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Winter
2021
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Greetings from your editors
Mark Ahola, MM, LCAT, MT-BC
Melissa Srolovitz, MM, MT-BC
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Here is the winter edition of your MAR-AMTA newsletter, Tuning In to Rx Music. It is packed with announcements and reports, as well as links to files that contain more information. You will also find Zoom links for an upcoming Executive Board meeting on 1/26 and a General Membership meeting on 31 January.
Be sure to review numerous scholarships and award opportunities that are available to MAR-AMTA members. Some of these were shared in previous email blasts, and are now combined into one area under our "Announcement" section.
In
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order to use the table of contents, you may need to click the link at the top of your email that reads "Having trouble viewing this email?" You also may need to click "View entire message" at the bottom of your email due to its size. The newsletter will be posted on the news page of the MAR website.
Again, please check out the recent work of your Executive Board, enjoy your winter read and...thanks for Tuning In to Rx Music!
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Sponsor of Tuning In to Rx Music
Click ad for links/attachments
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President's Report
Beth Deyermond, MA, MT-BC
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Dear members of the MAR-AMTA,
The start of 2021 has arrived and with it, hopes of new beginnings. The past year was filled with so many challenges, each one compounding on the last. We have lived and continue to live through tumultuous times that are filled with anxiety, uncertainty, and pain. We have seen the best in people, and also the worst in people. But, through it all, the human race persevered. We did not sit back and acquiesce, but continually adapted, evolved, and truly challenged ourselves to broaden our own ideas of who we are and what we can do.
As a Region, the MAR-AMTA has done a lot of work over the past year and the Executive Board is looking forward to continuing with the initiatives put into place and determining the next steps to move forward and support our members and ultimately, the individuals we serve. Some highlights from the past year include:
- Hosting weekly member check-in meetings for the first two month at the start of the COVID pandemic to help provide comfort and support to those looking to connect.
- Providing support and encouragement to various state task forces as they work tirelessly toward accomplishing recognition and licensure.
- Organizing and operationalizing financial records so that the Region will continue to function in a way that is fiscally sound while still providing as much support to our members as possible.
- Transitioning from an in-person to an online platform for our annual conference that was very well attended by not only music therapists from the MAR, but from around the country and around the world!
- Developing a plan to improve cultural humility for members of the Executive Board and for the Region as a whole, leading to the formation of the Anti-Oppression Accountability Ad-hoc Committee and the Core Values Statement Ad-hoc Committee.
Looking at the coming year, we have pulled our sleeves up and are ready to work. There is always much to be done to not only maintain the day to day operations of the Region and its responsibilities, but also to move forward in ways that will inspire our members and strengthen our Association. Even though the year is young, there are already ideas and events we can look forward to. Some of these include:
- Our 2021 Online Conference (April 9th - 11th) currently being planned by our Vice President for Conference Planning, Lauren Faggiano, and Vice President for Conference Planning-Elect, Timothy Doak, will feature concurrent sessions, special guest speakers, and CMTE courses that will motivate and inspire students, newly certified therapists, and seasoned professionals alike.
- The Anti-Oppression Accountability Ad-hoc Committee will be presenting their initial report and recommendations to the MAR-AMTA Executive Board in April of 2021.
- The MAR-AMTA Constitution and Bylaws Committee will be presenting their recommended revisions during the Spring General Membership Meeting that will be scheduled in April 2021.
- In an effort to support professional and student members, a number of scholarship opportunities are up and running. We hope you will take advantage and apply!
- Led by Public Relations Chair, Diana Kelliher, the Regional website (www.mar-amta.org) will be updated and re-vamped to hopefully improve accessibility of information and ease while using.
In addition to the Regional happenings, don't forget that AMTA also provides access to information and resources including:
In closing, Nelson Mandela said: "Our human compassion binds us the one to the other - not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future." We have had a difficult year and the road is still very bumpy. Our path forward is not easy. However, I have been so humbled and inspired by the resilience, perseverance and strength that I have witnessed over and over again.
We are humans... We are therapists... We have empathy and compassion... We have the capacity for growth... We have each other... We have MUSIC... And therefore... WE HAVE HOPE.
In service,
Beth Deyermond, MA, MT-BC
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President-Elect's Report
Robert Miller, MS, MT-BC
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Warmest wishes for the new year! It's hard to believe it's 2021 already, which means that we are just months away from the next round of elections and transition to a new executive board. I want to thank our President Beth Deyermond for all of her guidance and leadership in her position to help me prepare for stepping into her shoes this summer - big shoes to fill, and ones I will be honored to wear.
