Joyful Noises LLC

09/23/2025

APA Statement on White House Announcement on Autism https://ow.ly/P6k850X0zCi

09/16/2025

It is always a joy to get to share about one of my favorite topics - supervision! Thank you to Lindsay Markworth and the phenomenal students at Augsburg University Music Therapy for their presence, wisdom, and insightful questions!

09/09/2025

I'm so excited to join JJasonHicks at Reader Nation this year! Get your free ticket now to join us: https://www.readernation.live/

It's almost here! The Earthmight War - The Annals of the Last Emissary Book Two will be released this October!

And, I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be signing copies of The Earthmight War at Reader Nation on November 7, 2025!

It’s one jam-packed day with 200 signing authors from every genre (including James Patterson!), exclusive swag, bookish experiences, and lots of reader fun.

General admission is FREE, and the first 1,000 ticket holders get a tote bag and a free book from a signing author!

Get your free ticket now and join us: ​https://www.readernation.live/

For local Tucson folks...
We will be holding a special pre-launch event at the end of September - DM me for details. And, our first official book signing will be Saturday, October 25th at the Tucson Westside Barnes & Noble - more details coming soon!



ID: "I'm signing at Reader Nation, Last Vegas, NV, Nov 7, 2025" with Jason's headshot and a wall of books in the background

09/04/2025

Last month, I shared with you about burnout and sustainability. Oftentimes, folks talk about work-life balance when discussing sustainability. However, as a yoga teacher, I can tell you that balance is often very shaky. That’s just one of the reasons I prefer the term harmony, as I first learned about it from music therapist Jennifer Pinson.

This graphic shows the five pillars of harmony: wholeness; community; self-care and presence; joy, gratitude, and grace; and boundaries.

Which of these pillars do YOU find most helpful in creating a more sustainable personal and professional life?

Please comment below so that we can continue to fill our cups and share our wisdom together.

And, message me if you would like a free copy of the reflection prompts centered around these pillars of harmony that I shared with the folks on my email list today - no strings attached!



ID: “Harmony ~ Wholeness; Community; Self-Care & Presence; Joy, Gratitude, & Grace; Boundaries” with two Joyful Noises bluebirds facing the text

09/04/2025

I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve the creative arts therapies community in this way!

The members of NCCATA would like to welcome our new Communications Coordinator, Jennifer Hicks, MMT, MT-BC, E-RYT.

Jen (she/her/hers) is a board-certified music therapist, a licensed music educator, and an experienced registered yoga teacher. She specializes in working with adults with mental health concerns, supervising music therapy professionals, and providing continuing education courses and workshops. Jen previously served as Co-Chair for the American Music Therapy Association’s Commission on the Education and Clinical Training of 21st Century Music Therapists.

Jen’s vision is to create and support courageous communities that work towards social justice and encourage cultural humility, lifelong learning, gratitude, and living in the AND to inspire joy and sustainable, wholistic wellness.

We are grateful for her expertise as a part of our Coalition to support the NCCATA mission to further the creative arts therapies through facilitation of collaborative advocacy, research, and education.



ID: "Jennifer Hicks, MMT, MT-BC, E-RYT, NCCATA Communications Coordinator" written next to the NCCATA logo below Jen's headshot

08/21/2025

Last month, I mentioned that my Intersections between Ethics and Self-Care course (4 CMTEs) is one of my most popular - and includes 3 ethics credits! I recently had the opportunity to create a synchronous version of this course for the music therapists from Sophie’s Place. It was so meaningful to explore that topic together - and it provided the required ethics credits for all of those folks, too! This experience also reminded me of how much I LOVE synchronous workshops.

One of my other favorite synchronous workshops is on Sustainability in Music Therapy. I have had the honor of sharing this with a few different teams and believe this continues to be such an important topic in our field. I also offer this as a group workshop with individual supervision sessions for each team member as a follow-up, combining two of my favorite parts of my job - presenting and supervising!

If you and your team would be interested in similar synchronous CMTEs, please message or email me - my email address is included in the Linktree in my bio. I would love the opportunity to create a course for YOUR team and its unique needs!

Thank you for being a part of our Joyful Noises community. I look forward to continuing to learn and grow together.



ID: The title slides for my “Sustainability in Music Therapy: Keeping Our Passion & Working for Change” (Group CMTE + individual 1:1 supervision!) and “Intersections betwen Ethics and Self-Care” (4 CMTEs, including 3 ethics credits!) workshops with an “AVAILABLE NOW” stamp

08/16/2025

This is a helpful description of the different domains and goal areas that clients can address with the support of music therapists.

08/07/2025

I believe (and the research supports) that we must work to make changes to prevent burnout on two fronts - we must make systemic changes to address the actual origins and causes of burnout, AND we need to care for ourselves as we do this work.

Last month, I shared about the importance of connecting with our musical identity. Creating and listening to music that honors that musical identity, either alone or in community, is a vital part of self-care that can sustain and support us while we work together to make systemic changes in our profession and world.

What is one song or artist that is helping to sustain and support you right now?

Please comment below so that we can continue to fill our cups, build our playlists, and share our wisdom together.



ID: “Is this burnout? Or is this capitalism & systemic oppression?” with two Joyful Noises bluebirds facing the text

08/05/2025

Many thanks to the Certification Board for Music Therapists and ALL of the folks who contributed to these important updates!

🎶Exciting news! The 2025 CBMT Board Certification Domains have officially been released. This in-depth document outlines the essential knowledge areas and related tasks of a board-certified music therapist. These updated standards take effect on October 27, 2025. To explore the full details, head to the CBMT Resources page at:
www.cbmt.org/resources/.

07/18/2025

Thank you, Courage Plus. Please share these resources, all...

To all members of our LGBTQ+ community:

You are valuable. You are valid. We see you.

You deserve to live your life fully and authentically.

Help is here when you need it.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

07/17/2025

Thank you to NAMI for these resources. Please share...

07/17/2025

In honor of our exploration of musical identity and self-care as part of our “Summer of Session Plans,” I am sharing a meditative listening experience (also included in the Sustainable Self-Care CMTE mentioned below) with the folks on my email list to encourage reflection on this topic. Message me if you would like that link - no strings attached!

I also invite you to explore the continuing education options that I offer related to this topic. My Sustainable Self-Care series (10 CMTEs) includes information on musical identity and self-care, as well as a range of other topics related to sustainable self-care. Of course, caring for ourselves - including musically - is our ethical responsibility as music therapists. My Intersections between Ethics and Self-Care course (4 CMTEs) is one of my most popular - and includes 3 ethics credits!

You can check out all the details for these and all of my pre-approved courses by clicking the following link or the CMTE Community and Course Options button on the Linktree in my bio and scrolling down:
https://joyfulnoisesllc.com/for-professionals/cmte-community/

Thank you for being a part of our Joyful Noises community. I look forward to continuing to learn and grow together.



ID: “FREE ~ Musical Identity & Self-Care Meditative Listening Experience, Intersections between Ethics & Self-Care ~ 4 pre-approved CMTEs (including 3 ethics credits!), Sustainable Self-Care ~ 10 pre-approved CMTEs” written over the image of three hands holding coffee cups