2025 MAR-AMTA Annual Hybrid Conference, April 3rd-5th, 2025 

2025 MAR-AMTA Conference Registration is Open!

The Conference Planning Committee is so excited to be having a completely new format for conference this year! All concurrent sessions will be held virtually on April 3rd and 4th and at in-person satellite sites (Howard University, Duquesne University, and Immaculata University) on April 5th, 2025.

Conference is a great opportunity to earn CMTEs, network with others, and learn about current music therapy happenings throughout our region. We look forward to hosting you this spring!

Register Now on Whova

Special thanks to the Conference Planning Committee for their time, effort, and service to our region. Please reach out to Allison or Alysha with any conference-related questions.

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The keynote and awards ceremony will be Saturday 4/5 at 9:30: 

“The focus of my talk will be on building knowledge; the awareness of our history and the intentionality our future requires. I will also be sharing about my current research around cultural humility; Our ability to change or expand on our thoughts and views; and perceived socio-political neutrality in helping professionals. ” 

Natalia holds a master’s degree in music therapy and is a board-certified music therapist working in the trauma field since 2012. Natalia has complete training in Trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), Eye movement, desensitization, and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), and is a bilingual (Spanish/English) professional. Natalia has conducted and presented qualitative research focusing on the importance of cultural humility when effectively working with individuals who have experienced trauma, within and beyond the music therapy field, both locally and nationally.  She has work experience in outpatient, inpatient, residential treatment, drug and alcohol dependence recovery, and safe house coordinator, among other trauma focused settings. She has developed and teaches a six-week course for white aspiring allies, focusing on cognitive behavioral approaches to uncover and challenge biased automatic thoughts. Natalia facilitates trainings, consults, and participates as a reviewer for ongoing research, assisting teachers, professors, and institutions, within the intersections of topics mentioned above.  Natalia travels nationally as an educator for guest lectures, continuing education for professional development and as a graduate professor, as it pertains to ethical practices and the intersections between trauma focused practices and cultural humility. She is starting her second year of doctoral studies in Leadership and learning organizations.  Natalia is a strong advocate for anti-oppression, access to education and mental health resources pertaining to marginalized groups such as LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and immigrant individuals. One of Natalia’s life guiding quotes “do the best you can, until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better,” by Dr. Maya Angelou, is intrinsically embedded in the way Natalia navigates and influences the spaces that she is a part of.

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Call for Nominations!

The MAR-AMTA Nominating Committee is now accepting nominations for the upcoming general election. We are looking for individuals interested in running for the positions of President Elect, Vice President for Membership, Vice President for Conference Planning Elect, Treasurer Elect, Government-Relations Elect, Public Relations Chair, and Assembly of Delegates. To submit a nomination for yourself or for someone else, please fill out the Nominations Form. Someone from the Nominating Committee will follow up with you or the person you nominated to get more information and answer any questions. You can also send an email directly to pastpresident@maramta.org.

The next MAR-AMTA Executive Board Open House will take place on Monday, March 31st at 7:00pm. Interested attendees can register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/OeFTg9f-QhOhDZYkoDi7Pg

We are looking for people to run for the following positions:

• President-Elect (6 year term) 
• Vice President for Membership (2 year term)
• Vice President for Conference Planning-Elect (4 year term) (1 nominee)
• Treasurer-Elect (4 year term)
• Government Relations-Elect (4 year term) (1 nominee)
• Public Relations Chair (2 year term) (1 nominee)
• Assembly Delegate (2 year term) – We need 26 total, 13 delegates and 13 alternates.

Visit our Executive Board page to learn more about each position!