Our regional conference will be coming up this April. With that in mind, work continues in the Constitution and Bylaws committee to review those documents and propose changes. We are looking for another voice or two on this committee - if you have any interest in being part of this process, please feel free to reach out to me directly!
In the last newsletter I spoke of the Core Values Ad hoc committee which was created to create a core values statement for the MAR region. As we began our work and learning about what goes into a core values statement, it became clear that it is intertwined with a mission statement (which we have on our website for all to read) and a vision statement, which we do not currently have. As such, we are requesting from the executive board to increase the scope of our committee to review/create all three of these documents simultaneously to ensure that they accurately reflect our region and the work we do for our clients, students, and professionals.
In closing, I want to wish you all the peace and love and support that you need at this time. If there is anything I can do to be of service, please do not hesitate to contact me at presidentelect@maramta.org.
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Immediate Past President's Report
Michael Viega, PhD, LCAT, MT-BC
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Dear Members of MAR-AMTA,
On behalf of the Nominating Committee, I am pleased to share the results of a special election for Vice President for Membership: please join me in welcoming Clarissa Lacson who will serve as Vice President for Membership until the new Executive Board transitions on June 30th, 2021. I would like to thank the Nominating Committee-Tony Torres, Rachel Reed, Jenny Swanson, Gabriela Asch-Ortiz, and Becki Warren-for their tremendous work helping put on this special election after forming in October. The formation of the Nominating Committee was part of a year-long process of outreach to members and non-members of MAR-AMTA on behalf of the Executive Board. I am thankful for their committed time, energy, and support in considering being a part of this important committee and helping put on the special election given the short period of time since being voted in after our October 4th, 2020 meeting. In addition, I would like to thank Mark Ahola and Melissa Srolovitz in helping run Constant Contact, emailing ballots, and compiling the results. Thank you all for what was truly a team effort! Being the first election, I have helped run as Immediate Past President, I have learned a lot, and I look forward to working with the Nominating Committee to take what we have learned towards presenting a slate of nominees for our spring elections! In that report, I detail the Board's work reaching out to members and non-members since September, 2019. The focus of this work has been to develop policy and procedures that can help guide the Nominating Committee's duties for presenting the slate of nominees to membership and putting out election ballots for voting. Currently, there is no policy or procedures guiding this process. The Nominating Committee will be meeting with the Executive Board on January 26th at 8PM to propose and consider introductory policies. Proposed policies are still being discussed by the Nominating Committee using current research, member and non-member feedback we have received over the past year and a half, and our experience running the special election this past November. This work will be ongoing and we hope to provide a fruitful start developing policy for our elections. If you are unable to make it to the Executive Board meeting, we will share our work at MAR-AMTA's general business meeting scheduled for 7PM on January 31st. From there, the Nominating Committee will schedule a series of member and non-member meetings to discuss policy development, as well as prepare for our spring elections in April. The Nominating Committee will share resources with members and non-members of MAR-AMTA in the weeks ahead through shared Google folder. The Nominating Committee will put out an official call for nominations in mid-February. In the meantime, if you are interested in running for a position on the Executive Board or want to learn more about it, please contact the Nominating Committee at pastpresident@maramta.org. The Executive Board has been working on plain language summaries of elected (and appointed) positions to help clarify the duties of each Board member. If you'd like a copy, please reach out. In service, Michael Viega, Ph.D., LCAT, MT-BC (he/him/his) Immediate Past President, MAR-AMTA
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Executive Board Meeting: Tuesday, January 26, 2021, 8:00PM - 9:30PM
Please be advised that the Executive Board of the MAR-AMTA will be meeting on Tuesday, January 26th from 8:00PM - 9:30PM. We will be hearing a special presentation from the Nominating Committee. This meeting is open for members and non-members to attend as observers. It should be noted that there is a possibility that the Board will need to go into executive session, at which time they will enter a breakout room. Login information is as follows:
Topic: MAR-AMTA Executive Board Meeting: Nominating Committee
Time: Jan 26, 2021 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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Meeting ID: 829 1474 3393
Passcode: 815950
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General Membership Meeting: Sunday, January 31, 2021, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
All members, non-members, and students of the MAR-AMTA are invited to attend a MAR-AMTA General Membership Meeting. Due to issues with the pandemic, it has been a while since the membership has been able to meet as a whole. Please join us viz zoom to hear about what has been happening. TIme will also be made available for attendees to share their thoughts, questions, and concerns. Login information for the General Membership Meeting is as follows:
MAR President Beth Deyermond is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: MAR-AMTA General Membership Meeting
Time: Jan 31, 2021 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 834 4159 3388
Passcode: 685939
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Meeting ID: 834 4159 3388
Passcode: 685939
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There is currently an opening to serve on the MAR-AMTA Executive Board as the Parliamentarian for the remainder of the current term (until June 30, 2021). The Parliamentarian is an appointed, non-voting member of the Board whose main responsibility is to interpret and give advice on parliamentary procedure to the president, officers, committees, and members of a group or organization. For a more detailed description and to indicate that you are interested in serving the MAR-AMTA in this capacity, please use the following link and complete the form by February 15, 2021.
