From left to right

Back row: Julia Lopez-Kaley, senior MT major; Amber Finch Leavitt, '09; Tracy Richardson, MT faculty; and Morgan May, MT intern

Front row: Sharon R Boyle, MT faculty; Jennifer Pinson, second degree MT student

The music therapy faculty and a few music therapy students from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College recently attended the Great Lakes Region of the American Music Therapy Association (GLR-AMTA) Conference held March 18-21, 2010, in Indianapolis. SMWC music therapy students attended a student-organized Passages Conference held the first day of the professional conference at IUPUI. Others attended sessions at the professional conference, as well as meetings for the Great Lakes Region of the American Music Therapy Association Students (GLR-AMTAS). Music therapy students who attended include: Jamie Ubalde, Julia Lopez-Kaley, Cathleen Flynn, Gloria Stearns-Bruner, Morgan May and Jennifer Pinson.

Pinson, a native of Mooresville, Ind., and a second degree double major in music therapy and psychology, was offered a music therapy internship at Orchard Manor, a long term care county facility in Lancaster, Wisconsin, while at the conference. This internship will begin in January 2011 and end in the summer of 2011. In addition, she was elected president of GLR-AMTAS, which represents 16 academic programs within the region. This is an honor never before held by a SMWC music therapy student and the term is for one year.

Sharon R. Boyle, associate professor of Music Therapy, is the Association for Indiana Music Therapy (AIMT) state president and was on the program planning committee for this conference. In addition, she presided for a concurrent session, as well as a continuing education (CMTE) course. She also presented a 2-hour session entitled, “Music for Ourselves: Making Music with Other Music Therapists”, and attended two CMTEs during the conference.

Tracy Richardson, associate professor of Music Therapy, is the GLR-AMTA president-elect and is preparing to take on the role of president next spring. In addition, she presented a 5-hour CMTE course entitled, “Recharge Your Songwriting: A Workshop to Improve Skills and Confidence”. This presentation also served to help Richardson collect data for her dissertation, as she works toward completing her Ph.D. in Counselor Education at Indiana State University.