Wisconsin Chapter for Music Therapy

The Music Therapy Center of Houston and Autism

WCMT — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:13:04 +0000

Watch the power of music therapy in action! Watch video

Sparking Memories Musically

WCMT — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:05:30 +0000

In the battle against Alzheimer’s, families are turning to a music as a way to reconnect with their loved ones. NBC’s Nancy Snyderman reports.

To watch more, click here.

The Healing Power of Music

WCMT — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:51:29 +0000

An unconventional approach to recovery and coping, music therapy is a field of medicine capturing new attention due to its role in helping Gabrielle Giffords recover from a gunshot. Correspondent Spencer Michels reports on the versatility of music in a medical setting, but the difficulty of quantifying its effectiveness. To read more or see the video clip, click here.

Songs for healing. Can music be the cure?

WCMT — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:46:01 +0000

Gabbie, a four-year-old with leukemia and Down syndrome, participates in music therapy while receiving chemotherapy treatments at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. The music accompanying the chemo makes the sessions less stressful, her mother said. To read the article or see the video clip, click here.

March is Music Therapy Month

WCMT — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:26:30 +0000

March is Music Therapy Month

The Wisconsin Chapter for Music Therapy is pleased to announce that Governor Scott Walker has proclaimed March 2012 as “Music Therapy Month” in Wisconsin.

Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individuals goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. As an established healthcare profession, music therapy uses msuci to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals of all ages. Music theapy interventions can be designed to:

• Promote wellnessManage stress
• Alleviate pain
• Express feelings
• Enhance memory
• Improve communication
• Promote physical rehabilitation

More than one hundred board-certified music therapists practice at over eighty facilities statewide. Wisconsin is also home to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Cliare and Alverno College, which have produced a number of music therapy alumni through their well-established degree programs founded in 1969 and 1950 respectively.

Click here to read more about “Music Therapy Month”

Music therapist puts together CD of patients’, caregivers’ songs

WCMT — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:50:09 +0000

Gundersen Lutheran music therapist Amy Schaack is releasing a 27-song CD written by the hosptial’s patients and caregivers, including Harland Thorson of Onalaska, who is currently fighting lung cancer.

Treating Stress, Speech Disorders With Music

WCMT — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:04:31 +0000

More and more hospitals and clinics now offer music therapy as a supplementary treatment for everything from anxiety to Alzheimer’s, but its efficacy varies for different conditions. Neurologist Oliver Sacks and several music therapists discuss the science and practice of music therapy. Click here to visit the website and listen to the ‘Science Friday’ with Ira Flatow podcast.

Ben Folds Supports Music Therapy!

WCMT — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:07:13 +0000

Ben Folds made an appearance at the 2011 National Music Therapy Conference in Atlanta, GA to show his support for music therapy.

Gabby Giffords & Mark Kelly: Courage and Hope

WCMT — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:59:38 +0000

Congresswoman Giffords and her husband share their story with Diane Sawyer. To read more click on this link to learn more about this 20/20 story and the amazing power of music therapy!

Dementia patients respond to UW-Eau Claire music therapy

WCMT — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 03:48:04 +0000

Lee Anna Rasar’s lifelong love of music shows, particularly as her fingers fly across the keys, unleashing favorite melodies for Syverson Lutheran Home residents who gather around her at the piano every week.

For roughly 20 years, the UW-Eau Claire music therapy instructor and her students have been visiting Syverson, applying lessons learned in “Therapeutic Application of Dance and Movement,” and “Clinical Application of Percussion Techniques,” both courses currently offered at UW-Eau Claire.

“It’s been a wonderful win-win collaboration between Syverson and the university,” observed Rasar, who said the program benefits Syverson residents, UW-Eau Claire students and research efforts.”

To read more, comment and watch a video clip – click here