*Please note that you must be a current professional member of AMTA to serve in this capacity.
In service,
Beth Deyermond, MA, MT-BC
President, MAR-AMTA
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Membership in The American Music Therapy Association, and therefore the Mid-Atlantic Region of AMTA, provides a number of benefits which notably include: discounted rates for conferences, free CMTE credits, advocacy work on the state and national levels, and both printed and online access to past, present, and future journals. Perhaps even more important than the above stated membership perks, is that membership in AMTA also affords your voice a vote in the increasingly important AMTA and MAR-AMTA elections.
The MAR-AMTA believes strongly in our members and supports music therapists who reside in the Region and have financial constraints that limit their ability to join AMTA. The Region will provide one membership support award to cover the current cost of AMTA membership dues (currently valued at $250.00). Applications are anonymously reviewed and discretion is paramount throughout the application procedure.
To apply for the 2021 MAR-AMTA Membership Support Fund, music therapists must reside in the Mid-Atlantic Region and maintain their Board Certification from CBMT. The recipient of the MAR Membership Support Fund will be required to show proof membership once the award has been disbursed. The deadline for applications is February 15, 2021 and notification of the award will be made by March 1st, 2021. To apply for this scholarship, please click the flyer above or use the following link:https://forms.gle/RkexAm68rg5A3eQt7
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Do you know of an administrator, public official, or other friend of music therapy who has impacted access to music therapy services? If you do, please consider nominating them for the MAR-AMTA Music Therapy Advocacy Award to be given during the Awards Ceremony on Sunday, April 11, 2021 during the 2021 MAR-AMTA Online Conference.
The deadline for nominations is February 28th, 2021.
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Janet C. Murphy was a long-standing member of the Mid-Atlantic Region, serving the MAR in a variety of capacities both through her national roster internship program and her work on the Executive Board. At the 1992 MAR Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, Janet received the President's Award from then-President Leslie L. Hunter to honor her service as Vice-President for Membership, Vice-President for Conference Planning, Assembly Delegate, representative to the Peer Review Committee, and the very first MAR Conference Coordinator, doing everything from locating and negotiating hotel contracts to planning the program content. The top-notch professional conferences we have today are in large part due to Janet's vision - to bring us together, to learn and to play, to connect and renew. In recognition of Janet's dedication to community and continuing professional development, the Mid-Atlantic Region Janet C. Murphy Conference Award is designed to support MAR members' involvement at the regional conference.
The award recipient will receive:
- Free conference registration
- Free participation in CMTE courses and Institutes
- $250 to offset conference-related expenses
To be considered for the MAR Janet C. Murphy Memorial Conference Award, please complete the following application by 11:59 pm on March 1st, 2021. You must be a current MAR-AMTA member in good standing to qualify for the award. Your one-page narrative (400 words or less) will be assigned an ID number, then distributed and reviewed independently by members of a blind review panel. The panel will return their ratings and the applicants with the highest ranked essays will be selected. Award winners will be notified by email by mid-March. To apply for this scholarship, please visit this link: https://forms.gle/hF8y4VvobWPHeWe27
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The Mid-Atlantic Region Scholarship for Racial Minority Students is specifically designed to contribute to the advancement of minority students within the field of music therapy.
An award in the amount of $250 will be offered annually to one (1) racially underrepresented degree seeking member to offset the cost of attendance at an AMTA approved music therapy program. Examples of Academic cost include tuition, fees, books, and/or room and board.
To be considered for this scholarship, all applicants must submit an online application by March 1st, 2021. Applicants will need to state professional benefit of receiving this award and demonstrate financial need, Eligible applicants must identify as a racial minority, be a member of AMTA in good standing, enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an AMTA approved music therapy program located in the MAR and/or completing internship in the MAR, have a cumulative GPA of 3.0, and demonstrate financial need. Applications will be assigned an ID number, then distributed and reviewed independently by members of an anonymous review panel. The panel will return their ratings and the highest ranked essays will be selected.
