The Music Therapy Show

Amy Kalas is a board certifed music therapist working in Miami and will be my guest this week.

She received her bachelor's and master's degrees in music therapy from the University of Miami. She completed her internship at the Matheny Medical and Educational Center in Peapack, NJ, where she worked with children, adolescents, and adults with developmental disabilities. In 2006, Amy was hired as a full-time music therapist at United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Miami, where she currently works with children birth – age 7 with special needs. Amy is the clinical training director for the internship program at UCP and has supervised interns since 2007. Amy also serves as a Lecturer for the University of Miami by supervising practicum students and giving presentations on her clinical work. In addition to her work at UCP, Amy runs a private practice, Wholesome Harmonies Music Therapy, providing music therapy services in the Miami area. Her website and blog can be found at www.WHmusictherapy.com.

Natalie Mullis is my guest this week. I've been wanting to talk to her for a long time too! She owns Key Changes Music Therapy in my birth-town, Columbia, South Carolina. She offers some great freebies and articles on her website: keychangesmusictherapy.com

This week I don't have a guest and I don't have a specific topic, but I do have a few things to share with you about the show and other music therapy things. If you have a question about music therapy, this would be a good show to call in to! 646-652-2850 during the live show (you can also call in to listen, without speaking to me on air).

I am very excited about this week's guests: Megan Resig and Kimberly Thompson of Mundana Music Therapy.

Kim and Megan share original songs, resources, and techniques related to music therapy, music education, wellness, and business. I have been wanting to "meet" these ladies for quite some time so I'm glad to have them on the show!

It takes more than physical exercise to maintain good health. Balance is the key to leading a healthy lifestyle. Wellness is the dynamic process of becoming aware of, taking responsibility for, and making choices that directly contribute to one's well being and that of the common good. It is the integration of body, mind and spirit and the ongoing development of one's own meaning in life.

In this week's show, I'll tell you about the dimensions of wellness and how I use them in music therapy.

This week, my guest is Raymond Day, from A Day's Work. The products presented on this website are the result of 24 years of focused efforts to create musical instruments and aids for the music education classroom with strong emphasis on helping the physically and developmentally challenged through music therapy. They are equally applicable in special education, occupational therapy, and elder care. Special effort has been devoted to those who are confined to wheelchairs.

I took a couple of weeks off to deal with some transitions, but this week I'm back and I'll be reviewing the movie The Music Never Stopped, released on DVD earlier this month. A promoter for the movie generously sent me some copies to give away, so listen in to find out how to win your very own copy!

Kat Fulton is the mastermind behind Rhythm for Good, a blog about music therapy, drumming, and wellness. Kat Fulton, MM, MT-BC, NICU MT, is a speaker and board-certified music therapist whose passion is achieving therapeutic goals through making music. Simply put, her motto is Be well, feel good, and make MUSIC. With a Masters in Music Therapy from The Florida State University (headquarters for the National Institute for Infant and Child Medical Music Therapy), she holds high standards for scientific research and maintains a practice infused with the latest evidence-based techniques and strategies. She completed her clinical training for music therapy at Musicworx of California, a music therapy contracting and consulting agency located in Del Mar, CA.

Kat runs Sound Health Music (established in 2005), a San Diego-based organization that encourages, enables, and empowers people to develop potential through research-based music experiences. The Sound Health Music team of board-certified music therapists design interventions that use music as the vehicle for positive change within corporate, wellness, medical, and enrichment settings.

My guest this week is Christy Joy Diachenko, who has 15 years experience as a classical piano teacher. She received her Bachelors of Music from Colorado State University-Pueblo, in 2003. She is currently a graduate student for Music Therapy Board Certification, at Shenandoah University. She has 4 years experience in Anne Arundel County Public Schools, in both music and special education departments, and is currently a home/hospital teacher for some of AA County's most medically-fragile kiddos. She is the founder of the Musical Autist Academy, a place where children on the autism spectrum can learn and engage in music, to help fulfill their IEP goals, as well as to promote opportunities for performance. She blogs at The Musical Autist.com.

My guest this week is Karen D. Goodman, Professor, Music, who is credentialed as a music therapist, a special education teacher and a licensed creative arts therapist. She has recently published her second book: Music Therapy Education and Training: From Theory to Practice. It is the only comprehensive resource on education and training in our field. She has just returned from presenting at the 13th World Music Therapy Congress in Korea and will also share her experiences there.