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.


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.


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!


Conference Updates and Information

2025 Open Meetings
2025 Open Meetings
Conference Moderators Needed
Conference Moderators Needed
Keynote Speaker: Natalia Alvarez-Figueroa
Keynote Speaker: Natalia Alvarez-Figueroa
2025 Conference Schedule
2025 Conference Schedule
Anonymous Reviewers Needed!
Anonymous Reviewers Needed!
Conference Presentation Proposals: A How To Guide
Conference Presentation Proposals: A How To Guide
2025 MAR-AMTA Annual Hybrid Conference Call for Papers is open! April 3rd-5th, 2025 
2025 MAR-AMTA Annual Hybrid Conference Call for Papers is open! April 3rd-5th, 2025 
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Conference Schedule

Asynchronous- Posted before the start of the conference Presenters
Building a Community ChoirElizabeth Ambrose, MMT, MT-BC, Lindsay Malloy, MT-BC, Allison Broaddrick MT-BC
Educational Psychology in Music TherapyBrittany Rosado, MM, LPMT, MT-BC, NICU MT
Assessing and Working with Spiritual Needs in End-of-Life Music TherapyMolly 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 ManagementEun 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 3rdEventPresenters
9:00am-12:00pmCMTE AStephenie Sofield, MM, MT-BC
It’s Our Classroom and We’ll Cry if We Want To: Feelings as Compass in Practice and PedagogyStephenie Sofield, MM, MT-BC
Anti-carceral approaches to music therapy with drug usersAudrey Hausig
12:30-1:20pmConcurrent Session 1
University Sponsored Student Research: Sleep Health of Music Therapy Undergraduate StudentsAngela Guerriero, PhD, MT-BC; Elizabeth Weaver, MT student
Harmony Helpers: Using the Zones of Regulation® to guide music therapy experiencesElizabeth Ghiorzi, MA, MT-BC
The Music Zoom: Developing Connection in Remote Music TherapyMariana 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
2:00-3:40pmConcurrent 2 – 100 minute session 
Narrative Formation in Music Therapy to Promote Post-Traumatic Growth in VeteransSarah Pugliese, LCAT, MMT, MT-BC
The Liberation Music TherapistDorian Wallace, MT-BC
Article Analysis, Experience Creation, and Scaffolding: Takeaways from an Undergraduate Methods CourseAnna 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 TherapySarah Alfred-Levow, MMT, MT-BC
Zach Alfred-Levow, MT-BC
Nadya Dereskavich, MT-BC
Emily Gaffney, MA, MT-BC
2:00-2:50pmConcurrent Session 2a – 50 minute session
Music facilitation styles and behaviours across the health-care continuum: Multiple case studiesJuyoung Lee Ph.D., MT-BC, RMT
3:10-4:00pm Concurrent Session 2b
Practicing Music Therapy With Neurodivergent MenstruatorsJenna Ploski, MT-BC, NMT
Music Therapy Andragogy: Facilitating Individual and Group TransformationClarissa Lacson, PhD, MT-BC; Adenike Webb, PhD, MT-BC: Flossie Ierardi, MA, MT-BC, LPC
4:00-4:50pmState Task Force Meetings
5:00-8:00pmCMTE B
An Honest View into the Foundations of Business OwnershipAllison Broaddrick, MT-BC
5:00-6:40pmMAR-AMTS Business Meeting 1 (students)
7:00-8:40pmStudent Swap Shop
Friday, April 4thEventPresenters
9:00-9:50amConcurrent Session 3
Practicing Abroad: Journeys of Three Music Therapists Across Five ContinentsAi Nakatsuka, MA, MT-BC, NMT; Cara Smith, MMus, MT-BC; Johanna Möller, MA
Empowering Patients Through Music: A Practical Guide to Person-Centered CarePauline Broberg-Lewin, NMT, MT-BC, MSW, M. Ed.; Nadya Dereskavich, MT-BC
A Study on the Role of Wind Instruments in Music TherapyMarshall Colon, B.M.
10:10-11:00amConcurrent Session 4
Consumer-informed perspectives of trauma-informed care in music therapy during psychiatric hospitalizationLindsy Burns, MT-BC, MMT, CCTS-I
Crafting your Intervention Inventory: Exploring the art of organization and collaboration in Music Therapy Session PlanningJessica Alberto, MT-BC; Hannah Coleman, MT-BC
Music Therapy in Pediatric Intensive Care: It’s Not Just for KidsJamie Shegogue LPMT, MT-BC, NICU-MT
Perspectives from an Introverted Music TherapistLauren Stoner, MA, MT-BC
11:30-1:00pmVirtual Networking
2:00-4:00pmHidden Voices in Education: A Panel Exploring Perspectives
4:00-5:30pmMAR-AMTA Business Meeting 1
6:00-7:00pmBlack Music Therapists Affinity Group
7:00-8:00pmLBTQIA+ Music Therapists Affinity Group
Saturday, April 5thEvent
9:00-9:30am Networking (in-Person)
9:30-11:30amKeynote Speaker and Awards Ceremony (Virtual, to be streamed to in-person satellite sites)
11:30-1:00pmLunch Break
1:00-3:00pm MAR-AMTA Business Meeting 2 (Virtual and to be streamed to in-person satellite sites)
3:15-4:45pmMusic Connection Time (In-person and virtual)
6:00-8:00pmMAR-AMTS Business Meeting 2 (Students)
8:00pmLAMTN Dance Party – Hosted by the Latin American Music Therapy Network
Sunday, April 6thEventPresenter
9:00am-12:00pmCMTE C
Leveling Up Your Clinical Guitar SkillsRobert Miller, MS, MT-BC
12:00pm-1:00pmPeer support space for federal changes impacting music therapists
1:00-2:00pmLatin American Music Therapy Network Meeting
2:00-3:00SWANA Meeting
3:00pmClosing Push Notification

