Music Therapy is ready for a successful 2016

adele-gleixer
Adele Gleixner. Photo by Haley Alexander.

Music Therapy is ready for a successful 2016


Music Therapy students have a strong lead into the new year. Adele Gleixner received a scholarship from the Virginia Music Therapy Association (VMTA), and five other students are presenting at the Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Music Therapy Association’s (MAR) Regional Conference.

To win the VMTA Scholarship, Gleixner, a junior, had to apply. For the application, she provided information about her college practicum. This included reporting about the clients she worked with: their population description, long term and short-term goals and objectives, an account of the interventions used to address these, an example of her data collection system with a summary of the results including whether or not the music therapy goals and objectives were met, and a short essay on why she felt she deserved the scholarship.

From this type of information, a VMTA scholarship committee reviewed all the applications and chose Gleixner. She will receive a $200 award in the form of a West Music or Suzuki gift certificate, or she may use the award toward registration and fees for an upcoming music therapy conference. Also included is a year membership to VMTA.

Gleixner, who is from Roanoke, feels honored to receive this recognition and relieved that her hard work paid off.

“I do not take my chance to be in this program (music therapy) lightly and I am very serious about my education in this amazing field,” she said. “Music therapy is an extremely beneficial form of therapy that continues to flourish and I am so thankful to be a part of it! I would like to thank VMTA for awarding me this scholarship!”
Her peers in the program, who are presenting at the March 2016 MAR Regional Conference in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania are also of note.

Based on a peer review process, Katelyn Farris, Sara Breyfogle, and Megan Neil are presenting at the conference. Farris will present “A Community Music Therapy Approach to Enhance Social Inclusion amongst Young Adults with Neurodevelopmental Disorders and their Peer Mentors.” Breyfogle’s theme is “Music Therapy and Spirituality in Hospice Care: Practical Applications.” Neil’s is “Fostering Positive Attachment for Alternative Family Units through Music Therapy.”

Breyfogle is also presenting a second topic – “Music Therapy Bereavement 101: Groups and Individuals.” Both she and Ashley Walker successfully presented at the MAR’s Passages Conference in October. Music therapy students and new professionals organize Passages, which is an annual, free conference. Both students were invited to give presentations at the MAR regional conference in 2016. Walker is presenting “Expanding Your Guitar Technique.”

“These sessions were chosen through a peer review process and invitations to the regional conference were given to presenters due to the outstanding nature of the work and the relevance to the profession,” said Trish Winter, assistant professor of music in the music therapy program.
 

Dec 17, 2015
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