. During the town hall meeting, many viewpoints on the recent changes to the nominations process and the election process were discussed. The meeting was recorded and we are working on making it available for viewing. We look forward to continuing to hold these types of meetings to discuss important issues facing our community.

Many expressed an interest in organizing more informal meetings to connect with other music therapists. I have created a survey to gather information about specific interests, which will be used to create themes for upcoming meetings/events. Please click on the announcement below or fill out the survey by clicking here: https://forms.gle/DspHZyUahASPU6ZMA

Please contact me with any questions, feedback, suggestions or concerns: vpmembership@maramta.org

In service,

Clarissa

Updates from MD, NJ, & NY

MDSTF (Co-Chairs – Nikki Runge and Tatyana Martin)

• April 12, 2021: HB 233 Board of Audiologists, Hearing Aid Dispensers and Speech Language Pathologists- Music Therapists Act PASSED with amendments in both House and Senate chambers!
• HB 233 was signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan!
• Amendments included language that the American Speech Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and Maryland Speech Language-Hearing Association (MSHA) have agreed too. This language although it prohibits us from treating communication disorders, allows us to work with individuals with communication disorders and address communication skills, thus allowing us to add this to our treatment plans and co-treat. This agreement could have a positive impact for future legislation nationally regarding the SLP’s opposition towards music therapy licensure efforts.
• Note: Although HB 233 and SB 82 passed earlier this year, with the immense push back we received from the ASHA and MSHA, this resulted in amendments, which meant the bills had to be put back on the floor for a vote a second time to pass.  
• MAR Advocacy Award was received by our AMAZING bill sponsors Delegate Sheree Sample-Hughes and Senator Augustine!

NJSTF (Chair - Paula Unsal)  

• MAR provided time for state task forces to meet on April 8th, pre-MAR Conference. Paula Unsal presented information about the New Jersey music therapist license, what it is, how we move forward to issuing licenses and the requirements based upon our law. Judy Simpson, AMTA Director of Government Relations monitored the chat room and assisted in answering questions. This was recorded and has been made available to all New Jersey music therapists and music therapy students.
• NJSTF continues the work to move the appointment process forward for the new Board of Creative Arts and Activities Therapies. The process remains in the Senatorial Courtesy stage and the Judiciary Committee hearing cannot proceed without all sign-offs in place.
• NJSTF has confirmed that there is one remaining senator to complete the courtesy process. NJSTF, together with an ad hoc joint task force which includes art, drama, and dance/movement therapy task force representatives, had enlisted the help of other senators to approach the remaining senator with no success. The joint group held an extensive grassroots Call to Action the first week of May.  
• NJSTF has continued work on a series of short videos with the overarching theme of “What is Music Therapy”. These will have supplemental materials that viewers can access who desire more information. We expect that the videos will be marketed mainly on social media platforms; but individual music therapists may use them as needed to explain music therapy to the public. NJSTF is working with our state organization, NJAMT, to explore the feasibility of producing these videos professionally.

NYSTF (Chair – Donna Polen)

• INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOPS: NYSTF presented 2 workshops, sponsored by the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, concentrating on information for Limited Permit holders pursuing licensure as creative arts therapists as well as on requirements for LCATs, as well as an overview of the music therapy licensing bill. NYSTF hopes to schedule additional workshops through the NYS schools.
• NYS MEETING and HILL WEEK: NYSTF facilitated a state meeting on April 8. After presenting updates on Executive Orders related to LCAT education, training, and practice, the meeting focused on the MT licensing bill (S21, same as A5027: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/s21) and planning for advocacy events including an email campaign to garner additional Senate and Assembly co-sponsors and a virtual Hill Week held in May. The email campaign has already resulted in an additional co-sponsor in the Senate.
• For more information or for any questions related to the LCAT or other practice concerns in NY, contact us at: nystate.task.force@gmail.com 

2021 Online Conference Highlights

• Over 40 concurrent sessions and 7 CMTEs, both of which are available to view online until 30 days after they took place.  
• Concurrent sessions are available to view until May 11th. 
• Keynote Presentation: Socially Distanced but Spiritually Connected Through the Music - Peter Martin
• State task force meetings - (open to both conference attendees and non-attendees)
• Presentation from the 21st Century Commission of Music Therapists
• Plenary Session: Town Hall with AMTA President Deborah Benkovitz-Williams and New Chief Executive Officer Adonia Calhoun Coates
• Awards Ceremony
• Virtual Internship Fair
• Affinity Group Gatherings  (Both conference attendees and non-attendees who identify as a member of one or more of the affinity groups could attend the closed sessions)
• Virtual ZUMBA Class
• Virtual Music Room

2 Clinical Networking events. 1) Clinical Music Networking Event 2) Special Networking Event on Accountability for Active Allyship (open to both conference attendees and non-attendees)

The conference committee would like to express our gratitude to the Disabled Music Therapy Collective for their work on compiling reports on conference accessibility.  

