INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The in January to provide community access to specialized health and wellness services. The center marks an expansion for the university, which already had an undergraduate music therapy program.
Amy Foley, director of music therapy at the University of Indianapolis, joined Daybreak on Monday to discuss the program.
She says that, whether managing stress, coping with grief, supporting physical rehabilitation, or enhancing communication skills, music therapy is about using music intentionally to support health and wellness.
“Music therapy is a field where music therapists are trained and board-certified to be able to assess people across the lifespan,” Foley said. “So, birth through end-of-life care, seeing what goals they may need to work on to enhance their life for health and wellness.”
Foley explained how music therapists help clients identify and meet their goals.
“We are trained to be able to look at someone’s communication skills, their cognitive skills, their motor functioning, really any sort of skill they could embed into music,” she said. “We use music as a personalized tool to reach those goals.”
Music therapy sessions often involve percussion instruments or music that the client prefers. Foley says practitioners may also engage in improvisation or songwriting during a session.
“We often will see what someone is gravitating toward, and we may engage someone in music that is their preferred music–stuff that is relatable to them for their life. Or, we may create music together.”
Foley distinguished the practice from standard music education by noting that lessons focus on musical proficiency, while therapy addresses health needs.
“A music lesson would be focused more on learning the music side, and we’re using music as a tool to work on non-musical goals primarily,” Foley said.
She added that therapists may work with individuals experiencing memory loss to help them retrieve information or stay oriented to the current time and place. The center is designed to improve access for those who might otherwise struggle to find community services.
While some people receive therapy through Medicaid waivers, the university center aims to bridge gaps in local care by accepting self-referrals.
“We do take referrals from related health professionals. We also allow self-referrals,” Foley said. “People can refer themselves and reach out to a music therapist to get started with services.”
In addition to expanding community access, the center also serves as an important clinical training site for UIndy music therapy students who must complete their required practicum hours
“I think we need a lot more music therapists in our field,” Foley said.
She says becoming a board-certified music therapist requires a four-year undergraduate degree. She suggests that people interested in the career connect with and observe current therapists to understand the profession before enrolling in a program.
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