About the World Federation of Music Therapy
The World Federation of Music Therapy (WFMT) is dedicated to developing and promoting music therapy throughout the world as an art and science. The Federation supports a global music therapy network for exchanging and disseminating information about educational programs, clinical practice, and research in all parts of the world. The speakers in the AMTA-Pro podcast – Anita Swanson, Daniel Tague, and Andi McGraw Hunt – talk about ways in which professionals and students can collaborate with peers in other countries. They also tell us about some of the current WFMT initiatives such as contributions to research, plans for the upcoming 2020 World Congress of Music Therapy, and ways to participate in the annual March 1 World Music Therapy Day. The info page for this podcast includes photos, resources, and more information about the World Federation of Music Therapy.
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About the World Federation of Music Therapy
AMTA-Pro Podcast ~ February 2020
Anita L. Swanson, Daniel Tague, and Andrea McGraw Hunt
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The World Federation of Music Therapy is dedicated to developing and promoting music therapy throughout the world as an art and science. The Federation supports the global development of educational programs, clinical practice, and research to demonstrate the contributions of music therapy to humanity and supports the exchange and dissemination of knowledge and information. Because the growth of music therapy has varied across countries and because concepts of music, health, and therapy vary according to culture, the WFMT is aware of the need for flexibility when working among many differing views. Thus, the WFMT supports a global music therapy network that includes all cultural and ethnic backgrounds. In addition, it encourages and enforces open, ongoing communication, and global collaboration as the foundation of learning and growth for our profession which strives towards the same goal: the development and recognition of the music therapy profession as a therapeutic modality.
The three AMTA-Pro speakers are speaking on behalf of the WFMT board pictured here, a group that includes music therapists from around the world. In the podcast, speakers will share a brief history and founding principles of the WFMT, and they will talk about the current structure of the WFMT, about opportunities for organizations and individuals to join the WFMT, and about opportunities for MT professionals and students to collaborate with a variety of projects. Presenters will highlight many of the current WFMT initiatives.
2020 World Congress
https://www.up.ac.za/music-therapy-2020
World Music Therapy Day – March 1
https://www.wfmt.info/world-music-therapy-day/
#worldmusictherapyday
World Federation of Music Therapy Membership Application
https://www.wfmt.info/wfmt-membership/membership-application/
WFMT – Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/65653187016/
@WFMTinfo – Twitter
worldfederationmusictherapy – Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/worldfederationmusictherapy/?hl=en
WFMT videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/WFMTMovies?feature=mhee
AMTA-Pro Speakers
Anita L. Swanson, Ph.D., MT-BC is an Associate Professor of Music Therapy. She is passionate about assisting future and current music therapists. She also enjoys promoting global music therapy connections. Dr. Swanson is now in her third term as a Council member of the World Federation of Music Therapy. She currently serves as Secretary and previously served as North American Regional Liaison and Public Relations Chair.
Dr. Swanson frequently presents across the United States and internationally on a wide range of topics. Often, she provides in-services to classroom teachers about how to successfully integrate students with unique learning needs into their classrooms. She has published in several journals including the Journal of Music Therapy, Music Therapy Perspectives, Music Therapy Today, Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, Australian Journal of Music Therapy, Music and Medicine, and International Journal of School and Educational Psychology. Her book Treatment Planning for Music Therapy Cases is available from Sarsen Publishing.
Prior to becoming a professor, Dr. Swanson was in private practice. She served a plethora of populations, including intensive work with children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. More recently, she engaged in physical, communicative, social, and emotional work with persons who have neurological disorders or traumatic brain injuries. Many of Dr. Swanson’s research studies stem from her practice and service work. Thus, her research interests include communication (including Augmentative and Alternative Communication), interprofessional education and training, and music therapy and its development in different cultures.
Daniel Tague, PhD, MT-BC, has experience as a teacher, clinician, blogger and researcher in the field of music therapy. Tague has quickly emerged as a rising authority within the music therapy field, working within a variety of settings including hospitals, school districts and rehabilitation units. He developed a pilot improvisational drumming curriculum for music therapy and music education students, and researched the effect of music therapy and art therapy on mood in patients with mental health needs. As part of his work with the World Federation of Music therapy, he recently co-authored a worldwide survey study on music therapy clinical practice around the world. His current research projects include investigating music-based mindfulness for people with substance abuse and older adults with dementia. Another focus is his work with a team of researchers using music therapy to assist with pain and anxiety management after heart surgery.
Tague taught music therapy and directed the program at Shenandoah University in Virginia from 2012 to 2017. In 2017, he was re-elected to serve a three-year term as the chair of the clinical practice commission for the World Federation of Music Therapy. Tague was able to present preliminary results from the worldwide survey on clinical practice at the 15th World Congress of Music Therapy in Tsukuba, Japan in July 2017. He has led two study abroad trips to international conferences in Austria and Japan for music therapy students and hopes to lead another trip to South Africa for the 16th World Congress of Music Therapy.
Tague holds degrees from The Florida State University (Ph.D. in Music Therapy), The University of Kansas (Master of Music Education with honors in Music Therapy) and Texas Tech University (Bachelor of Arts in Russian Language and Area Studies/European History).
Andrea McGraw Hunt, PhD, MT-BC has practiced music therapy since 1997 with clients in various settings, including skilled nursing, inpatient psychiatric, and residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation, in addition to private practice in the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music. As assistant director of Temple University’s Arts and Quality of Life Research Center, she oversaw all aspects of the Center’s operations, including project and research designs; community partnerships; obtaining funding; data collection, management, and analysis; and reports of project outcomes. She also taught and assisted with clinical coordination at Temple University before taking a position at Immaculata University where she served as clinical coordinator and a core faculty member for both the undergraduate and graduate programs.
Dr. Hunt has presented both nationally and internationally on her research and clinical practice, particularly on the topics of neurophenomenology and the interface of the neuroscience and music therapy fields. Her research focuses on the use of electroencephalogram (EEG) in live music therapy experiences, particularly addressing mental health needs. Her interests also include exploring the role of community music therapy in social justice movements in the US. She is a founding member of Mandala, an interfaith devotional music ensemble, which performs in the Philadelphia region and across the country. Outside of music therapy she enjoys doing gymnastics and flying trapeze, gardening, and traveling with her family.