Music Therapy Clinic

THANK YOU!

We are incredibly grateful to each and every donor who has supported our Music Therapy Clinic crowdfunding campaign. Because of your generosity, we will receive a $20,000 match from a local benefactor. It is a momentous occasion for Music Therapy at ECU and there is much to celebrate - namely YOU - our supporters. The clinic will be able to offer so much for our ECU students and those who will benefit from our services. Thank you for investing in the Music Therapy Clinic!

Exciting News!
Generous Local Benefactor Will Match If Goal is Met

We are so grateful for the outpouring of support for the Music Therapy Clinic at ECU! With just one week left in our campaign, we are so close to reaching our $20,000 goal. Thank you to everyone who has given. Your kindness will go a long way in providing much needed music therapy for those who will benefit most and opportunities for ECU students to sharpen their skills in this special area.

Thanks to your support, a generous local benefactor has agreed to match each gift, 100%, if we reach the $20,000 goal! This is such incredible news and we are thrilled beyond words to have this tremendous support and belief in our program.

Please help us get there! A contribution today will increase our total and get us that much closer to our goal. Click the "Support the Music Therapy Clinic at ECU!" button to give. Thank you!

Help ECU Students Access the Extensive Clinical Training Needed
While Pursuing Their Degree

Our students are at the heart of ECU Music Therapy. The academic program, one of only two programs in the UNC System, and the only one accessible to the eastern part of the state, has a long-standing history as an approved program by the American Music Therapy Association. Music therapy students receive a total of 1200 clinical hours during their student training and intensive internship before receiving their degrees and before eligibility is granted to sit for board certification.

Our music therapy students are passionate and driven individuals who love serving the Pitt Co. community and beyond! However, ECU music therapy students need increased access to various clinical training opportunities and the on-campus nature of the MTC@ECU will reduce transportation barriers that currently exist. Students also need Increased access to internships in eastern North Carolina to reduce the financial burden that exists with moving outside of the region for a placement. Reducing these barriers that exist and increasing access for our students overall will increase the music therapy workforce in ENC, thereby creating increased access for more clients to be served!

By supporting the MTC@ECU a multitude of clinical training opportunities, increased internship placements, and undergraduate level research experiences will allow our ECU students to thrive and continue serving the community they love. ECU Music Therapy students are Pirate Strong!

Please give today by clicking the "Support the Music Therapy Clinic at ECU!" button. Thank you for your support!

Music Therapy Helps Older Adults Maintain
Independence and Quality of Life!

The MTC@ECU is an on-campus clinic providing future-focused, innovative, patient and family centered music therapy services for those with a variety of health and wellness needs, serving ages across lifespan from infants to older adults throughout Pitt County and the surrounding eastern North Carolina region.   

Music Therapists often work with older adults with a variety of health and medical needs to maintain independence, rehabilitation goals, and psychosocial areas such as improving mood and overall quality of life. The ECU MT department serves older adults, those with medical related needs and those with neurocognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia. The MT department partners with Pitt Co. Council on Aging, East Carolina Wellness and Rehabilitation, and Cypress Glen Retirement Community. We love the ability to interact with older adults and assist them in maintaining their overall health and well being through the use of music.

Help us to increase access for older adults, especially those in rural communities who might experience increased isolation and decreased resources. With your gift, MTC@ECU will increase access for older adults throughout ENC!

Adults Benefit from Music Therapy

Music Therapists often work with adolescent and adult populations with a variety of health and medical needs. The ECU MT department serves adults with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (IDD) by partnering with Easterseals Ahoskie Empower Program, Pitt Co. Group Homes, and individuals via telehealth to address cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and behavioral goals.

We also serve those with mental health needs, specifically substance misuse at Port Health Adolescent Inpatient Program and Haven at Blue Creek (adult female population), focusing on interpersonal insight, promoting healthy coping, and emotional expression goals.

The MTC@ECU will increase access for adolescents and adults in eastern, North Carolina, including in medical facilities, mental health agencies and beyond. Help us increase those we serve by donating to our campaign!

Children are a Special Group for Music Therapy

The MTC@ECU is an on-campus clinic providing future-focused, innovative, patient and family centered music therapy services for those with a variety of health and wellness needs, and ages across lifespan from infants to older adults throughout Pitt Co. and the surrounding ENC region.   