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Vice President for Conference Planning
Lauren C. Faggiano, MS, LCAT, MT-BC
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 Hello MAR Membership!
Thank you to everyone that took the time to submit a conference proposal for our online conference. Also, a big thank you to our anonymous review committee that worked diligently and efficiently to rate all of the submitted proposals. There will be 2 full days of stimulating concurrent sessions, because of the time and commitment of the people that submitted proposals and the anonymous reviewers.
We are looking forward to spending some time with you all virtually at our 2021 Online MAR-AMTA Conference. All proposals have been notified of their status and we are working on putting our preliminary schedule together.
There will be over 45 concurrent sessions offered, all of which will be available to view in the Crowdcast platform for 30 days after the conference.
If you are interested in taking CMTE's but not attending conference, you will be able to do so for a $15 fee, plus the cost of the CMTE.
Please keep an eye out for registration to open up in February.
The preliminary schedule will be shared before registration opens, so you will have a good idea of what we will be offering.
Here is a look at our conference rates.
Professional
Registration |
AMTA Member
Early Bird
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AMTA Member
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Non-Member
Early Bird
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Non-Member
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$100
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$100
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Student
Registration
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AMTA Member Student Registration Early Bird
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AMTA Member Student Registration
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Student Registration
Early Bird
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Student Registration
| | Full Conference | $35 | $40 | $40 | $45 |
The online platform allows for a large amount of continuing education credits starting with earning 5 CMTE's just for attending. In addition, ALL of the concurrent sessions will be recorded and available for 30 days after the conference. MT-BC's can claim 1 credit for every concurrent session by watching the sessions either in real time and/or via recording. Please CLICK HERE to see more information regarding continuing education credits specific to board certification and LCAT's.
The Crowdcast platform is NOT compatible with Firefox or Safari internet browsers. Please make sure you use a compatible internet browser such as Chrome.
Please make sure that your AMTA registration has been renewed, so that we will have your information to email you your discount conference code.
Looking for session moderators
We are in need of tech savvy people who are interested in moderating via the Crowdcast platform for our online sessions. This opportunity is open to anyone that is interested, and is not limited to MAR members. Moderators will be responsible for:
1.) Attending a mandatory training on Sunday March 14th at 3pm EST to learn the basics of Crowdcast through Zoom.
2.) Coach presenters before April 8th on the basics of Crowdcast presenting.
3.) Obtain a copy of your presenter(s) slides before April 8th.
4.) Meet with your presenter(s) within the "green room" on Crowdcast to work on technical issues at minimum 10 minutes before the presentation.
5.) Moderators will alternate every other session, or less depending on the total number of moderators.
6.) Moderators will stay within their assigned session for the entirety of the presentation.
7.) During your assigned session(s), work alongside presenter(s) for a smooth presentation.
8.) If there are 3 or more presenters, moderators will maintain who is "promoted" to speaker.
9.) For closed captioning purposes, moderators must be in a quiet space and be online without using headphones, so google slides can hear whoever is speaking to convert the talk to text.
There is opportunity for discounted conference rates if you moderate.
If you are interested in being a moderator for our MAR-AMTA 2021 Online Conference please complete the following google form.
In Service, Lauren C. Faggiano, MS, LCAT, MT-BC Vice-President for Conference planning
Timothy Doak, MS, LCAT, MT-BC Vice-President Elect for Conference Planning
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2020-2021 MAR Assembly Chair
Donna W. Polen, LCAT, MT-BC |
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Updates from Assembly Meetings at the 2020 AMTA Online Conference
Harassment, Sexual Harassment, and Assault
The following motion was approved:
We move to create an Assembly short-term work group as detailed in the rationale to clarify and identify gaps in our current policies and procedures regarding harassment, sexual harassment, and assault within our association and recommend procedures to ensure implementation of consequences with an update at the Mid-Year Board meeting.
The 2021 Integrative Policies and Procedures Assembly Work Group (2021 IPPA) has been formed. The 9 members of the work group, from around the country, are James Bogs, Lauren DiMaio, Clarissa Lacson, Blythe LaGasse, Sarah Newberry, Kristen O'Grady, Emily Sevcik, Jillian Vicinanza, and Jeffrey Wolfe. We are proud to have 3 representatives from MAR (Clarissa Lacson, Kristen O'Grady, and Jillian Vicinanza) included in this work group. Ad-Hoc members include Speaker of the Assembly Angie Snell, Ethics Board Co-Chairs Carol Shultis and Jan Schreibman, Assembly Anti-Harassment Work Group Chair Leah Oswanski, Chair, and AMTA CEO Adonia Calhoun Coates.
