Are you a leader? Many students and newly board certified music therapists might hesitate to dive into a professional leadership role early in their career. In this podcast, two experienced music therapists who have served AMTA in a wide variety of capacities take some time during a very busy national music therapy conference to sit in front of the AMTA-Pro microphone to share their thoughts about the value of beginning early in a career path when considering leadership opportunities. Podcast speakers Amber Weldon-Stephens and Jean Nemeth not only encourage all music therapists to become involved in their local, state, regional, and national music therapy organizations, but the two experienced professionals also provide numerous specific, practical tips for making a journey into leadership rewarding and enriching.


Leadership for Students and New MT-BCs
with Jean Nemeth & Amber Weldon-Stephens
AMTA-Pro Podcast in January, 2020

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Every person is involved in some form of leadership in their personal and professional lives. A leader has a vision and thinks creatively to implement and encourage others to work with them to move forward. Many students and newly board certified music therapists might hesitate to dive into a professional leadership role early in their career. Jean and Amber,  experienced music therapists who have served AMTA in a wide variety of capacities, provide numerous specific, practical tips in this podcast for making the journey into leadership rewarding and enriching, and they encourage all music therapists to become involved in their local, state, regional, and national music therapy organizations.

1. What is leadership?

2. What are helpful leadership attributes?

3. What is your individual leadership style?

4. Smalley Institute Personality Test & Inventory (2015)

5. What should a person consider in situational leadership?

6. Leadership & Managements Style Quiz developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard

7. How do we balance our leadership styles within our professional and personal lives?

8. What do we recommend to podcast listeners?

About the AMTA-Pro Speakers

Jean Nemeth, PhD, MT-BC received her B.S. in Music Education at University of Connecticut, her M.A. in Music Therapy at Teachers College, Columbia University, and her PhD in Expressive Arts Therapy at Lesley University. Jean’s 38-year clinical career has focused on serving public school children with special needs. Specialty areas include autism, multi-handicaps, and inclusion programming. Long active in AMTA, she has held numerous positions both regionally & nationally. Jean served as as a long time Assembly Delegate & member of the NER Executive Board. Nationally, she has co-chaired both the Standards of Clinical Practice & Continuing Education Committees, served on the AMTA Education & Training Advisory Board, Restructuring Task Force, Development Committee, Executive Director Search Stakeholder Committee, and the Autism Strategic Priority Task Force. In addition, she chaired the Awards, Scholarship, & Silent Auction committees. Jean has also served on the AMTA Board of Directors as a Council Coordinator, Vice President Elect and recently completed her tenure as AMTA Vice President. Jean is the proud recipient of two awards from the NER and one national Service Award. A frequent regional and national presenter, Jean is a contributing author to AMTA’s publication: Effective Clinical Practice in Music Therapy: Early Childhood & School Age Educational Settings. Her doctoral dissertation, Essential Music Therapist Attributes for Relationship-Building with Children: Does our Profession Train Personal Abilities?, focused on the training of future music therapists. She has also assisted students in their music therapy education as a thesis advisor and practicum supervisor. Other notable publications include: Tips from the Trenches. iMAGINE Magazine [Audio podcast, 2015]. Retrieved from: http://www.imagine.musictherapy.biz and Music Therapy in Inclusive Classrooms. AMTA Pro [Audio podcast, 2010] Retrieved from: http://amtapro.musictherapy.org/?paged=6. Jean’s passion is ensuring a positive future for the music therapy profession as evidenced by this new AMTA-Pro Podcast: Leadership for Students & New MT-BCs.

Amber Weldon-Stephens, EdS, MEd, LPMT, MT-BC is the Department Chair and Internship Director for the Music Therapy Department with the Fulton County School System in Atlanta, Georgia. She started the program 30 years ago and now it is one of the largest school system music therapy programs in the nation. Amber holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy from the University of Georgia, a master’s degree in Multiple and Sensory Disabilities from Georgia State University and a specialist degree in Special Education Administration from the University of West Georgia. In 2000 Amber was selected as Fulton County Schools Teacher of the Year. In 2020, Amber is the Immediate Past President of the American Music Therapy Association and has served as the President of the Music Therapy Association of Georgia; President of the Southeastern Region of the American Music Therapy Association; President of the University of Georgia Redcoat Band Alumni Association; and President of the Kell High School Band Boosters Association. Amber currently teaches part time at Kennesaw State University, co-leads a children’s choir at her church, and teaches Drum Majors in the summers at the University of Georgia.