16
Summer 2025
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sai-national.org
Museums
By Kiersten Weyer
I
was recently recipient of an SAI
Professional Development/Education
Grant to attend a music therapy training
to become a certified music therapist in
the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). After
completing a bachelor's degree, a 1,200-hour
internship, and a certification test to become
a Board Certified Music Therapist (BCMT),
an NICU-MT holds an extra certification—it
requires an eight-hour online training, a two-day
in-person training, and then a test to become
certified. This grant helped fund the in-person
training, which was held at Tallahassee Memorial
Healthcare in Florida.
This training was incredibly eye-opening
and fascinating, not only because I was learning
valuable information and hands-on training
but also because this was my first time ever in
the NICU. It truly was incredible meeting the
smallest humans fighting for their lives. Music
therapy in the NICU is a non-pharmacological
intervention to help these tiny infants discharge
up to two weeks early! Some goals for music
therapy in the NICU are to promote regulation
NICU Music Therapy
SAI Philanries, Inc.
Kiersten Weyer, Kiersten Weyer,
MT-BC, NMT, NICU-MT, MT-BC, NMT, NICU-MT,
in front of Tallahassee in front of Tallahassee
Memorial Healthcare Memorial Healthcare
Example of the Pacifier Activated Lullaby (PAL) Example of the Pacifier Activated Lullaby (PAL)