Accessibility
Two motions related to improving accessibility within our organization were approved. The main motion included a request for the AMTA Board to provide a preliminary reply by mid-January regarding the following: employing an accessibility consultant(s), supporting collaborative work with an Assembly accessibility task force, and confirming the importance of this work to ensure diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. The other motion outlined the process to form an Assembly accessibility task force. Here are updates on these two items:
1. The Board affirms its commitment to improving accessibility and seeking input from principal stakeholders and has approved funds to support improved website and online accessibility. Also approved were funds that could potentially be applied toward an accessibility consultant. While the Board is not able to conclusively commit to hiring a consultant until there has been further exploration, they are open to considering this option.
2. The second Assembly accessibility motion is in process. It calls for the Speaker, in collaboration with the Disabled Music Therapists Collective (DMTC), to appoint a work group to determine criteria for appointees to the Assembly accessibility task force by January 22.
University-Affiliated Internships
The Assembly approved a motion from the Academic Program Approval Committee to adopt and implement a new guidance document, "University-Affiliated Internship Guidelines." These guidelines went into effect on 1/1/2021 and should be posted on the AMTA website soon.
2021 MAR Online Conference
Members of the 2020-2021 Delegation will participate in the concurrent session "What's Goin' On? Your Delegates Offer Some Answers" at the 2021 MAR online conference, along with guest speakers.
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Vice President for Membership
Clarissa Lacson, MA, MT-BC
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 The year of 2021 has already proven more eventful than I'd anticipated (or hoped). Many of you, our members, expressed support and gratitude over social media for the statement composed by the MAR-AMTA Executive Board and the coordination of the statement's release across all platforms of communication. I am so humbled and filled with gratitude to the members of the Executive Board, the CHADI committee, and our communications team (Mark Ahola, editor; Melissa Srolovitz, assistant editor; Diana Kelliher, public relations chair; and Erin Lunde, outgoing webmaster) for collaborating on communicating with our membership about such an important event in a timely manner.
As I write this on the eve of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I am reminded to recommit to my personal goal of increasing my understanding of the historic events and the systemic oppression that we must work to actively change. I am a Filipino Canadian American whose parents immigrated from the Philippines in the 1970's, and I didn't come to the United States until the age of 12. While I have experienced marginalization and racism, it does not compare to the structural violence that continues to oppress my Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+, or disabled brothers and sisters. I say this to take you inside my own journey of doing the work that so desperately needs to be done throughout our society. That work must start with self-awareness, which to me begins with owning my individual and intersectional social locations and understanding how society privileges some groups of people unfairly over others.
Some of you asked, on social media, for resources on how to speak with clients about violent insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th. I encourage you to check out the resource shared by CHADI from the website Beyond the Stoplight: Creating Equitable and Caring Classrooms for Children.
Be sure to note the Username and Password for the journals at the bottom of this page, in case Oxford University Press requires you to enter credentials once you are on their website.
In the midst of all of this, the AMTA and the MAR-AMTA continue to offer support through scholarships (See scholarships featured elsewhere in newsletter), 50 free, pre-approved, self-study E-courses,
research and continuing education available to all members through the journals (Journal of Music Therapy and Music Therapy Perspectives), support for state task force advocacy for music therapy recognition, member recognition, and more.
I am proud of the music therapists here in the Mid-Atlantic Region, for calling on us to lead the way into a more just and equitable society. We are stronger together.
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MAR Research Committee Report
Janelle Junkin, PhD, MT-BC
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Janelle Junkin
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New Members Added
The research committee added two new members Dr. Janelle Junkin, MT-BC and Dr. Kathy Murphy, MT-BC, LCAT in December 2020.
Dr. Janelle Junkin, MT-BC is an instructor and coordinator of assessment and experiential learning at Harrisburg University of Science & Technology and owns her business, The Junkin Group, LLC. She has published articles and a book chapter about creative arts therapists and community artists collaborating in communities. She practices equity and inclusion in her clinical, research, and academic work. Her areas of research include child and youth identity development, the role of the arts in conflict transformation, and understanding the community arts and creative arts therapies as vehicles that provide hope and healing to people and communities in crisis.
