Making Musical Connections

About the Author: Ann Dinsmore is the director of music therapy at the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown.

Masonic Village at Elizabethtown music therapists Kimberly Glass, Kathy Keener Shantz, Angela Junker, Elizabeth Eargle and I, as well as our interns and students, were among the more than 700 who gathered in Harrisburg for the Mid-Atlantic Region (MAR) of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) Conference March 17-19. The MAR includes Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.; and is AMTA’s largest region. One of the many blessings of the annual conference is the chance to connect with other professionals and students in a variety of ways.

All five of us connected with new techniques and ideas, research, and leaders in the field of music therapy during presentations, exhibits, and networking. We left Harrisburg energized by our profession and ready to connect with Masonic Village residents and staff once again.

Here are some of the most meaningful connections we experienced:

• Masonic Village connected with each conference participant by providing a pen/highlighter which read “A Continuing Care Retirement Community proudly providing Music Therapy for over 17 years” under the “Enjoy Life Your Way” logo. We also donated a portable keyboard to the Silent Auction and shared our instruments and resources for use by conference presenters. These actions made us a “Bronze Sponsor” of the Conference.
• Kim served as co-chair of the AV/Instrument Committee for the event, organizing all the materials and instruments for over 100 concurrent sessions.
• Executive Director Cindy Phillips, Resident Services Director Gary Wylde, and I attended an Advocacy Breakfast on March 18. We networked with legislators, health care administrators, and members of the regional and national music therapy organization to support Senate Bill 947 and House Bill 1438, which provides for music therapy licensure in Pennsylvania.
• We connected with dozens of present and former music therapy students, who completed clinical experiences and internships at Masonic Village – some of whom now work in other continuing care retirement communities. We are reminded just how many young music therapists we have educated! Liz attended the Internship Supervision course at the conference, preparing to supervise her first full-time intern this year.
• With the help of Kathy, I presented “Trying to Connect: Music Therapy in Continuing Care” for over 75 participants. We discussed the challenges of our work, as well as the importance of strong connections with residents, co-workers, administration, the community, the media, and other music therapists in similar settings.
• I also presented “What is Music Therapy?” to high school students (and their parents) who are interested in pursuing music therapy in college.
• We connected with our fellow music therapists from Masonic Village at Sewickley: Megan Zulauf, DeeDee Evans, and present intern Holly Ivancic.
• Following in Sewickley’s footsteps, Kim, Kathy, Angela and I learned about starting a “Ukulele Club” at a workshop entitled “You Can Uke: A Ukulele Method for Music Therapy.” Using part of a wonderful memorial gift from the family of Elwood Fink, we plan to purchase ukuleles and accessories to begin this new venture in the next few months.