The School of Music, Theatre, and Dance has three newly board-certified music therapy alum receiving awards from the American Music Therapy Association Conference in Nov. The conference, which takes place in St. Louis, Missouri, brings music therapists from across the globe together to “explore the world of mindfulness.” In addition to the award ceremonies, the conference includes opportunities for extensive dialogue, displays of research and innovation, as well as networking. Below, alums Amanda Sciarabba, Emily Stewart, and Savannah Jaska share their thoughts and gratitude about receiving recognition for their hard work.
Amanda Sciarabba, 2017 B.M. Music Since graduating from CSU with my degree in music therapy, I have become a Board-Certified Music Therapist, and accepted a full-time music therapy job at Clear View Behavioral Health in Johnstown, Colorado. I have the privilege of working with adolescents and adults in an acute inpatient psychiatric hospital. When I first discovered music therapy in high school, I knew immediately it was the career path I was going to follow. I knew how deeply I related to music and felt the need to share that tool with other people dealing with mental illness. The Theodore Meyer Scholarship has been a huge honor and inspiration to me as it is awarded specifically to music therapy students or interns hoping to work in mental health and addictions. With the funds awarded, I hope to attend continuing education courses focused on mental health to gain knowledge and interventions that I can bring back to the patients at Clear View Behavioral Health. I hope to help give my patients the tools they need to live healthy lives after discharging. I am so excited for the opportunity to learn more and better myself as a music therapist serving patients with mental illness and addiction. In the future, I hope to continue my work as a music therapist, developing research on music therapy in the treatment of childhood trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I am incredibly grateful to receive the Theodore Meyer Scholarship and look forward to the opportunities it presents me with in the future.
Emily Stewart, 2017 B.M. Music After graduating from CSU with an undergraduate degree in music therapy, I took the board certification examination to earn my Board-Certified Music Therapist credential! I was then offered a position at Music To Grow On, Music Therapy Services in Sacramento, California. Here, I am able to serve older adults, kids of all ages with a diverse range of disabilities, persons with PTSD, and even teach a sign language class for kids. The Edwina Eustis Dick Scholarship has been a wonderful validation of the work I have put in to get where I am today. I'm so grateful for the extra support to help me invest in professional equipment, and help me gain access to career development programs. In the future, I hope to earn a master's degree in speech language pathology, and someday become a professor at a collegiate institution.
Savannah Jaska, 2017 B.M. Music Since graduating from CSU’s music therapy program, I have accepted a job at my internship site, Cortica, a pediatric neurology clinic. I do music therapy, neurofeedback, transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation, and transcranial magnetic stimulation with children and adolescents with autism. Receiving the Edwina Eustis Dick Scholarship has been a true honor and I would like to thank all my teachers, supporters and family for helping me get to where I am now. I am planning on using the award to assist me in purchasing a new laptop that I will use for work and when I begin a master’s program. I hope that I soon have the opportunity to continue studying more about the brain and autism.