Advocating for Community Music Therapy

Hello friends, fans and followers!

We have some exciting news to share about 2013!  Not only are we doing at least FOUR more SensoryFriendly Concerts this year in the Baltimore/Annapolis region, but we are also starting a pilot launch of SensoryFriendly Concerts across the country!

If you are a MD/DC local, mark your calendars for the Saturdays falling on April 20th, June 15th, and Sept.7th, starting at 6:30pm, for the 2013 SensoryFriendly Concert Series.

And on Jan. 31st, we will be announcing our team of fabulous music therapists from around the country, who will be facilitating SensoryFriendly Concerts, and helping us to build a strong case for Community Music Therapy in the US.

2013 is an exciting year of growth for The Musical Autist!  We are in the process of getting 501c3 nonprofit status, and CJ is developing online courses which will allow her to share her experiences and guidance to music therapists all over the world, who are interested in joining us in creating “equal access to the fine arts” and opportunities for self-advocacy.

Another piece of exciting news is that CJ and Sunny will be co-presenting this April at the Mid-Atlantic Regional conference of the American Music Therapy Association. They will be on the panel, “Community Music Therapy in Action.” They are thrilled about sharing the message of Neurodiversity and their vision of “equal access to the fine arts” with this esteemed field of professionals.  We are honored to be developing ideas which could potentially build opportunities for service provision of Community Music Therapy.

Since 2005, the American Music Therapy Association and the Certification Board for Music Therapists have collaborated on a State Recognition Operational Plan. Basically, the purpose of this plan is to get music therapy and the MT-BC (Music Therapist – Board Certified) credential recognized by individual states, through title protection or licensure, so that citizens can more easily access music therapy services.

In our humble opinion, as the evidenced-based practice of music therapy is recognized within state and local communities, and this professional discipline continues to be established in clinical setting, MT-BC roles will further develop into community settings.

Because SensoryFriendly Concerts are trademarked so that consent is only given to MT-BCs to facilitate these events, it can be a connection point within the community for those who might be interested in meeting an MT-BC, or who might be considering individual music therapy services.

Not only do music therapy clients and their loved ones have the opportunity to celebrate met goals and objectives, SensoryFriendly Concerts can also address needs within the community itself. We strive to create an accepting and accommodating public event which provides a concrete example to society in how to respect autism.

SensoryFriendly Concerts create an atmosphere which will “promote inclusion of disabled persons within society, to bring healing not only to the individual with a disability, but also to the social conditions within which the disabled person resides.” (Soshensky, 2011)

If you are an MT-BC and interested in joining us in this cause, go here to connect with our group. Thank you!

Soshensky, R. (2011). Everybody is a star: recording, performing,  and community music therapy. Music Therapy Perspectives, 29 (1), 23-30.