Image above: Picture of the Harrisburg State Capitol building in the evening.  Text announcing conference will be in Harrisburg, PA April 7-9th 2022.

Local hosts for the 2022 Harrisburg PA conference: 

Gene Ann Behrens, PhD, MT-BC

Emily Frantz, MMT, BC

Call for papers will go out at the end of July, so keep an eye out for that!

It has been an honor to serve the region in this capacity for the last four years. Please welcome Timothy Doak, MS, LCAT, MT-BC as your new VPCP! It has been a pleasure to work with him these last two years, and he is going to do an amazing job.

Updates from recent Assembly Meetings

Three main initiatives (Harassment, Sexual Harassment, and Assault; Accessibility; and University-Affiliated Internship Guidelines) were addressed at Assembly meetings at the 2020 AMTA Online Conference and at follow-up meetings on 11/30/2020 and 2/22/2021. Highlights of this work were also presented at the Assembly concurrent session at the recent MAR conference. 

Three members of the 2021 Integrative Policies and Procedures Assembly (IPPA) Work Group (Co-Chair Clarissa Lacson, Kristen O’Grady, and Jillian Vicinanza) presented an update on the status of this group’s work; MAR Academic Program Approval Committee (APAC) representative Suzy Sorel presented an overview of the UA Internship Guidelines; and Assembly Speaker Angie Snell spoke about accessibility initiatives, sharing the motion approved by the Assembly at the 2/22/2021 meeting:

I move that the Assembly recognize the importance of listening to the voices of disabled music therapists and allow the Speaker of the Assembly in collaboration with representatives from the DMTC to continue their efforts to form a work group of at least 7 people. Once the work group is appointed, its charge is to formulate criteria for membership on the task force specified in the motion passed by the Assembly at the November 21, 2020 Assembly meeting. This group will include active consultation with the DMTC and other principal stakeholders; be open to members outside of the Assembly with experience and knowledge related to accessibility and systemic ableism; may include non-AMTA members with experience and knowledge related to accessibility and systemic ableism.

2021 MAR Online Conference

Members of the 2020-2021 Delegation, along with guest speakers, participated in the concurrent session “What’s Goin’ On? Your Delegates Offer Some Answers” at the 2021 MAR online conference.

2022-2023 Assembly-Elect

Our regional elections have closed. Results, including the 2022-2023 Assembly-Elect Delegates and Alternates, can be found earlier in this newsletter. This new Delegation will be seated at the conclusion of the 2021 AMTA annual conference. We will be updating the Assembly page on the MAR website. Remember, you can always contact any member of the Delegation with your questions, concerns, and ideas: https://mar-amta.org/about/committees/assembly-of-delegates/

Greetings!

Our work over the past year has included a questionnaire sent to international students and professionals last summer about challenges during the pandemic. This project was crafted and disseminated with support and assistance from AMTA. Within the questionnaire was a link to the Mutual Aid form for music therapists. There were 9 responses from MAR, with identified challenges including loss of contracts, difficulty finding a job, xenophobia and resulting stress, and difficulty concentrating. If respondents included an email address, they were contacted as a check-in. The information was shared with AMTA and an update survey is now in development.

March-April Meetings

Our committee had 2 recent meetings. Our quarterly meeting scheduled for March occurred soon after the shootings in Atlanta that targeted persons who identify as Asian American and Pacific Islander. During that meeting, we worked on a response statement. Co-chairs then collaborated on a revised statement with SER, SWR, and MAR. The statement was then sent to AMTA, which then requested input from the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. The statement was posted on the AMTA website and is still viewable at the time of this writing. A lesson learned from this process was to increase communication with DEI, and perhaps to clarify overlaps and boundaries of our 2 committees.

We then scheduled an April meeting to address the previous March agenda. We began to discuss possible events or town halls with invitations to the broader music therapy community. Members expressed interest in inviting representatives from music therapy associations in other countries. This is in the very early stages of discussion.