Kathleen M. Murphy, PhD, MT-BC, LCAT is the Program Director of Music Therapy Graduate Studies at the State University of New York at New Paltz. She is an active clinician, supervisor, and researcher with over 35 years of clinical experience. Dr. Murphy has authored book chapters and journal articles. Additionally, she has presented nationally and internationally on a variety of topics related to music therapy clinical practice and issues related to education and professional well-being. Dr. Murphy's research interests are focused on music therapy in substance dependence across the lifespan, trauma, and community music therapy.
2021 MAR Conference Information April 8 - 10, 2021
- Research Track - There are 5 research track offerings
- Fifty Shades of Music Therapy Research - Panel Discussion Hear how music therapists incorporate research into their clinical practice.
- Moderator: Kathy Murphy, PhD, MT-BC. LCAT
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Research Poster Session - Come and hear about the research colleagues and students have engaged in this last year.
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Research Alive - Research Project Reports - Dive into the research together
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Part I: Checking Privilege in Research - Hear how current researchers wrestle with their privilege, and how to elevate the voices of those who participate in the research projects.
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Part 2: Checking Privilege in Research - Putting Concepts into Practice - Part 2 will provide an opportunity to "workshop ideas" to ensure inclusion and optimize intersectionality within your research plans.
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CALL FOR RESEARCH POSTER SUBMISSIONS - Present a virtual poster & short presentation
WE ARE EXCITED FOR THE UPCOMING MAR CONFERENCE AND HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US IN APRIL 2021!
Below is a new announcement!
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Student Affairs Advisor Report
Molly Pow, MS, MT-BC
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First, check out the new MARAMTS Website! Resounding thank you to Michaela Haas, MARAMTS Public Relations Chair for her time and talents in creating with such dedicated, hard work! https://maramts.weebly.com/
Then, look no further for fantastic music therapy themed gifts! Check out the MARAMTS Bonfire link below. All proceeds go back to our regions students!
2021 Student Scholarships!
The time has come for all eligible, music therapy students to apply for the 2021 Scholarships to be awarded during regional conference, April 8th-10th. Please share with your students, interns, and student colleagues!
1. Jenny Shinn Memorial Scholarship Award - One recipient of $500.00 award
Application Deadline - March 22, 2021 (11:59pm)
To be eligible, you must be a member of the AMTA and demonstrate a relationship with the MAR by either being a music therapy student enrolled in a school in the MAR or being a music therapy student interning in the MAR. If you started your internship in 2020 and will continue your internship in 2021, you are eligible to apply. If you will be interning in 2021, but have not yet been accepted to an internship site, you are also eligible to apply.
Apply Here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1zIo8YnYPrKNRAx-TE_4gETRX69iKkia8ucqhp1IrHcg/edit?usp=drive_web
2. Sophomore/Junior Graduate Scholarship Award - Two recipients of $150.00 award
Application Deadline - February 28, 2021 (11:59pm)
Apply Here:
3. Music Therapy Club Award - One MT club will be selected to win the $100.00 award.
Application Deadline - February 28, 2021 (11:59pm)
Apply Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10U0dYXOCkEN9eb0i9H3LPb27j0mXynwQqAte92XphIU/edit
UPDATES:
-We now have a MARAMTS Historian! Spencer Cole, SMT, has enthusiastically pioneered this new role. Thank you to Mark Ahola, LCAT, MT-BC for your support!
-Monthly MARAMTS meetings have been implemented, as recommended by MARATMS E-Board.
-Students are working tirelessly on revolutionizing culture awareness, inclusivity advocacy, and self-driven, continued education for permanently sustaining positive systemic and socio/political change.
-Preparations for Regional Conference have commenced! The MARAMTS E-Board and our regions students are busy planning annual fundraising, MARAMTS Gives Back, and Student Leadership Academy events. More to come!
What Happened Over The Fall?
17th Annual Passages Conference - September 26th, 2020 8:00am-3:00pm
Inaugural ONLINE Conference!
- Hosted by Elizabethtown College. Thank you to Dr. Behrens and the Elizabethtown College Students for their incredible amount of work and support!
- Co-Chairs: Emily Match - Nazareth College, intern at Hochstein School and Rebecca Warren, MM, MT-BC.
- Planning Passages Conferences was a gigantic undertaking that took months of planning. Becki and Emily were imperative to our newly developed process of going "live"!
- Professional Mentoring Volunteers: Thank you to Erica Smith, MS, MT-BC and Jennifer Philips, MT-BC, NMT for volunteering their time to observe and provide feedback to presenters!
- Detailing The Inaugural Event!
- Over 200 students registered, most of them attended!
