The complexity of health care and the rapidly increasing body of knowledge can feel impossible to manage.  The aim of this institute is to provide tools and resources so music therapists can be critical consumers of research information while providing "state of the art" interventions and public education.  Participants will engage in an in-depth critical exploration of research findings and their translation to practice and advocacy.  We will explore various models of evidence-based practice and the uses of published research - both within and outside the music therapy literature.  Practical exercises will address analyzing all types of research information; incorporating research findings into clinical practice; and communicating with different audiences about the evidence supporting the use of music in therapeutic environments.  Note: This institute is offered free to current (2010) AMTA Members who are registered for the conference. 6 CMTE credits available.

The National Institute for Infant and Child Medical Music Therapy offers specialized training for providing music therapy clinical services in Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) and allows persons completing the requirements to receive a certificate stating same and to use the initials NICU MT as a designation of specialized training. This institute comprises one of the 3 requirements for this specialized training. Available to music therapy interns and Board Certified Music Therapists. The complete specialized training course may not be completed until Board Certification is documented.  Registration in this institute includes the text Music Therapy with Premature Infants.  8 CMTE credits available.

This Institute seeks to share various methods of program development in music therapy, all of which have been put into practice by the presenters: developing outcome-specific statistics, calculating cost-effectiveness, research and supportive funding, community benefit and developing internship programs.  6 CMTE credits available.

As a cost-effective service provider, music therapists are able to enhance functional outcomes and address special needs, including those of English language learners. This institute will focus on the role of music therapy in literacy learning, beginning with toddler language development through school-age individuals that experience difficulty acquiring literacy skills. 6 CMTE credits available.

The thousands of individuals with autism graduating from high school each spring do not just evaporate. Most need services beyond school years, and music therapists can help fill that gap. Beginning in early childhood, music therapy in schools helps prepare for the eventual transition, and music therapy after graduation provides guidance and support necessary for adults with autism to live successfully in the “real world.” This institute features model programs, funding options, case examples, and therapeutic interventions for individuals with autism as they learn life skills in school, then apply them in semi-independent or closely supervised settings as adults.  6 CMTE credits available.

With it's 4 strings, small size and versatile sound, the ukulele is a musical gem. Learn uke basics for right and left hands, repertoire and tips for use in music therapy. For many music therapy clients, the uke offers an inexpensive and satisfying hands on musical activity. For music therapists, a comfort with guitar and other stringed instruments will easily transfer to the uke.

Percussion skills are Item 7 on AMTA’s list of Professional Competencies. This workshop, led by a percussionist/music educator at Cleveland Music School Settlement, will provide intensive training in percussion technique on hand percussion instruments (djembe, conga) and hand-held percussion instruments (caxixi, shaker, agogo, clave). Participants will formulate client adaptations.

Collaboration and co-treatment between music therapists and speech-language pathologists requires perspective-taking, clinical focus, and structured systems for communication and planning. A speech-language pathologist and a music therapist with years of successful collaborative experience will provide instruction in the intricacies of shared goal setting, intervention development, and generalization options.

An extension of the CMTE Separate is Not Equal, this workshop trains attendees to effectively and legally conduct school MT assessments and navigate local district IEPs. Participants will write mock assessments and IEPs based upon case examples and video footage using the time-tested Music Therapy Music-Related Behavior Assessment (MT-MRB).

This experiential workshop will explore the musical basics of traditional rock band instruments: Guitar, Piano, Keyboard, Bass, and Drums. Participants will rotate through one-hour instructional sessions on each instrument. The session will conclude with participants playing a rock ensemble.

Share the soul’s journey at end of life with a team of experienced hospice music therapists. Participants will gain knowledge of the role of music therapy within the transdisciplinary team including volunteers. Interventions addressing pain management and legacy and life closure for adult and pediatric patients will be shared.

This session features an overview of U.S. military history, the treatment of ailments common to veterans including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury, and music therapy applications. The presenters will discuss how military veterans differ from other clients with PTSD. Attention will be given to the newest returning veterans.

Participants will journey through the formation and growth of Progressions Music Therapy Services founded in 2005. Topics include referral, accepting new clients, marketing, hiring and managing employees, personal care, time management between business and personal lives, finances, and legal matters. Tips for providing in-home and in-facility services will be included.

