I'm a Music Therapist

What happens when a music therapist goes to a music cognition conference? Answer: a lot of learning and new ideas!

Earlier this month, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the conference of the Society for Music Perception and Cognition in Nashville. Having only gone to AMTA conferences in the past, I was a little apprehensive about whether the scholarly jargon or statistics would be over my head, as this event was more about the science behind music and psychology than how to implement music as a therapeutic tool. No drum circles in sight (or earshot), either.

I did hear unfamiliar phrases like timbre masking and non-metered, non-tonal contemporary music (aside: huh?) on my first day. But, by the end of the weekend I was excited by how approachable the other attendees were, perhaps because this field is even smaller than music therapy. A good chunk of those at the conference were fellow students with backgrounds in music theory, psychology, neurobiology, and computer science, but everyone I met was inspired and interested to learn about how music was at play in each other’s work.

Most impressive to me was the vitality of the scientific community at SMPC. Almost everyone I spoke to was giving a talk sometime throughout the weekend. This participation extended beyond the lectures with Q&As, panel discussions, and poster sessions that I can only describe as buzzing. Audience members asked pointed questions, offered suggestions on future research directions, and shared personal experiences. Heck, there were over 100 posters available over the weekend and each was brimming with people excited to talk about music and science. At the end of 2 hours, the crowd had to be broken up and told to quiet down for the next slate of speakers!

The only thing I was left wanting was more of a music therapy presence. At a conference of around 200 attendees, there were only three music therapists at this preeminent event of music and psychology. More music therapists need to be involved in fields outside our own as a way to educate ourselves about what’s going on outside the music therapy world, but also to start conversations with how we can collaborate with others. When I told others I worked a music therapist, I was always greeted with enthusiasm, so I know there is openness and respect for the work we do.

Also lacking for me were explicit applications to music therapy practice. At the end of many talks I attended, I left asking, “So what?” from a clinical standpoint. The experimental data and statistical significance were there, but a connection to therapeutic applications weren’t always clear. How could these findings be translated into interventions that are meaningful to the clients that music therapists serve? How can the science be taken off a powerpoint and put into practice?

I was brave enough to approach one researcher who gave an amazing talk about music’s ability to recall autobiographical memories and asked him what therapeutic applications he saw for his findings. His response vaguely cited increasing quality of life for those living with dementia and in hospice settings, but he didn’t list any practical recommendations for implementing this goal area.

I suppose this is the work of the music therapist though, right? As the clinicians, we are tasked with deciphering the best research available so we can design interventions that are valid and meaningful to our clients’ situations. Going to this conference has me fired up even more as I start my graduate studies in music therapy to grow my research skills and deepen my understanding of how science can inform clinical practice. At this point in my career, it’s where I’m meant to be.

For any music therapists or students eager to delve into the world of music cognition, you’re in luck. The International Conference of Music Perception and Cognition is being held in San Francisco in July of 2016. Click here for more information. I’ll be there and I hope I’ll run into more than two music therapists this next time around.