- Nine Student/New Professional presentations
- Three lunch outbreak groups
- Molly Pow, MS, MT-BC
- Rebecca Warren, MM, MT-BC, NICU-MT
- Emily Match, MTI
- Jennifer Phillips, MT-BC, NMT Opening Speaker
- Dr. Vivian Nix-Early Plenary Speaker
- Closing Ceremonies - Ella Hickey, SMT
- Fall Business Meeting - Friday, September 25th, 2020
- 41 participants encompassing MARAMTS E-Board and Chapter Reps
- Three new MARAMTS Club Chapters!
- Roberts Wesleyan College
- Washington Adventist University
- West Chester University
- National Conference
- Representatives from the MARAMTA E-Board attended and actively engaged throughout the course of the conference!
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Student Representative Report
Faith Ausfresser, NYU Graduate Student
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Throughout the challenges that this Fall semester has brought the students, the student board and the student community has risen above to come together and grow! As we rest and rejuvenate from Fall semester in preparation for Spring semester to begin, we utilize this time to plan for a meaningful next semester!
The MARAMTS Board wants to continue to utilize this virtual setting to connect students from different universities on a more frequent basis! The MARAMTS Board has planned to continue to meet on a monthly basis via zoom and have set dates and times for board meetings through the end of Spring semester. Most recently, the MARAMTS community, including representatives from eighteen universities and the student board, voted on and approved the 2021 Budget put together by the MARAMTS Treasurer. Part of this budget included the planning of fundraisers to create meaningful experiences for students to unwind and network within the MARAMTS community all while donating to a good cause!
First, we are planning two community game night events via zoom for students all across the region to join with a donation! Our first event will be held in February--stay tuned, date and time to be announced soon! Second, we are selling music therapy merchandise, including two options for cotton masks to help you advocate for music therapy while keeping each other safe, a "This music therapist runs on coffee" coffee mug, an "M Tea - BC" tea mug, and a fashionable yet practical tote bag, perfect to carry all your music therapy needs, with the Kenneth Bruscia Definition! So head over to our Bonfire website to not only support the students but also add music therapy merchandise to your everyday routine all for an affordable price!
We are still working as a community to brainstorm and eventually vote on the organization that we will donate to this year as a part of our on-going regional program, MARAMTS Gives Back! MARAMTS Gives Back is an opportunity for each MARAMTS University to collaborate for a good cause by holding their own fundraisers to benefit the organization that the student representatives from the region vote on!
As a board regional conference has been on our mind and we hope everyone is as excited as we are! We are working hard in planning to delegate as a board to collaborate with Molly Pow, Student Affairs Advisor, to plan Student Leadership Academy events and more to come! We want to take a moment to thank Molly for her service this term and recognize her for all her hard work! Thank you, Molly, for being a wonderful support system and inspirational role model for the students of the Mid-Atlantic Region throughout your term!
As a student board, we are excited for all of the opportunities and meaningful experiences that are ahead of us! Want to stay updated with everything we are doing? Look no further! Our wonderful MARAMTS Public Relations Chair, Michaela Haas, has put her talents to work to create our brand new website! Be sure to check it out!
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Continuing Education Corner
Clare Arezina, MME, MT-BC, CCLS
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2020 Online Conference 
Our 2020 online conference was a great opportunity for folks seeking continuing education credit! More than 320 professionals received 5 CMTE credits automatically for attending the conference, and our CMTE course registrations were higher than ever, with 212 people registering for CMTEs and 377 total CMTE registrations. Attendance certificates have been sent out to all who attended conference and completed course evaluations for CMTE courses--if you are missing any certificates, please email continuingeducation@maramta.org and let me know.
2021 Online Conference
The 2021 online conference is shaping up to be another great opportunity for CMTE credit! Be on the lookout for the conference program, coming soon!
Past Conference Certificates--2014-2019
Did you remember to download all your attendance certificates from past conferences? Our previous conference registration website was bought out by a different company and re-branded, so the email links to your previous conference certificates don't work anymore. Don't worry--we can replace them! If you are missing certificates for attending conference and/or conference CMTE courses, send an email to continuingeducation@maramta.org. In the email, please include the name you registered under, the year of the conference and which certificates you are missing (e.g. Jane Person, 2015, conference attendance, CMTE A, CMTE F) --the subject lines of the emails from the old conference registration website should have all this information (the sender was "events@regonline.com"). Please allow 2-3 weeks for turnaround.
Did you know....?
