OCMT 2022

Dr. Deforia Lane serves as Resident Director of Music Therapy at University Hospitals of Cleveland Ireland Cancer Center. With early intentions of pursuing a singing career, she completed her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and began graduate studies at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music. She…

Neonatal music therapy is a well-established therapeutic intervention worldwide, with multiple studies demonstrating benefits for preterm infants’ neurodevelopment, parent-infant bonding, and reduction of parental stress and anxiety (Bieleninik et al., 2016; Haslbeck et al., 2020). Research also indicates the necessity for continuing health care-related programs with families of preterm babies after hospital discharge for both…

As Bob Dylan wrote over 55 years ago “the times, they are a-changin’,” but have we? As the number of older adults within the United States is rapidly increasing, the proportion of music therapists working with this age group has remained relatively stable. In this presentation, we will discuss the diversity of aging adults and…

Music therapists practicing in Australia seek supervision to support their professional practice and the maintenance of competencies. Best practice supervision guidelines for music therapists across the globe are limited and not always informed by an evidence base. This paper will present the history behind the development of a supervision framework for music therapists. Current evidence…

Embedded in the Nordoff-Robbins (NR) school of thought, this presentation will focus on the temporal aspect of improvisation in music therapy. In the first part, I will introduce a time-model that describes four temporal contexts employed by NR in supporting their clients’ musical engagement in joint improvisation. The model was based on the analysis of…

This presentation will look at the impact of expressive music therapy and dance therapy on the reconstruction of abused women with psychosomatic disorders. Background of the study: As part of our study, we investigate the degree of effectiveness of the music therapy and dance-therapy integration in psychosomatic disorder’s intervention for abused women aged between 18…

This presentation explores how music therapy is beneficial for people who have sensory deficiencies (primarily visual/auditory). Whilst the content is relevant for all age groups, the main focus is children, especially those with double deficiencies (e.g blind & deaf), and multiple diagnoses. This presentation includes an overview of key literature, case-studies based on the presenter’s…

The years of 2020 and 2021 revealed that music therapy could be done in ways and manners not envisioned before – from live, video interactions to prerecorded experiences used to enrich the lives of homebound clients. As we start to look towards the future of music therapy, the events and skills that we all developed…

Nsamu is a licensed multidisciplinary music therapist born in Zambia. Nsamu is a classically trained singer and enjoys dancing. Growing up in Britain’s post-colony and experiencing ambivalent feelings towards his cultural identities, he developed interests in holistic anti-oppressive practice, Ethno-Eco-Psycho-spiritualities and lifelong development, learning, and critical theory-informed research. Grounded in anti-oppressive and non-interference practice, he…

As the profession of music therapy evolves in many parts of the world, music therapy practitioners, educators and researchers navigate the tension between traditional and Westernized concepts of music, health and healing. This presentation is an invitation to examine ways of knowing and how these ways can be helpful or harmful to music therapy practice…

As music therapists it is important to remember that we are the Masters of the Music. When we reintroduce concepts of mode, meter, structure and sonority back into our guitar accompanied repertoire we suddenly increase the effectiveness of our practice without learning another song. This presentation will explore changing left hand chordal structures, adapting right…

Until the COVID-19 pandemic, music therapy delivered via telehealth had not been practiced in any great extent. Telehealth presents both opportunities and challenges for music therapists working with persons diagnosed with dementia and their caregivers. Given the rise in the number of older adults in society and the drastic anticipated increases in dementia, telehealth music…

Music Therapy’s role in special education is to support the student’s educational program through goal-based interventions. This presentation discusses the context in which this occurs as well as how music therapy provides interventions to support special education personnel within the classroom. Examples will be given of collaboration with a variety of special education and support…

I didn’t know music therapy existed until I was a senior in high school. As practicing therapists, we are constantly advocating for our growing profession. It is the unofficial part of our job that requires continued inspiration, motivation, collaboration and challenges us to ask important questions. How do we inspire a new generation of therapists?…

Music therapy in hospice care with imminently dying patients presents opportunities to facilitate meaningful, transformational experiences for patients and their families. When death is imminent, music therapists are challenged to assess needs and make clinical decisions in the unfolding moments of end-of-life. In a recent grounded theory study conducted by the presenters with US participants,…

Discover how partnerships between a music therapist, a university orchestra, and a local professional orchestra ignited new potentials for student learning, community building and arts enrichment for people of all ages and needs in the southeast region of the state. A music therapist, the Director of Education and Community Engagement of a local professional orchestra,…