Dr. Amy Clements-Cortes

Music Therapist, Dr. Amy Clements-Cortes

It has been an exciting and busy year for music therapy at the University of Windsor. Here are some highlights from my desk.....

Grants

In January 2011 I submitted a Strategic Priority Grant application to the University of Windsor to hire a music therapy supervisor. I am pleased to announce that the music therapy program at the University of Windsor received funding for $50 000 over a two year period for this new initiative. This person will reach out to new community agencies that would benefit from music therapy services and essentially develop new practicum and internship placements for our students. Increased supervision hours will also be a direct benefit of this new fund.

I assisted in the preparation of a joint grant application to the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) for the development of a music therapy program to be implemented at Maison Vale Hospice in Sudbury, Ontario. The proposal was successful and this June 2011, I travelled to Sudbury to meet with key individuals in establishing the framework for this new program. In addition Dr Pablo Cano, who will oversee the on-site supervision of the music therapy program (once established), travelled to Toronto to observe myself and interns at Baycrest Centre and also visited us at the University of Windsor. This new program is such exciting news as there are no music therapists working in Northern Ontario. Kylie Klym, a University of Windsor student who has begun her internship under my supervision, will complete the second half of her internship at Mason Vale and essentially develop the program through my continued supervision. A kickoff workshop and celebration will take place in October to help facilitate the interdisciplinary and communities’ understanding of music therapy and the role of music therapy in hospice, palliative care and in the care of those with cognitive impairments.

The University of Windsor also received a Transition to Betterness grant again this year in order to continue the Music and Medicine program that has been established in Windsor.

Research

I am currently undertaking two research projects: Buddy’s Glee Club and Sing-A-Long of the 1930’s. Buddy’s Glee Club is a funded study that seeks to assess the health and wellness benefits of participating in a choir facilitated by two music therapists. This study is currently underway at Baycrest Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Sing-A-Long of the 1930’s is a study designed to assess the development and utilization of a sing-a-long DVD designed for cognitively impaired older adults. This DVD was prepared by me in collaboration with the Room 217 Foundation. www.room217.ca. The DVD comes with a companion activity guide, which essentially is a complete program that a therapeutic recreationist could implement in programs with older adults. Family members and care givers of older adults with cognitive impairment could also utilize these resources to engage in meaningful activity for those who are often lost or tracked by their cognitive impairment. This study involves the assessment of the DVD by long-term care facilities across Canada.

Continuing Education Opportunities

Our music therapy students had numerous opportunities this year for continuing education events including conferences and special education events. In particular this year the University of Windsor hosted the first ever Level 1 Guided Imagery and Music Training in January. Thirteen students participated with facilitators who came from Vancouver, BC. Students also attended the Music Therapy Association of Ontario annual conference in September at Wilfrid Laurier University and many attended the Music Care Conference that I jointly organized in November 2010 in collaboration with Room 217 and Wilfrid Laurier University.

Presentations, Performances, and Publications

This past year I was fortunate to travel and present my work at several important conferences including: Music Care Conference, Waterloo, Ontario; American Music Therapy Association Conference, Cleveland, Ohio; On-Line Music Therapy Conference, Shout Out to the World;Working with Holocaust Survivors International Conference, New York, New York;  3^rd Annual Spring Palliative Care Conference, Huntsville, Ontario; 37^h Annual Canadian Association for Music Therapy Conference, Winnipeg, Manitoba; and the Oakland/Windsor Teaching and Learning Conference, Windsor, Ontario (PR). I also gave four recitals and had several articles and papers published in peer reviewed journals including: Portraits of music therapy in facilitating relationship completion at the end of Life. Music and Medicine, 3(1), 31-39 ,DOI: 10.1177/1943862110388181.