Guitars & Granola Bars

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Jennifer Whitlow.

Jennifer talks about starting her private practice while pregnant, why she actually enjoyed her labor and delivery, and her adjustment to new motherhood as a business owner.

Jennifer is a board certified music therapist with degrees in Music, Psychology, and Music Therapy. After completing her Music Therapy degree in 2011, she began working with individuals with special needs and married her husband Chester. Now settled in Indianapolis, Jennifer has completed the advanced training, Neurologic Music Therapy. After working in the field for nearly four years, she opened her company Dynamic Music Therapy LLC, a Medicaid Waiver provider that provides individuals with special needs music therapy services. In May of 2015 Jennifer and Chester welcomed their beautiful daughter Elizabeth Esther into the world. As well as being a business owner and mom, Jennifer serves as the public relations chair for the Association for Indiana Music Therapy and is a current co-chair for the 2016 GLR Conference in Indianapolis.

For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Kimberly Sena Moore.

Kimberly talks about how she and her family navigated 5 years of major transitions, her role as a music therapist in the academic setting, and her approach to parenting as a full-time working mom.

Kimberly is a board certified music therapist who joined the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music in Fall 2014 as an Assistant Professor of Practice and Clinical Training Director. Through her role as Regulatory Affairs Associate for the Certification Board for Music Therapists, she is involved in state-level advocacy, legislative, and policy issues affecting music therapy practice. Online, Dr. Sena Moore co-hosts the Music Therapy Round Table podcast, and blogs at “Your Musical Self” for Psychology Today and Music Therapy Maven. Her clinical and research interests center on music therapy and emotion regulation development in neurodevelopmentally at-risk children.

For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Morgan Sparks.

Morgan talks about her unconventional path to music therapy, teaching Kindermusik classes just 6 days postpartum, and the give-and-take that comes with raising a young child and owning a business.

Morgan is owner of Rhythm Garden Music LLC, where she offers music therapy services, early childhood arts programming, and private music lessons in her hometown of Jasonville, Indiana (pop. < 3000). Morgan also serves as president of her state's music therapy association. She her and husband Brandon have been married 3 years and are parents to Ian, their 17-month-old very energetic little boy.

For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Ashley Lundquist.

Ashley talks about how losing her voice affected her music therapy career, the way she incorporated music during her labor and delivery, and how she is settling into her role as a first-time mom just a few weeks postpartum.

Ashley owns a small business named Healing Melodies Music Therapy in which she works part time as a private music therapist. She also works with the Wounded Warrior Project providing support for those with traumatic brain injuries. Ashley is currently on maternity leave and had her son a little over 3 weeks ago as of this recording. She lives in Rosenberg, Texas and is married to her husband of almost 5 years.

For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Megan Resig.

Megan talks about opening up a 6,000 square-foot facility with 12 employees while her daughter was just an infant, the role her husband played in helping make that possible, and how she’s setting an example for her daughter by doing work she loves.

Megan is the co-founder and director of Spectrum Creative Arts, a Rochester-based creative arts center specializing in offering music, art, creative arts therapy, and theatre programming to individuals of all ages and abilities. She is also mom to a precocious three-year-old daughter (who is obviously destined to become president one day!), and is constantly searching for that perfect balance between work and motherhood. Fleeting moments of free time are spent planning murder mystery parties and nerding out with her husband/partner-in-crime.

For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Maggie MacArthur.

Maggie talks about the many plates she was spinning during her pregnancy, her realization that she wasn’t meant to be a stay-at-home mom, and how her son’s orthopedic condition has helped her better relate to her clients’ families.

Maggie lives in Fairport, New York with her husband John and son Keegan. She is the Music Therapist for Brockport Central School District and received her Masters degree from Nazareth College of Rochester. In addition to music therapy she teaches early childhood music classes and plays the fiddle in her band The Strings.

For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Catherine Hershey.

Catherine talks about completing her internship in NYC while pregnant, how starting her blog was a turning point in her postpartum year, and the unique opportunity she has to design her ideal music therapy career.

Catherine is a Board Certified Music Therapist currently filling the role of stay-at-home-mom to an energetic 1 year old boy. She maintains her professional identity by blogging, networking with other music therapists, and seeking out opportunities for advocacy. Catherine enjoys exploring San Diego with her toddler and husband, reading old books, and drinking the occasional glass of wine.

For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with music therapist Lesleigh Zundt.

Lesleigh talks about pursuing her music therapy degree while raising a young daughter, overcoming baby blues after the birth of her son, and her adventures in pumping as a working mom.

Lesleigh is a wife to JJ, a mom to Aliah (6) and Titus (1), and has been a Board Certified Music Therapist for almost 2 years. She lives in Canyon, TX home of her Alma Mater, West Texas A&M University. She works in Amarillo as a music therapist in the public school system, and contracts with a few companies to provide private music therapy services to individuals in the Amarillo area. Lesleigh and her family spend lots of their time volunteering at church, going to baseball or soccer practice and games, and attending football games in the fall. When she isn't on the go, Lesleigh enjoys reading, drinking coffee, and watching her babies grow!

For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Kathy Schumacher.

Kathy talks about her early success in the private practice setting, how she has structured her career around her family since having her children, and her adventures in creative entrepreneurship.

In this episode, I’m chatting with Kathy Schumacher. Kathy is a music therapist, a lifelong learner with a pile to read in every room, and mom to three children—ages 8, 10 and 12. She has worked in private practice the majority of her 19 year career and has developed a specialty area of literacy and math tutoring through music. She currently lives in rural Wisconsin where she enjoys camping with her family (usually in the backyard) and tends 50-100 tomato plants every summer. In her spare time, Kathy blogs at www.TunefulTeaching.com.

For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Janet Stephens.

Janet talks about her path that led to having a large family, the evolution of her successful business, and how her “big picture” mentality allows her to prioritize the important things in life.

Janet is the creator, seamstress, and entrepreneur behind Bear Paw Creek, founded in 2000 to meet the needs of the music therapy profession. The original focus was movement props and bags for organizing and the traveling therapist. It has continued to grow and encompasses a larger market, both stateside and internationally. She lives in Southwest Missouri on 60 acres with her husband, eight children, and various animals. Along with running a business and homeschooling her children, Janet enjoys playing games with her kids, fishing, books, and of course, sewing.

For show notes from this episode, visit www.guitarsandgranolabars.com.