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


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 


Conference Updates and Announcements

2025 Open Meetings (4/2/2025) - The following meetings are open to all music therapists and music therapy students in the Mid Atlantic Region (regardless of conference registration). These meetings are not eligible for continuing education credits. Please refer back to this document as links become available later in the week.  MAR-AMTA Regional Hybrid Conference  APRIL 3-6TH VIRTUAL WITH IN PERSON […]
Conference Moderators Needed (4/2/2025) - We are still seeking volunteer moderators to assist in the conference! If you plan on attending conference, we would love your help! You will receive 1 credit of continuing education for service to the profession for every 50 minutes of moderation.  We need moderators for the following times:  If you are available at any of these […]
Keynote Speaker: Natalia Alvarez-Figueroa (4/2/2025) - 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; […]
2025 Conference Schedule (3/28/2025) - MAR-AMTA Regional Hybrid Conference  APRIL 3-6TH VIRTUAL WITH IN PERSON SATELLITES: HOWARD, DUQUESNE, & IMMACULATA Register: https://whova.com/portal/registration/KecvuR6ATMHg7RfjL9@5/?preview_image=3 CMTEs 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, MMT, MT-BC An Honest View into the Foundations […]
Anonymous Reviewers Needed! (1/13/2025) - 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 […]
Conference Presentation Proposals: A How To Guide (1/13/2025) - 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, […]
2025 MAR-AMTA Annual Hybrid Conference Call for Papers is open! April 3rd-5th, 2025  (11/13/2024) - 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 […]
Affinity Group Meetings (4/3/2024) - MAR Regional Conference Affinity Spaces: These meetings are open to students and professionals in the MAR who identify as the socio-cultural identities/community of each group. (Conference Registration is not needed to attend.) Thursday, April 4th Saturday, April 6th
2024 Bylaws Revisions Proposals and Business Meetings (3/27/2024) - Please find the 2024 Bylaws Revision Proposals at this link. These will be read and discussed General Business Meetings and members (including students) will vote on approving these revisions to be sent out to the membership for electronic voting via email. Please direct questions or comments to the Bylaws Committee Chair, Amanda Montera at presidentelect@maramta.org. Here you […]
CMTEs and Conference Schedule (3/10/2024) - MAR-AMTA Virtual Conference CMTE Offerings. April 4-6th. CMTE’s are included in the price of conference for AMTA members. They can be purchased for an additional fee for non-members. The MAR-AMTA thanks the AMTA and symposium presenters for making their courses accessible to MAR conference attendees.  Register now: https://whova.com/portal/registration/maram_202404/ MAR-AMTA CMTEs These courses will be virtual and live […]

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.