Abstract:
Music therapy will be defined, and the use of music as a therapeutic tool will be discussed. The goal-directed use of musical stimulation and interactions between the therapist and recipients leads to multiple psychological and physical benefits for the patient. Musical stimulation is received by the recipient through a complex neurological process (Thaut, Michael H. (11/87) Neurological Progression: Musical Stimulus to Observable Response. At the National Conference of the National Association for Music Therapy, Chicago, Ill). All persons living with dementia at all stages are able to interact during a musical process according to their abilities. Participants will join the therapist in creating, and engaging in, a music therapy session.
Biography:
As an undergraduate, Roberta Adler was the founder of the music therapy curriculum at Wayne State University music therapy curriculum (Bachelor of Music with a Concentrate in Music Therapy, June 1973). She has provided music therapy services across the age spectrum. As a Board Certified Music Therapist, she concentrates clinically on gerontology, intellectual disabilities, and psychiatry. She is Owner/Director of Mobile Music Therapy Services of Orange County. Roberta Adler is the author of Musical Assessment of Gerontologic Needs and Treatment: The MAGNET Survey (2nd Edition now in press); and primary author of Music Therapy for Multisensory and Body Awareness in Children and Adults with Severe to Profound Multiple Disabilities (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2017). A lyric-coloratura soprano, Bobbi enjoys her guitar, fretted dulcimer, and all genres of music. She has received the Wayne State University Howard J. Donnelly Leadership and Scholarship Award; The American Music Therapy Association Western Region Service and Professional Practice Awards; and the Shallway Foundation Award for Professional Excellence in Public Performance.
