The Journey of Virtual Music Therapy During COVID-19
Five years into clinical practice, Mandy Turk faced the challenge of retooling her sessions and offering virtual music therapy services due to the COVID-19 pandemic by mailing out materials with written instructions and recording videos for caregivers to follow. Five months into the pandemic, she went back to a cohort-based classroom model offering in-person support. In this podcast, she shares the challenges she faced such as delayed delivery of materials and quarantining as well as benefits, particularly the continuation of services by using Google Classroom. Her words of encouragement: “Keep being your creative self. Reach out when you need help and when you have help to give. Together, we will get through this.”
Resources:
- Block, S., & Knott, D. (2020). Virtual music therapy: Developing new approaches to service delivery. Music Therapy Perspectives, 38(2), 151–156.
- Music Therapy Teletherapy Intervention Swap. (2021). Private Facebook Group.https://www.facebook.com/groups/2982888055101402/
About the Interviewee:
Mandy Turk is a board-certified music therapist who works at STEPS Academy in Parma, Ohio. She serves neurodiverse children and young adults ages 3-21 years. During COVID-19, she continued to work online with the preschool, primary, and elementary classrooms as well as with the Social Emotional Learning classroom.
Contact: mandy.turk@stepsedgroup.com
Suggested Citation:
Humpal, M. (2021, June 4).The journey of virtual music therapy during COVID-19: An interview with Many Turk [Audio podcast]. imagine. www.imagine.musictherapy.biz