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Government Relations News
CJ Shiloh, MT-BC - Government Relations Chair
Stephenie Sofield, MM, MT-BC - Government Relations Chair-Elect
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Stephenie
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(click on task force title
to link to state website)
DESTF (Co-chairs - Keva Melvin & Gina Greeson)
For more information, contact: destf.mt@gmail.com
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MDSTF (Chair - Niki Runge and Tatyana Martin)
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Our bills propose that we will merge with the Board of Audiology, Hearing Aid Dispensers and Speech-Language Pathology, to form the Board of Audiology, Hearing Aid Dispensers, Speech-Language Pathology, and Music Therapy. Music therapists would have two voting seats on this board.
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Testimony focuses mainly on our Covid-19 response in Maryland, and the inequity of access to services and vaccines, even when MTs are considered essential. For contract workers, this is specifically due to not having a license.
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The MDSTF has been extremely busy arranging virtual meetings with legislative offices in both House and Senate committees and subcommittees, giving these legislators updates, and preparing for our hearings.
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Stay tuned for further updates on these potentially groundbreaking bills, in the Tuning In to Rx Music newsletter, the MAR website, and MAR social media channels.
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NJSTF (Chair - Paula Unsal)
- NJSTF assisted AMTA Director of Government Relations, Judy Simpson, in arranging for former primary sponsors of the New Jersey music therapist licensing act to receive Music Therapy State Advocacy Awards. These were mailed directly to honorees and were announced during the AMTA 2020 National Conference.
- NJSTF member Virginia Eulacio Cierniak was instrumental in attaining a Governor's Proclamation for Music Therapy Week to coincide with the AMTA 2020 National Conference which was hosted by New Jersey music therapists.
- NJSTF continues the work to move the appointment process forward for the new State Board of Creative Arts and Activities Therapies. The process remains in the Senatorial Courtesy stage. While most of the senators involved have completed their sign-off reviews, there are two or three senators remaining whose sign-offs affect several nominees. The Judiciary Committee hearing cannot proceed without all sign-offs in place.
- NJSTF is addressing this stalled process together with an ad hoc joint task force which includes art, drama, and dance/movement therapy task force representatives, by gathering information as to the cause for delay and developing a joint plan of action. Closed offices during the pandemic add a level of complexity.
- NJSTF assisted in creating a video script for consumers about music therapy and telehealth. This January 2021 video is expected to be used via social media, on the state organization website and by individual music therapists as needed. NJSTF has also begun developing a series of videos "What is Music Therapy" to be used in the same way in response to narratives of surveyed New Jersey music therapists seeking a consistent method of explaining music therapy to the public.
If you would like to be on the NJSTF email list to receive regular updates or wish for more information, please contact us at: newjerseytaskforce@gmail.com.
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NYSTF (Chair - Donna Polen)
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NYSTF member Elizabeth Schwartz, who was the point person for the video project, has also created a self-study CMTE for other task forces to use in creating their own advocacy videos. This will be available through AMTA in the new future.
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MONITORING CHANGES IN PRACTICE AND REQUIREMENTS FOR LCAT APPLICANTS IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19: The Governor's office has continued to issue Executive Orders related to education, training, and practice of the professions, resulting in the relaxing or waiving of certain requirements for students, interns, permit holders, and practitioners. Most of these changes are updated regularly on the NYS Education Department/Office of the Professions COVID-19 webpage: http://www.op.nysed.gov/COVID-19.html
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PASTF (Co-Chairs - Nicole Hahna and Michelle Muth)
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Happy New Year! The PA State Task Force for Professional Music Therapy Licensure (PASTF) is in the process of editing a Sunrise Review to submit to the Department of State.
- Finally, the PASTF is brainstorming ways to facilitate virtual advocacy and virtual hill days in PA.
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VASTF (Co-Chairs- Tracy Bowdish and Shelby Reynolds)
For more information please contact: vastfmt@gmail.com
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WVSTF (Chair - Patricia Allison)
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WVSTF members have reconvened under the leadership of Patrician Allison, newly appointed by the MAR Executive Board as the new WVSTF Chair.
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They are currently reforming as a state task force with both new and former members.
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The WVSTF has begun an interview series with the goal to interview every music therapist in the state to better understand the unique needs and challenges that each music therapist faces. We hope with this information, we can decide the best next step to move the profession forward while benefiting as many as possible.
For more information please contact: WestVirginiaSTF@gmail.com
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Follow:
Submission deadline for spring issue: April 15, 2021
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Thank you for reading this issue of Tuning In to Rx Music!
Feel free to contact me with feedback or suggestions!
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