Sigma Alpha Iota

P A N P I P E S Spring 2021 9 Neurologic Music Therapy Training MUSIC THERAPY As a music therapist working in long-term care, I am al- ways looking for ways to expand my knowledge of best practice in the field to become a better clinician. With assistance from a Sigma Alpha Iota Professional Devel- opment Grant, I attended the virtual Neurologic Music erapy Training in June 2020. e training was provided by the International Neurologic Music erapy Training Institute. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the four-day training was held online. More than eighty participants attended from around the world, including clinicians from across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. During the training, I learned many specific Neurologic Music erapy (NMT) techniques related to the domains of cognition, speech and language, and sensorimotor. I typically provide music therapy services for residents with a variety of diagnoses, including dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury, depression, and anxiety. e techniques learned in the training will help me become more adept at my work in the long-term care setting. Although there may be advantages to having the training in person, one special experience stood out to me during the virtual training. A sensorimo- tor technique that we were introduced to during the training was Patterned Sensory Enhancement (PSE). PSE involves using the various elements of music, including pitch, dynamics, tempo, rhythm, accents, and harmony, to facilitate functional movement. We were placed into virtual small groups to practice PSE with the other participants. NMT experts from around the world joined these groups and I was placed in a group with a professor from the Nether- lands, Dr. Laurien Hakvoort. Dr. Hakvoort assisted us as we learned more about PSE, and she showed us a video of one of her students demonstrating the technique on the cello. My primary instrument is cello, which I then shared with the group, and Dr. Hakvoort asked me to demonstrate the technique on my own cello. I love being able to use cello during music therapy sessions, and it was a valuable experience to practice this technique with others in the training. Once I completed the training and took an exam, I then became a certified Neurologic Music erapist. I have started implementing these techniques with residents that receive music therapy services at my place of work. Because of this training, I have more effectively assisted the residents in long-term care with reaching their individualized music therapy goals. NMT has provided me with a new way of thinking about music therapy, and thus has enhanced my skills as a clinician. Overall, I am very grate- ful to Sigma Alpha Iota for assisting me with a Professional Development Grant to attend the NMT training. I am excited to see how I will continue to use this knowledge in my practice! Laura Cribb Todd, an initiate of Beta Alpha chapter at Florida State University, is a music therapist at Baptist Village Retirement Communities in Waycross, GA.

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