Our committee tasks include awareness and attention to needs of international students here in the US. We are hoping to gather information from other professional associations to explore options for increasing our support and resources.

Global Perspectives Session

The Global Perspectives Session at national conference is always on our agenda. The call for proposals will be posted on the conference website and I will make the information available to the MAR membership.

World Congress

Finally, the World Congress is scheduled from July 24-29, 2023 in Vancouver, in conjunction with the Canadian Association for Music Therapy. Please check the website, accessible through the World Federation website at wfmt.info, for updates.

Description of position

   The Student Affairs Advisor (SAA) holds an important role in supporting the MARAMTAS executive board (Mid Atlantic Region American Music Therapy Association Students), student chapter representatives, and study body at large. The SAA is responsible for providing guidance and advocacy, connecting the student e-board with the professional board, and assisting with student centered engagements throughout the two year term. Additionally, the SAA is responsible for executing the process for three student scholarships, annual Passages Conference, guiding the student e-board with regional conference duties, collaborating with the MARAMTS Treasurer and MARAMTA Treasure with the student budget, and advocating on behalf for them as needed.  

The SAA works closely with not only the student e-board, but also with the Professional Board, Music Therapy Department Professors and Directors, Internship Supervisors/Directors, and selected co-chairs. It is the duty of the SAA to attend all necessary meetings and conferences for MARAMTA and MARAMTS, be an AMTA member, report to the professional board and MAR Region of their happenings/accomplishments, and abide by all AMTA professional ethics and standards of practice.  

Personal Note from Molly:

The past two years serving as Student Affairs Advisor have been incredibly enriching and an experience I will always carry with me. I couldn’t have asked to serve two better student board’s these past two years! Likewise, a wonderful experience with the professional board! Thank you for trusting me with this important role and thus, giving me a multitude of learning experiences, laughs, pride, and excitement for our field’s future. Everything I gained from my first MAR-AMTA E-Board position will be put to excellent use as I move on in my professional journey. I am grateful to have served our region and hope to continue supporting it in coming years!  

2021-2022 MARATMTS E-Board!

Welcome and Congratulations to our new board! Their transition meeting(s) are successfully completed!

President: Lauren Armstrong, Nazareth College

President Elect: Dana Shafranek, Montclair University

Vice President: Ashley Stewart, Temple University

Secretary: Shannon O’Rawe, Nazareth College

Treasurer: Rocco Roguskie, Marywood University

Government Relations: Emily Vanicek, Marywood University

Parliamentarian: Lindsey Puc, Nazareth College

Public Relations: Kirthana Kannan, Temple University

Historian: Nina DeMilta, Nazareth College

Student Affairs Advisor: Meghan Smith, MT-BC

2021 Incoming Happenings

• Elizabethtown College will be hosting Passages, 2021 in the Fall. Meghan Smith and Gene Behrenshave been in conversation. The possibility of combining in person and virtual attendance is being discussed.
• Submissions of interest for Passages Co-Chairs (2) will be called for early June, 2021. One professional and one student to be selected. 
• MARAMTS Summer Business Meeting will likely be virtual, more to come.  

2020-2021 Accomplishments

• Support Student Fundraising Efforts! Please see the link below if you’re interested in wonderful music therapy themed gifts. All proceeds go to MARAMTS and their fundraising efforts!

https://www.bonfire.com/store/maramtsmerchandise/

• A significant “thank you!” to the MAR-ATMS E-Board for their incredibly impressive dedication, adaptability, and innovativeness!

• Passages 2020 Presenter, Thomas Licato from Temple University, was selected as the MAR-AMTA Regional Conference Student Presenter! Congratulations Thomas!

• The High School Advocacy Project took place April 17th 10:00-11:00am. With reaching out to four high schools in four different cities within each of our regions states, high school students from nearly thirty different high schools have been invited to participate in this interactive, music therapy advocacy event hosted by MAR-ATMS! 14 students have registered! Thank you to our wonderful MAR-AMTS E-Board for organizing, planning, and leading this event!

• 2021 Student Leadership Academy/MARntor Program took place April 11th. Resounding thank you to Audrey Hausig, MMT, MT-BC and Jennifer Phillips, MT-BC, NMT for giving their time and expertise to our region’s students on the ins and outs of teletherapy!

