Greensburg, PA – Seton Hill University is excited to announce its newest degree offering, the Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy. Music therapists assess physical and mental health, social functioning, communication abilities and cognitive skills through musical responses, and design and implement appropriate music therapy strategies based on client needs. Experienced music therapist and Greensburg resident Laurie Jones helped to develop Seton Hill’s program, and has recently been hired as full-time Assistant Professor of Music Therapy at Seton Hill.

"We’ve had many requests from both the community and our alumni for a Music Therapy program," says Dr. Curt Scheib, Associate Professor of Music and Chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Division. "It’s a good fit with the service-oriented students that are drawn to Seton Hill, and complements our physician assistant, counseling and art therapy programs."

"I always knew I wanted a career in music," says Jones. "As a young adult, I had a great respect for the music faculty at Seton Hill. But even though it was always in the back of my mind, ‘wouldn’t it be wonderful to teach at Seton Hill,’ I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to do until I was fifteen and my clarinet teacher suggested music therapy. I’d never heard of it! So I went to the Hempfield Library and looked it up … I knew immediately that that’s what I wanted to do."

Jones, who is proficient in piano, guitar and voice and also plays saxophone, clarinet and drums, earned her Bachelor of Music at West Virginia University and her Master’s in Music Therapy at Temple University. After receiving her certification, Jones taught classes in music and music therapy and worked as a music therapist at a variety of facilities, including Lower Bucks and St. Clair Hospitals and the State Correctional Institute. She continues to provide music therapy services at Westmoreland Regional Hospital, Windber Medical Center and St. Anne Home.

"What she does with music therapy I wish I could do using other means," says Mary Melko, Director of Activities for St. Anne Home, a Greensburg facility offering intermediate and skilled nursing care. "Every one of our residents respond to Laurie’s music."

Aspiring music therapists must complete a university program approved by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). (Seton Hill’s program is approved by both the AMTA and the National Association of Schools of Music.) The course of study includes core music and clinical courses and requires pre-internship fieldwork (which Seton Hill students will complete at local facilities) followed by a six month internship at an AMTA-approved site anywhere in the nation. Upon completion of the bachelor’s degree, students are eligible to sit for the national board certification exam to receive the credential MT-BC (Music Therapist-Board Certified), which is necessary to practice professionally.

"I planned to major in psychology," says Seton Hill student Carly Litvik, "but I didn’t want to give up music altogether. What really sealed the deal with me was sitting in on a music therapy session. I never in my life felt so strongly about what I wanted to do with my future. I wanted to be a music therapist."

St. Anne Home’s Melko is thrilled about Seton Hill’s new program and looks forward to a time when trained music therapists are readily available. "From what I’ve seen with our residents, I would recommend that every facility has a music therapy program."

For more information on the new Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy Program at Seton Hill, please visit www.setonhill.edu or call the Office of Admissions at 1-800-826-6234.