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Conference Updates and Information

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Conference Schedule

Asynchronous- Posted before the start of the conference	Presenters
Building a Community Choir	Elizabeth Ambrose, MMT, MT-BC, Lindsay Malloy, MT-BC, Allison Broaddrick MT-BC
Educational Psychology in Music Therapy	Brittany Rosado, MM, LPMT, MT-BC, NICU MT
Assessing and Working with Spiritual Needs in End-of-Life Music Therapy	Molly Grace Hicks, MMT, MT-BC, FT Reverend Beth Toler, M.Div. Th.D., LMFT
Music Therapy’s Effect on Behavior and Physiology in Premenstrual Syndrome Management	Eun Sil Suh, PhD., AVPT, KCMT, MT-BC, Kyurim Kang, Ph.D., MT-BC, NMT, Hyunjung Lee, Ph.D., KCMT, MT-BC, Lilly Vito

Thursday, April 3rd	Event	Presenters
9:00am-12:00pm	CMTE A	Stephenie Sofield, MM, MT-BC
	It’s Our Classroom and We’ll Cry if We Want To: Feelings as Compass in Practice and Pedagogy	Stephenie Sofield, MM, MT-BC
	Anti-carceral approaches to music therapy with drug users	Audrey Hausig
12:30-1:20pm	Concurrent Session 1
	University Sponsored Student Research: Sleep Health of Music Therapy Undergraduate Students	Angela Guerriero, PhD, MT-BC; Elizabeth Weaver, MT student
	Harmony Helpers: Using the Zones of Regulation® to guide music therapy experiences	Elizabeth Ghiorzi, MA, MT-BC
	The Music Zoom: Developing Connection in Remote Music Therapy	Mariana Aslan MT-BC, LCAT
	New Day – Updates from the MAR Assembly of Delegates	“The 2024-2025 MAR Assembly Delegation: Your elected representatives are dedicated to providing important updates on Association policy and business and need to hear your questions, concerns, and ideas in order to best represent your interests.”
	Community Music Therapy: What is it and How to do it?	Juyoung Lee Ph.D., MT-BC, RMT
2:00-3:40pm	Concurrent 2 – 100 minute session
	Narrative Formation in Music Therapy to Promote Post-Traumatic Growth in Veterans	Sarah Pugliese, LCAT, MMT, MT-BC
	The Liberation Music Therapist	Dorian Wallace, MT-BC
	Article Analysis, Experience Creation, and Scaffolding: Takeaways from an Undergraduate Methods Course	Anna Hladio (they/she), Music Therapy Student; Senia Duganhodzic (she/her), Music Therapy Student; Stephenie Sofield (she/her), MM, MT-BC
	Harmony in Justice: A Community Discussion on Systemic Inequities in Music Therapy	Sarah Alfred-Levow, MMT, MT-BC Zach Alfred-Levow, MT-BC Nadya Dereskavich, MT-BC Emily Gaffney, MA, MT-BC
2:00-2:50pm	Concurrent Session 2a – 50 minute session
	Music facilitation styles and behaviours across the health-care continuum: Multiple case studies	Juyoung Lee Ph.D., MT-BC, RMT
3:10-4:00pm	Concurrent Session 2b
	Practicing Music Therapy With Neurodivergent Menstruators	Jenna Ploski, MT-BC, NMT
	Music Therapy Andragogy: Facilitating Individual and Group Transformation	Clarissa Lacson, PhD, MT-BC; Adenike Webb, PhD, MT-BC: Flossie Ierardi, MA, MT-BC, LPC
4:00-4:50pm	State Task Force Meetings
5:00-8:00pm	CMTE B
	An Honest View into the Foundations of Business Ownership	Allison Broaddrick, MT-BC
5:00-6:40pm	MAR-AMTS Business Meeting 1 (students)
7:00-8:40pm	Student Swap Shop

