Upstate Music Therapy Center, LLC

09/17/2024

Are you wearing new school clothes and shoes this back-to-school season, just like Pete the Cat? Check out this blog post for a fun "Rocking In My School Shoes" activity! 👟

It’s that time of year again! Time to pick out a new backpack, sharpen pencils, and get ready to learn! For the first time in almost 18 months, children around the country are getting ready to go back to school for in-person learning. This can be a daunting time for any child, but may be especiall...

09/09/2024

Need some help with those "Back-to-School Jitters"? Miss Hannah has you covered!

09/03/2024

Lots of our friends are back to school this week, and we're looking forward to seeing them again! Check out our September resources for Back-to-School and fall social stories and songs!

www.upstatemusictherapycenter.com/september-resources

08/28/2024

We can't believe how fast this summer has gone! With the back-to-school season approaching, here are some helpful tips and songs from our very own Katie Pistilli to help families and students to overcome those transitions! ✏️ 🎶

Going back to school after summer break can be quite the transition! With the sun setting so late, your child probably isn’t used to going to bed when they need to. The routines of school day mornings may feel like a struggle at first. Transitions are hard for us all! If your kids have a hard time...

08/14/2024

We're so excited to introduce another new member who will officially be starting with us in the fall - meet Katja Beebe!

𝙏𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙪𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 !
I was born and raised in North Carolina so I love the beach and the mountains! I love hiking and seeing waterfalls, but mostly I loved being able to spontaneously head to the beach for a relaxing afternoon with snacks and a book! I am a huge movie buff and a huge lover of board games as well, so I can play games or watch movies for hours and be perfectly content 😊

𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙨𝙩?
I was originally looking into nursing when I started undergrad, but I didn't want to stop playing music when I went to college, so I started looking into the possibility of pursuing a music minor. When I looked into music programs at various schools, I found out about music therapy and thought it was an amazing blend of my two passions, helping others and being a musician, so I pursued music therapy at my Alma mater East Carolina University and have been hooked since!

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤?
I love the ability to witness others experience the joy of music and making music, and showing that anyone can be apart of that process. The fact that I can be a catalyst for change in peoples lives by being creative and having fun with others just feels surreal every day.

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚?
I have witnessed music therapy change people's perspectives about themselves, about others, and about the world around them. I've witnessed music therapy join families and heal relationships. I've witnessed music therapy be able to change destructive habits and form healthy ones. I've seen confidence gained, hope restored, and self esteem flourish. I've seen music therapy aid patients in the ability to walk independently, to be able to eat again, to be able to control their breathing, and so many other physical rehabilitation stories. But most importantly, no matter what, I've seen people become comfortable, become joyful, and more open minded after experiencing music therapy.

Say hi to Katja in the comments! 👋

08/07/2024

Do you like to swim in the summer? 🌊 You could even pretend to be a sea creature like a goldfish! Join Miss Jamie for one of her favorite summer songs 🎶

07/31/2024

Summer can be full of adventures and sightseeing 👀 but oftentimes, that also comes with a lot of waiting. Especially waiting in LONG lines.

Waiting can be really hard for excited and energetic kids. (Understandably so! Waiting is hard for us adults too!) But waiting in lines can actually be FUN!! 🎉

Check out this blog post by one of our therapists, Miss Katie, as she shares some tips for sprucing up the waiting game and making it a bit more bearable!

The Waiting Game by Amy Thomas | Jul 20, 2022 | 0 comments Written by Katie Pistilli, MT-BC Waiting is hard for everyone, but especially for young children. Keep in mind, today’s toddlers and preschoolers have been exposed to a fraction of waiting opportunities of their older peers because of the ...

07/23/2024

We're so excited to introduce you to a new member of our team at UMTC - meet Taylor Tydings!

𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳!
I live on a pumpkin farm with my family, four cats, three dogs, and three donkeys! I love reading, watching movies, and playing board games with my family and friends.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘀𝘁?
I was trying to decide if I wanted to go into music or the healthcare field when a family friend received music therapy services while in the hospital and shared the experience on social media. I researched music therapy, shadowed a local music therapist, and decided I couldn't see myself doing anything else!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼?
I love how different each student, session, and day is. This work has taught me so much and I'm so thankful for all the opportunities it provides me to learn and grow.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆?
I wish people knew that you don't need to have any musical experience to benefit from music therapy! There are many ways to participate in music therapy that do not involve singing and/or playing pitched instruments.

Say hi to Taylor in the comments! 👋

07/17/2024

Looking for more ideas for summer fun? ☀ Check out the art, nature, and music activity ideas in our blog post!

Written by Amy Thomas, MT-BC, LCAT Who needs summer ideas for your children and family? In this blog you will find fun, creative, and simpleideas for the summer months. Keeping it simpleWe’re aware that simple for one person may not be simple for another. For this reason, we are sharing manytypes ...

07/10/2024

There are so many fun things to do in the summer ☀ and our summer resource page has all kinds of ideas, like eating some ice cream 🍦 or swimming 🌊 or singing along with some of our awesome music therapists! 🎶

Check out our summer songs and resources here: www.upstatemusictherapycenter.com/summer-resources

07/04/2024

Happy Independence Day and Fourth of July!🇺🇸

Want to play some Patriotic Bingo? Check out these templates from our website's summer songs and resources!

www.upstatemusictherapycenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Patriotic-Bingo.pdf

06/20/2024

Summer vacation is just about here! ☀️ To celebrate, our friend Chuck is back with more songs on the bells from his beach day! 🏖

06/16/2024

Happy Father's Day! 🎉 What do you love about the fathers in your life? Feel free to leave a comment below!

