The New England Region’s newest fundraiser is up and running! It is an online fundraiser with Barefoot Books. Barefoot Books is an independent publishing company that sells gorgeously illustrated multicultural books and games for children and teens. Barefoot Books has a collection of sing-a-long stories that are appealing to music therapists, as are many other titles. Marissa Scott, one of our own New England Region members, will be our Barefoot Books Ambassador.   

Click on the link http://bit.ly/BarefootBooksforNERAMTA to see the wonderful books they have to offer. Great for holiday gifts, your own collection, or your children’s collection. This is a great way to support the Membership Support Program for the New England Region!  
(Please note: the website lists the fundraiser as beginning on January 1, but you don’t need to wait until next year – this fundraiser is in effect now!)

Congratulations to Natalie McClune, Rahel Choi, and Lisa Rue on this years full conference Scholarship!

Improvisation Analysis Research Study

Dear fellow music therapist, you are invited to take part in a study that explores an improvisation analysis method. It has been in development for 14 years, and now the researcher would like you to explore its design in this pilot study.

Who: Dr. Rebecca Zarate, music therapy coordinator at Lesley University, USA is passionate about use of improvisation in practice. She is committed to developing theory, method, and techniques of analysis of improvisation which is at the heart of her research. To learn more about her work, please visit:
http://www.lesley.edu/faculty/rebecca-zarate

What: This is a qualitative, phenomenological study that will analyze recorded music from one session with a consenting client using the method from a lens of the multi – sensory environment of boundaries and transitions. You will be asked to select one consenting client, and record the music from one session. You will be asked to listen to the recording and summarize a paragraph of your observations, and use the first phase of the method to analyze the music. You will mail back the data and take part in a brief post – session interview with the researcher.

Where: Permissions permitting, in your place of practice.

When: February 2015 – February 2016. Recruitment will begin February 2015 and end April 1st 2015.

What Next: If you are interested, contact Elizabeth Norris: enorris@lesley.edu (research project assistant) for more details.