Thanks again to folks that expressed interest and visited last weekend's Open House! We celebrated meeting many new neighbors in the community and welcomed familiar friends. We are grateful to continue as a local resource for music therapy services in Charlotte, NC - happy one year anniversary to us at our S. CLT Location! 

Reminder: If your family took Intake Paperwork, please scan completed version to us so we can schedule an Intake Conversation then Assessment.

We are proud to share recent news of being added to the list of Approved Providers through Fort Mill School District!!

#related #service #health #wellness #special #services #IEP #musictherapy #education #children #growth #support #nourishment #FortMill #SouthCarolina #private #practice 

We are grateful for the approaching first-year anniversary of partnering with families through the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Charlotte - Roots & Shoots Little Achievers. Do you or a friend have a young child with Down syndrome? Please share this flier with planned Music Classes through the summer that our staff will facilitate and help spread the news about this community offering!!

Somehow it’s already been a full month since the Southeastern Region of American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) Conference was held in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Remarkably there were over three hundred music therapy folks that gathered despite changed dates and locations that the regional conference committee and leadership resolved.  
The trip began earlier in the day because of a delightful opportunity that PMT enjoyed... mingling at a networking breakfast hosted by ASC Greenway in Fort Mill, SC. Since then PMT has partnered to become a Business Blitzer through the Anne Springs Close - Greenway and enjoyed networking with fellow Blitzers and Trailblazers in our community who share passions for keeping green space, enjoying and preserving nature.

A refreshing amenity at the conference hotel was fruit infused water available every day. Pictured on the left is a glass dispenser at a local restaurant that boasted having several of these. Each dispenser required dozens of pineapples - that's a lot of prep! Work conferences that have healthy perks incorporated are always delightful. Having attended this year's regional conference without one of my children in tandem, it was also restorative catching up on uninterrupted sleep.

In conclusion, I am grateful to be an active member of the state, regional and national associations of AMTA. It is through these networks that I receive support and mentorship with my private practice that is continuing to serve the Greater Charlotte Area of the Carolinas. We are fortunate to have our own ADA compliant clinic space in South Charlotte, NC. Stay tuned for some open houses coming later this summer to drop-in for a casual meet and greet or music making.

Thanks for following along to read PMT's blog and hearing a recap of the south eastern regional conference in Tennessee. It is with your interest and support that PMT can continue music therapy services, music instruction, in-services and continuing education for music therapy professionals and students... now reaching beyond the Charlotte Metro Area by offering its first online CMTE Course through The Certification Board for Music Therapists "Aging, Intellectual Disabilities, and Implications for Music Therapists."

A referral is defined as “the act, action or instance of referring” whereas “refer” means to
“send or direct for treatment, aid, information or decision." In the field of music therapy, persons must be referred for music therapy services. According to AMTA (American Music Therapy Association), “children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly with mental health needs, developmental and learning disabilities, Alzheimer's disease and other aging related conditions, substance abuse problems, brain injuries, physical disabilities,
and acute and chronic pain, including mothers in labor” can benefit from music therapy services.

​More specifically, the Standards of Clinical Practice published by AMTA indicates in
Standard 1.0 Referral and Acceptance that “a client will be accepted into music therapy in
accordance with specific criteria.” Although there are no specific guidelines regarding who can refer a client for services, this often depends on the situation of the client. For example, a client in a hospital setting may be referred to music therapy by a physician, psychologist, speech-language pathologist or a child life specialist. A client in school setting may be referred by a special education teacher or a school psychologist whereas a client living in a nursing facility may be referred by a family member or social worker. It is ultimately up to the music therapist to accept a referral for services.
A referral can happen in a variety of ways, but most importantly must be in written format either through electronic means or through completing a specified music therapy referral form.

There are no standardized referral forms in music therapy; they are often created by music therapy professionals to provide the necessary information. According to Waldon (2016), “referrals may be written directly into a client’s record and should include, at a minimum: (a) the date and source of the referral; (b) the client’s demographic information; (c) the reason for the referral or presenting problem; and (d) the pertinent clinical information that could weigh on
making a referral decision. When responding to the referral, the music therapist should also document (a) the justification for accepting or declining the referral for an initial assessment; (b) a follow-up plan for meeting with the client (as appropriate); and (c) a record of consultation or contact with the referring person.”
When considering if music therapy might be a good choice for your loved one, it is important to examine the following: client’s responsiveness to music (positive or negative) and client interest in music. Possibly, even a client who did not benefit from traditional treatments
Because music is the tool in which music therapists use as the primary method of treatment, a client should have a positive response to music and/or musical stimuli. In addition, Hanser (1999) stated some general guidelines why some persons may be good candidates for music therapy:

1. Strength in auditory learning styles or auditory learners: persons who learn by listening.
2. Responsiveness to sound or music: persons who enjoy music may easily benefit from it being used therapeutically.
3. Persons who have physical inactivity or limited mobility: music techniques can be adapted to meet various physical challenges while still allowing the client to be successful in participation.
4. Persons with limited cognitive skills: these persons may not as easily benefit from traditional therapies, but can with musical experiences due to affecting different neural pathways.
5. When confrontive therapists are ineffective: music therapy uses a success-oriented approach within a non-threatening and safe environment.
6. When compliance to treatment is difficult: music therapy techniques often have an element of “fun” and can provide normalizing experiences.
7. Persons who have difficulty with communication or expression: music can be a form of nonverbal communication allowing persons to explore and express feelings without speaking.
8. Persons who have difficulty with socialization: music therapy can be provided in a variety of settings including individual, small group and large group experiences. Music therapist are trained to provide musical experiences in which everyone can be participatory and successful.

Finally, once a referral is made, the next step would be for the music therapist to conduct a music therapy assessment. Music therapy assessments look at a client’s strengths and
weaknesses including communication skills, cognitive/academic skills, motor skills, emotional skills and social skills in both musical and non-musical settings to determine the possible effectiveness of using music therapy as treatment.

Hanser, S. B. (1999). The New Music Therapist’s Handbook. Boston, MA: Berklee Press.

Waldon, E. G. (2016). Clinical Documentation in Music Therapy: Standards, Guidelines, and Laws. Music Therapy Perspectives 34(1), pp. 57–63. https://doi.org/10.1093/mtp/miv040

Melissa Reinhardt, MSEd, MT-BC returns to South County Regional Library to make music  in partnership with Down Syndrome Association of Greater Charlotte. This music class is for young children with Down syndrome and their parents or guardians. Miss Melissa will explain benefits of music therapy and music making for early childhood and share summer camp programs that PMT is offering in Charlotte. Read more about Friday's class on our promo flier:

Today we join in the international celebration of music therapy. March 1, 2018 is World Music Therapy Day.
Learn more about this global initiative organized by World Federation of Music Therapy. If you're on Facebook then check out some of the memes that were collected for the World Music Therapy Day Meme Contest!  
Join us in celebrating music therapy here in the Carolinas and all across the world.

Ashley Tisdale, MT-BC selected "Count On Me" co-written by Bruno Mars,  Mars, Philip Lawrence, and Ari Levine under their alias of The Smeezingtons.  🎧 ❤️ Here's the original music video! 
Ashley’s Reasoning: The song is about support and the many lengths people are willing to go to so they can take care of another person. As music therapists, the support we give our clients is unique and tantamount to each individual’s growth.​ #mtadvocacy #mtbc #musictherapist #journey #professional #January #2018 #recognition