musictherapycolorado

If you are unable to attend the mw regional conference, you can still increase your music therapy knowledge without traveling too far! Come join us in welcoming Deforia Lane to Denver, co the morning of April 14th! Details on our website. CMTEs are pending!

We just posted two contract job openings in our members only section.  Check them out if you’re interested!

Fellow Music Therapists!
Our bill has been filed and it is time for us to act!  The Colorado Music Therapy Task Force has been working diligently on getting our bill introduced to the House and now its happening. HB1137 was introduced to the House of Representatives and we need to get out and find the support we need to get this bill passed. This is where we need everybody’s help. On Thursday, February 16th, we are going to gather at the capital to address the lawmakers personally. The more people we can get to the capital on this day the stronger our message will be. Here are the specifics:

-Meeting location will be the South side of the capital building (we will meet inside the building)
-Meeting time will be 9:00 AM.
-What do you need to bring? ENERGY. That’s all. We’ll have talking points set up for you on a “cheat sheet” along with names of people to target.
-Your time commitment will be whatever you can afford to give. I don’t anticipate us staying longer than 3:00pm.
-The reward will come when we get this bill passed.

If you can commit to participating on our “Hill Day” then please send a message to laurahess@live.com   I would love to know how many people we can expect.

Finally and most importantly, thank you. Thank you for all that you do.

Fellow Music Therapists,

With the support of AMTA, CBMT, CAMT, and you, the Colorado Task Force has been working hard to gain state recognition of music therapy in Colorado since 2008.  The goal of this recognition is to improve access to music therapy services for Coloradoans.

Their hard work is beginning to pay off!  Last week, a bill was be introduced to the House of Representatives that, if passed, will create a registration for Music Therapists in Colorado.  Registration will protect our title and increase access to programs with state oversight such as Special Education and Medicaid waiver funding.  You can find the bill here:

http://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2012A/csl.nsf/MainBills?openFrameset

The bill number is HB 1137

We need your support now more than ever! The next few weeks will be a whirlwind of activity and we may not be able to give much notice for various actions.  Please stay connected as we send out emails and facebook/website posts to ask for your support.  We will be planning an Advocacy Day in the next couple of weeks and would love to see as many music therapists (and other advocates) at the Capitol as possible to urge legislators to vote in favor of this bill.  Even if you can’t make it to the Capitol there will be plenty of other opportunities for you to show your support, stay tuned!

Please keep checking your email and the following facebook page and website for updates:

http://musictherapycolorado.org/mt-task-force-updates/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Colorado-Music-Therapy-Task-Force/166915603389549

If you have any questions or comments contact Task Force Members:

Amanda Bryant amandabryant@comcast.net
Amy Wilson comusictherapyservices@gmail.com
Laura Hess laurahess@live.com
Melissa Munder Melissa.munder@state.co.us
Mollie Hiebert mollienotes@gmail.com
Sarah Thompson Sarah@RRMusicTherapy.com
Lexie Brown- lexie6strings@gmail.com

Sincerely,
The Task Force

Remember that our year begins in July of every year, so when you pay your dues, you are paying for a July-July year.  It takes a few months to receive all of the membership payments and referral information, and our deadline for submissions is December of every year.  We post the updated referral lists in January of every year and they will remain there for the next year.  Clear as mud?  That being said, the referral list is now up to date.  If you see any errors, please contact Valerie at info@musictherapycolorado.org

Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks. You won’t want to miss this great opportunity to earn CMTEs in your own city! And of course there is the fun of hosting Deforia!

Update January 2011:

We have very exciting news! The music therapy registration bill will be introduced to the House of Representatives the week of January 16, 2012 by representative Nancy Todd.

Stayed tuned for more information about an Advocacy Day at the Capitol within the next couple weeks. This will be a great opportunity for you to see the legislative process in action and meet face to face with the people who represent your voice in Colorado. We would love to see as many music therapists as possible to come and support this bill.

Does it touch your heart to ponder serving those who are struggling at a threshold of life….illness, healing, dying? Do you love singing songs of healing?

The Littleton & Exempla St. Joseph Hospital Threshold Choirs Invite You and your Friends —

Friday, October 21, 7-9 p.m

‘Kindness Made Audible: An Evening of Women Singing Together’

Our guest will be Kate Munger from San Francisco, founder of Threshold Choirs and song leader extraordinaire (www.thresholdchoir.org<http://www.thresholdchoirs.org/> .
Unity Church of Denver, 3021 South University Blvd, Denver, 80210
Free. For more information, Karen at 970-389-4326.

Paypal is up and running.  Remember, you can pay with your paypal account or with a major credit card.  We have also posted the registration form.  You can find both on the Calendar page.