• Thank you to the MAR-AMTS E-Board, Chapter Representatives, Music Therapy Clubs, and everyone else involved in making this year a success! Wonderful job with your fundraising efforts, regarding MAR-AMTS Gives Back and The Brooklyn Music School. Wonderful work rocking Swap Shop as well!

• MAR-AMTA and MAR-AMTS are dedicated to making and sustaining the evolutions needed to ensure the safety, security, representation, and active participation of our racial minority students and colleagues. This is with the understanding that evolution is never final; that it is fluid and always valid. Each and every single person is incredibly necessary to our profession, its organization(s), and to their futures. A resounding thank you to everyone’s leadership and dedication to humanitarianism, openness to continued learning/growing through education, self-reflection, and engaging in uncomfortable conversations, and genuine care for all. 

2021 Scholarships:

First and foremost, a resounding Thank You and Bravo to everyone who applied for this year’s scholarships. Seven MT-BC’s from around the region volunteered as adjudicators for the awards and were blown away by the professionalism, passion, insightfulness, and drive each applicant demonstrated. It is our hope that every applicant feels proud of the outstanding work 

they have accomplished during the 2020-2021 term!

Jenny Shinn Memorial Scholarship Award:

Kayla Braamse, Blue Ridge Hospice, Virginia

Sophomore, Junior, Graduate Scholarship: 

Rachael Phillips, Nazareth College and Chirstina Mihalik, Nazareth College

Chapter Representative Awards:

Gabrielle Espinal-Santiago, Molloy College and Dana Shafranek, Montclair State University

Music Therapy Club Award:  

Duquesne University 

MAR-AMTA Scholarship for Racial Minority Students:

Maia Morales, Rowan University

The Historical Preservation Committee is charged with, as the name implies, preserving our history. By definition, history is a story of what has happened in the past. I wonder...How will the significant actions and events of this past year, now historical, be perceived by music therapists of the future? 

Due to COVID-19, the MAR region hosted virtual regional conferences and trainings. We needed to vote on constitution and bylaws changes electronically because of the inability to meet in person. We also ran elections that were purposefully anonymous in order to try to control implicit bias. 

The MAR-AMTA Executive Board has been reflecting on how these recent changes affect members. We have reached out to music therapists in our region through virtual interactions and meetings for feedback. Similarly we, as practicing music therapists, have needed to change service delivery to clients within our workspaces this past year. We've been outside our comfort zone.

Truly, change begets change. Our ecosystem of MAR music therapists has been impacted this past year, and change has at times been painful with feelings of angst and polarization. These actions and events, and their outcomes, should all be preserved in memory, which is again the charge given to the Historical Preservation Committee. If you would like to join our committee please email me at historian@maramta.org.

I sometimes think of other past events that changed music therapy in our region. If I took a trip to the MAR archives at Duquesne University or to our digital archives, I'd look at how our organization has grown and moved forward during change. 

One time of change was/is the civil rights movement to end institutionalized racial discrimination. Our Executive Board has been actively trying to understand our own implicit bias. I wonder what roles the EBs and MTs of 60-70 years ago (the National Association for Music Therapy was founded in 1950) played in furthering civil rights within their communities and our organization. Music itself certainly played a vital role in lifting every voice in protest then and now.

In 1971, the Urban Federation for Music Therapists was formed by a group of music therapists in the New York city area. I wonder how polarizing that change was for membership as MTs from both organizations worked side by side. By the way, do you know who became president of UFMT in 1972? Email the committee at historian@maramta.org if you do. He is pictured below a few years later at Temple University in 1986. 

In 1974 the UFMT changed their organization's name to the American Association for Music Therapy to reflect a broadened scope beyond the New York area--another change. And two decades later, after considerable planning, AAMT and NAMT united to form our present AMTA in 1998. If you would like to view reflections on the process of this changing event, watch our historian archives video interview using the following link. https://youtu.be/kJbIU1219gU

Lastly, Donna Polen recently shared some historical research conducted by Barbara Wheeler and Sandra Golden in 1987, reminding the executive board about other historical examples of change in the MAR. Here is a link to their article, located in our virtual archives.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DSskmcuXb8_qw9Yxzx3p3bzbZnp3YpYP/view?usp=sharing

I truly hope that, as we return to some normalcy in our family lives and our life's work following this pandemic, we can also continue to move our organization in a positive direction as one community. In this way, we can give support to all music therapists who make meaningful history in the moment every day.