Music Therapists often work with children who are typically developing and those with exceptionalities. The ECU Music Therapy Department has partnerships with the Nancy Darden Child Development Center (ECU Child Development Center), Easterseals Empower Program (after school program for children with exceptionalities), and South Greenville Elementary. When working with children of all abilities we utilize music making, singing, and playing instruments to address developmental milestones established by the Center for Disease Control and American Pediatric Association. These include communication, cognitive, pre-academic/academic, social, emotional and physical goal areas. We love watching children grow and progress developmentally through music!

Your gift in support of the Music Therapy Clinic will help ensure that children in the area will have access to music therapy for their specific needs. Please give today!

Parent Testimonial:

Music Therapy day at the NDCDC is our son’s most favorite day of the week! He has been fortunate enough to interact with the Music Therapy friends since he was a very small infant and I truly believe they have instilled not only a love of music and songs in him but also helped tremendously in his development. I have seen his communication skills advance along with his ability to self-express emotions, thoughts, and feelings in a very clear and intentional way. Additionally, if he is having a rough time or an off day, we can always count on music and songs to bring a smile to his face and help regulate any negative feelings and emotions he might be experiencing. The Music Therapy friends have been such a treat for him at the NDCDC and one that I know he will continue to reap the benefits from during his time at the Center. The NDCDC and all the families there are very lucky to have the Music Therapy friends as part of the children’s lives!

-Tiffanie Simerson (parent of 2 year old and infant at NDCDC)

MTC@ECU Needs You!
Help Make Our Clinic Accessible to All.

A wonderful resource for our community, the Music Therapy Clinic at ECU (MTC@ECU) is a hands-on learning and therapeutic environment for young children through older adults and all ages in between. MTC@ECU is directly tied to the music therapy program within the School of Music and has been providing academic and practicum training for music therapists for more than 30 years. Our students are employed around the world in hospitals, assisted living centers, clinics, schools, community treatment, and private practice.

Our clinic will increase access to future-focused, innovative, patient and family centered music therapy services for those with a variety of health and wellness needs, and ages across lifespan from infants to older adults throughout Pitt County and the surrounding eastern North Carolina region.

Your gift of support not only helps the clinic become operational but also provides affordable services to those who otherwise may not have access to these opportunities. Click the "Support the Music Therapy Clinic at ECU!" button to give today! We're thankful for every contribution.

150%

$20,000 Goal

$30,046 Raised

46 Donors

0 days Remaining

Support the Music Therapy Clinic at ECU!

Music Therapy student Sheleise Melendez leads a songwriting experience at the Pitt County Group Homes during a music therapy session. Sheleise completed her coursework in Spring 2023 and is beginning her internship at Perfect Harmony Health in Roswell, GA, in December 2023.

With the fulfillment of this campaign, students like Sheleise will be able to complete internship hours at ECU's Music Therapy Clinic.

Effect of Music Therapy shared by Nora Thompson

East Carolina Rehab and Wellness Activities Director Nora Thompson shares the positive impact music therapy has on the residents of that establishment.

Adult Client Testimonial

How has ECU music therapy been part of your recovery journey?

East Carolina University’s Music Therapy department has brought an innate sense of comfort through the sessions I received while in recovery.

How would increased access to music therapy in our community and the ENC region be beneficial for women and/or people struggling with addictions?

I personally believe that an increase in access to music in any capacity would benefit an array of people who may be struggling with addictions, mental health, physical health, and/or emotional health. In my opinion, music is powerful, and healing; and ECU’s music therapy program was a big part of my recovery.

- Anna Wright, graduate of Haven at Blue Creek program

I see the benefits of music therapy in the way my child interacts socially with other children. His favorite song from music therapy is a hello song where he has learned to introduce himself, sing his name, and say hello to his friends. I hear my son and his friends singing this song often during morning drop off, even on days when the music therapists are not at school. I love knowing that my son is gaining social, emotional, and behavioral skills through music therapy. As a music educator, I also love that these skills are laying the foundation for a rich and rewarding lifetime of making music.

-Raychl Smith (parent of Isaac Godwin-Smith in 3-year-old room)

WUNC Radio featured the Music Therapy Clinic at ECU in a November 2, 2023 broadcast. Click above to listen to the audio file.