Friday, April 4th	Event	Presenters
9:00-9:50am	Concurrent Session 3
	Practicing Abroad: Journeys of Three Music Therapists Across Five Continents	Ai Nakatsuka, MA, MT-BC, NMT; Cara Smith, MMus, MT-BC; Johanna Möller, MA
	Empowering Patients Through Music: A Practical Guide to Person-Centered Care	Pauline Broberg-Lewin, NMT, MT-BC, MSW, M. Ed.; Nadya Dereskavich, MT-BC
	A Study on the Role of Wind Instruments in Music Therapy	Marshall Colon, B.M.
10:10-11:00am	Concurrent Session 4
	Consumer-informed perspectives of trauma-informed care in music therapy during psychiatric hospitalization	Lindsy Burns, MT-BC, MMT, CCTS-I
	Crafting your Intervention Inventory: Exploring the art of organization and collaboration in Music Therapy Session Planning	Jessica Alberto, MT-BC; Hannah Coleman, MT-BC
	Music Therapy in Pediatric Intensive Care: It’s Not Just for Kids	Jamie Shegogue LPMT, MT-BC, NICU-MT
	Perspectives from an Introverted Music Therapist	Lauren Stoner, MA, MT-BC
11:30-1:00pm	Virtual Networking
2:00-4:00pm	Hidden Voices in Education: A Panel Exploring Perspectives
4:00-5:30pm	MAR-AMTA Business Meeting 1
6:00-7:00pm	Black Music Therapists Affinity Group
7:00-8:00pm	LBTQIA+ Music Therapists Affinity Group

Saturday, April 5th	Event
9:00-9:30am	Networking (in-Person)
9:30-11:30am	Keynote Speaker and Awards Ceremony (Virtual, to be streamed to in-person satellite sites)
11:30-1:00pm	Lunch Break
1:00-3:00pm	MAR-AMTA Business Meeting 2 (Virtual and to be streamed to in-person satellite sites)
3:15-4:45pm	Music Connection Time (In-person and virtual)
6:00-8:00pm	MAR-AMTS Business Meeting 2 (Students)
8:00pm	LAMTN Dance Party – Hosted by the Latin American Music Therapy Network

Sunday, April 6th	Event	Presenter
9:00am-12:00pm	CMTE C
	Leveling Up Your Clinical Guitar Skills	Robert Miller, MS, MT-BC
12:00pm-1:00pm	Peer support space for federal changes impacting music therapists
1:00-2:00pm	Latin American Music Therapy Network Meeting
2:00-3:00	SWANA Meeting
3:00pm	Closing Push Notification

Download the Conference Schedule here: 2025 MAR-AMTA Conference Schedule

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Anonymous Reviewers Needed!

We are in need of volunteers to be anonymous reviewers for conference submissions. If you submitted a presentation, you can still be an anonymous reviewer, I will just ensure that you do not get your own. The commitment is 1-5 hours, any volunteers get a certificate validating their service to the region which can be used for con Ed credit. 

Interested parties should email me at vpconferenceplanning@maramta.org with how many hours (between 1 and 5) they would like and I will send them the appropriate amount of sessions to review during that time. There is a format for reviewing and a rating scale. The review period will occur between Feb 1 and Feb 15, 2025.

Conference Presentation Proposals: A How To Guide

Please join the MAR-AMTA for this free 2 credit CMTE Live Monday, 1/13/25 7-9pm est & Recorded Conference Presentation Proposals: A How to Guide

Have you considered submitting a conference presentation proposal, but feel unsure? Is there a clinical technique, a co-treat, an obstacle or triumph at school or work, a setting you’ve worked in, research, or an aspiration you want to share with the community? Who you are and how you arrive in music therapy, education, and research is worth sharing. This 2 credit CMTE offers support in developing a topic and creating a presentation proposal. By the end of this course, participants will be able to submit a conference presentation. Facilitated by Audrey Hausig, MMT, MT-BC

Session Breakdown:

• 20- Introductions and objectives
• 20- Sociocultural identities and dynamics
• 30- Exploring and choosing topics
• 30- Developing objectives, creating an abstract, and sourcing references

Register: https://forms.gle/yeyjA4kFnwHXKDBFA

“Conference Presentaion Proposals: A How to Guide” is approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) for 2 Continuing Music Therapy Education credits. The MAR-AMTA P#065 maintains responsibility for program quality and adherence to CBMT policies and criteria.

