Maine music therapists launch website to promote the niche profession
Photo / Jim Neuger
Music therapist Kate Beever is one of 13 board-certified music therapists in Maine and 7,850 nationwide. Music therapists in Maine have launched a website to promote the profession and act as a one-stop-shop resource and information hub for the public.
Music therapists in Maine have launched a website to promote the profession and act as a one-stop-shop resource and information hub for the public.
Carla Tanguay of Modulations Therapies LLC in Mount Desert, and Marie Miller of Rhythm and Strings Music Therapy LLC based in Hampton Falls, N.H., spent about a month developing the site, which is basic but user-friendly.
“It is a provider directory designed to educate consumers in Maine about the field of music therapy and help the access services,” Tanguay told Mainebiz. “We are really excited about the response so far and hope to see music therapy continue to grow and thrive in Maine.”
The site is divided into four sections:
- “About Music Therapy,” explaining the purpose and benefits of music therapy
- “Find a Music Therapist,” a directory of therapists by county
- “News and Events” with a calendar of conference presentations and community groups
- A section on the Maine Music Therapy Task Force, which will include updates on what’s happening in state legislation.
There are also a handful of frequently asked questions, including one about insurance reimbursement.
Kate Beever of Maine Music & Health LLC in Portland said that while she was not involved in setting up the site, she sees it as the next step in the task force she started a few years ago.
“I’ve been so happy that while I started it on my own, going to the Hall of Flags in Augusta and setting up an information table, we now have a whole group of professional music therapists in Maine who are dedicated to the cause,” she said. “We’ve all been emailing referrals back and forth based on location, and finally decided a main page would make sense.”
Though music has been used to heal since ancient times, it remains a niche profession, with just 70 approved undergraduate and 30 graduate programs countrywide. The therapy involves the use of music — such as playing instruments and singing — to meet specific emotional, cognitive and social goals.
Maine Music & Health is among nine music therapy practices listed in the new website’s directory. The list includes MedRhythms, the Portland-based digital therapeutics startup whose founders, Brian Harris and Owen McCarthy, were in the Mainebiz Next class of 2018.
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