Participants explore the intriguing world of found sound by making several simple 'composite' musical instruments. Manipulative skills are used as hands and fingers become tools. Constructing an instrument is a social event as participants ask for help and solve problems. The instruments and process are applicable to Special Needs populations.

Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) training institutes provide extensive amounts of new information; however, participants often find it difficult to execute the clinical techniques. Following a brief review of NMT, the majority of the course will be experiential. Participants will utilize the keyboard and autoharp and actively engage in skill building.

Songwriting is a blend of creativity, inspiration, and craft. Assess your methods of songwriting, then, learn strategies, skills, and secrets to unlock your musical ideas, understandings, and creative abilities. Discover ways to design song interventions to foster therapeutic outcomes and create a “musical garden” with variety, color, and style.

Creating effective and aesthetic music-focused relaxation experiences is an art. Through discussion, experiential exercises, and practice in dyads, participants will learn to create and guide effective music relaxation exercises. Topics will include selecting pre-recorded sedative music, using live improvised guitar, piano, and vocal music, and creating individualized relaxation scripts.

Participants will learn about the development and use of MT-SEAS, Music Therapy Special Education Assessment Scale, a strength-based evaluation designed for students with special needs. The MT-SEAS produces numeric scores by rating a child’s performance of IEP-related skills in music and non-music settings. Recommendations for MT are based upon scores.

The principles of Mindfulness and Positive Psychology are being actively integrated into therapeutic approaches to wellness, mental and physical health. Principles of Music Therapy are an ideal complement to this integration and therapeutic orientation. An introduction to Mindfulness and Positive Psychology and a discussion of integration with Music Therapy will be presented.

Open guitar tunings create a whole new palette of sounds and free us from restraints of first position chords. An open G tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D) developed in Hawaii will be taught. Participants will leave being able to play multiple chords and runs using all 12 frets.

The new Internet (Web 2.0) is an interactive and informative platform that provides many opportunities to network, market, and learn. This part-lecture, part-workshop will provide an introduction various Web 2.0 tools including personal websites and social media. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop for an enriching and in-depth experience.

Infants and toddlers follow an individual developmental timeline for milestone achievement. This training will cover the music therapy literature addressing these milestones with infants and toddlers ages birth through three years old. Best practice guidelines and strategies for implementing developmental music therapy services in varied settings will be covered.

Learn how inclusion of parent-child music and movement experiences provided a safe environment for practicing parenting skills and meeting program expectations for regaining custodial rights for families in a community based, state funded social service program. Music experiences from the parenting group will be role-played. Therapeutic themes will be discussed.

Explore key components of cultural competence, including ability, race, and gender, which affect the way the music therapists and our clients see the world. Disability studies, critical race theory, feminist theory, and critical pedagogy will be presented. Discussion and introspection will allow participants to integrate these theories into their practice.

Presenters of this experiential wellness workshop will teach principles of cognitive improvement for healthy persons. Participants will engage in evidence-based cognitive and musical experiences to improve their own attention, memory, and executive function skills. The informative and inspirational combination of music and neuroscience empower participants to develop personal cognitive improvement plans.

*this course is free to qualified AMTA members who are registered for the conference.

 

The Association Internship Approval Committee offers a comprehensive overview of clinical supervision specific to the internship. Stages of internship, supervision models, strategies, ethics, and methods to address challenges will be presented. While open to all music therapy supervisors, it fulfills the training requirement for National Roster Internship Directors.

Music therapy clinicians often feel ill-equipped to carry out clinical research. This workshop will teach participants how to find appropriate collaborators and mentors and access needed resources. With the help of the presenters, participants will formulate a plan for a specific clinical research topic based upon their clinical practices.

The presenters have each successfully started and expanded music therapy programs in pediatric hospitals where no program previously existed. Come learn from their successes and growth experiences. Budget, program vision and development, triage, expansion, advocacy, professional skills, and sustainability will be presented. Principles will apply to many settings and populations.

This CMTE will provide a sequential, competency-based approach to the instruction of clinical improvisation to undergraduate and graduate music therapy students. Preparatory, Facilitative, and Processing competencies will be addressed through experiential and didactic means. The use of percussion instruments will be emphasized. No prior improvisation experience is necessary.