2025 MAR-AMTA Annual Hybrid Conference Call for Papers is open! April 3rd-5th, 2025 

Hello MAR-AMTA! The Conference Planning Committee is so excited to be having a completely new format for conference this year! All concurrent sessions will be held virtually on April 3rd and 4th and at in person satellite sites on April 5th, 2025. The 2025 “Call for Papers” for our conference is officially open, and information for submitting a proposal is below! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Allison Broaddrick, VPCP at her email address below. Thank you all and we look forward to receiving your proposals and hosting you VIRTUALLY and at our Satellite sites (TBA) in 2025!! 

• Our virtual conference will be held April 3rd-5th, 2025, with the 5th offering in-person satellite sites at Universities throughout the region. 
• The “Call for Papers” is OPEN. All presenters must register for conference for their presentation to be accepted and included. Concurrent sessions may be pre-recorded or live. CMTE’s must be live. 
• Before filling out the online form, please review the following documents:
  • The 2025 Conference Proposal Review Information provides information on items that reviewers will be paying attention to, and provides more information on the proposal question related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • The 2025 Call For Papers PDF is a document that includes all of the questions so you can have a hard copy to refer to.  Please DO NOT use this to turn in your call for papers.  It must be submitted electronically through the link below. You may use this document for preparing to submit your proposal. 
• CMTE credits available to be earned for presentations: Total allowed: 100
  • 10 Credits for Less Than 150 Minutes of Delivery 
  • 30 Credits for Equal to or More Than 150 Minutes of Delivery 

• The Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Music Therapy Association seeks to acknowledge and repair the oppressive structures placed upon our historically marginalized music therapy colleagues and students. With this in mind, we are providing compensation in the form of free conference registration for historically marginalized music therapy members. We recognize the emotional labor required in both constructing and presenting these sessions. To receive this free conference registration:
  • Individuals must be from a historically marginalized community (e.g. Asian, Black, Disabled, Indigenous, Latinx, LGBTQIA2+, North African, South-West Asian).
    • MAR-AMTA recognizes Affinity Groups as those who represent historically marginalized and oppressed community members.
  • Individuals must submit their presentation within the “Call for Papers” call period.
    • Presentations must undergo the anonymous review process and receive a passing score. 
  • In the “Call for Papers,” individuals must select “yes” in the corresponding section for this compensation.
    • The Vice-President for Conference Planning will have sole access to this identifying information and will not question or police individuals identity. 

PROPOSAL DEADLINES:

NOVEMBER 25, 2024 (by 11:59pm): $35.00 registration discount

DECEMBER 16, 2024 (by 11:59pm): $25.00 registration discount

DECEMBER 31, 2024 (by 11:59pm): Final submission deadline.  (No registration discount.)

(Discounts are for concurrent sessions ONLY. Both CMTE’s and Pre-Conference Institutes receive a stipend)

Last but not least, please follow THIS LINK to submit your proposal. We are excited for your submissions and hope to host you at the 2025 Virtual Conference! 

If you have any questions please contact Allison Broaddrick at vpconferenceplanning@maramta.org . 

In service, 

Allison Broaddrick, MT-BC 

Vice-President of Conference Planning MAR-AMTA

vpconferenceplanning@maramta.org 

Alysha Suley, MM, MT-BC

Vice-President of Conference Planning Elect MAR-AMTA

vpconferenceplanningelect@maramta.org 

Miranda Murphy, MT-BC 

Continuing Education Coordinator, MAR-AMTA

continuingeducation@maramta.org 

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Conference Updates and Announcements

Past MAR Conferences

More information about previous Mid-Atlantic Region Music Therapy Conferences is available in the conference archives. Click here to access the archives.