06/11/2024

We love these blue skies! 🩵 We can practice breathing in the beautiful scents of flowers 🌺 and then breathing out like we're blowing out a candle 🕯

Do some deep breathing with us as we sing along to this calming song called Blue Skies. Breathe in when you see the flower and breathe out when you see the c...

06/03/2024

Summer is just around the corner! Whether you're spending time in the garden🌻 or eating some ice cream🍦 feel free to check out our June songs and resources!

www.upstatemusictherapycenter.com/june-resources

05/27/2024

Memorial Day is a great day to enjoy and spend time with friends and family, but the holiday has a deeper meaning - today, we remember those who gave their lives for our freedoms.

How much do you know about the military branches and their anthems? Try the quiz from our May resource page:

https://www.upstatemusictherapycenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Questions-for-Military-Anthems.pdf

05/20/2024

One of our music therapists, Casey Kallman, just graduated from SUNY Brockport with her Master of Social Work degree this past week! She says “I’m so grateful that I was able to complete my Master’s while working for Upstate Music Therapy Center. Everyone was so supportive even through the challenges of both work and school!”

🎓 Congrats Casey! 🥳

05/12/2024

Happy Mother's Day! 🩷 One way to celebrate is by trying a scavenger hunt - here's one that we like to use:

www.upstatemusictherapycenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Mothers-Day-Scavenger-Hunt.pdf

What do you love about the mothers in your life? Feel free to leave a comment below!

05/07/2024

How many of these critters have you seen this spring? Join Miss Robin in the "Buggy Boogie" to crawl, jump, wiggle, and move! 🦋🐝🐛🐌🐞🐜🪱🦗

Spring is here! And with the warm weather, you might start seeing some little critters out and about. In this song, we're exploring how to move like the bugs...

05/01/2024

We love seeing flowers in bloom again 💐 and we also love sharing our monthly resources and songs! 🎶 Check out the page for May below:

www.upstatemusictherapycenter.com/may-resources

04/22/2024

Happy Earth Day! 🌎 Our friend Bella learned about some ways to help the earth and all the different things in it!

04/15/2024

🎉 Happy World Music Therapy Week! 🎶

Every day this week, we're sharing resources and stories to celebrate this amazing field! On this final day, we'd like to share a beautiful cover by our friend Bella!

04/14/2024

🎉 Happy World Music Therapy Week! 🎶

Every day this week, we're sharing resources and stories to celebrate this amazing field! Today, we'd like to share a blog post written by one of our incredible music therapists about the history of the field!

The History of Music Therapy by Amy Thomas | Dec 6, 2020 | 0 comments It is known that music, be it through rhythm or singing, developed in early human societies well before language. Evolutionary musicologists hypothesize that it acts not only as a form of communication, but also fosters social con...

04/13/2024

🎉 Happy World Music Therapy Week! 🎶

Every day this week, we're sharing resources and stories to celebrate this amazing field! One of our incredible music therapists Casey Kunzer would like to share her recent experience of presenting at SUNY Fredonia's Mini Music Therapy Conference!

Becoming MT-BCs: Presented by Casey Kunzer, MT-BC by Amy Thomas | Apr 10, 2024 | 0 comments This blog was written by Casey Kunzer, MT-BC On March 1st myself and my colleague Lauren had the opportunity to attend and present at SUNY Fredonia’s Mini Music Therapy Conference. Our presentation, “Beco...

04/12/2024

🎉 Happy World Music Therapy Week! 🎶

Every day this week, we're sharing resources and stories to celebrate this amazing field! Today, we'd like to share an interview of a parent's perspective in navigating music therapy through a variety of settings!

Post-Grad Music Therapy: A Parent’s Perspective by Amy Thomas | Aug 28, 2020 | 0 comments Congrats to the Class of 2020! Mari Johnson is one of many students who graduated high school from Newark Education Center this year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than concluding her services, Mari tra...

04/11/2024

🎉 Happy World Music Therapy Week! 🎶

Every day this week, we're sharing resources and stories to celebrate this amazing field! Today, another fantastic music therapist Katie Pistilli is sharing a relaxing, rhythmic breathing exercise!

04/10/2024

🎉 Happy World Music Therapy Week! 🎶

Every day this week, we're sharing resources and stories to celebrate this amazing field! Today, we'd like to share a summary of the numerous implementations and benefits that music therapy can have, especially with mental health!

World Music Therapy Week 2024 by Amy Thomas | Apr 3, 2024 | 0 comments This blog was written by Robin Neary and Amy Thomas. Happy World Music Therapy week! It brings us joy to know that all around the world music therapists are coming together to celebrate and educate our communities on our professi...

04/08/2024

We're only minutes away from the solar eclipse! ☀🌕 Our incredible music therapist Jamie Swieringa wanted to share a musical solar eclipse bingo for this special occasion! 🎶

04/06/2024

Are you planning on watching the once-in-a-lifetime event on Monday? ☀️ We're lucky enough to be in the path of totality for the solar eclipse!

To celebrate this out-of-this-world event, our incredible music therapist Abby Hamel has shared a brand new blog post about an exciting music book! 🌎🪐🌕☀️

The Planets: A Story Orchestra by Amy Thomas | Apr 3, 2024 | 0 comments Blog post written by Abby Hamel On April 8th, 2024, an out-of-this-world event will occur: the solar eclipse! Rochester is lucky enough to be in the path of totality for this eclipse and I can feel the excitement around me. The....

04/03/2024

Springtime💐, weather🌦, animals🐰 and creatures🦋 - just wanted to give a sneak peek at our songs and materials on our April resource page!

www.upstatemusictherapycenter.com/april-resources