Regional MT conferences in the US

‘Tis the season of regional music therapy conferences in the United States! Our country is organized into seven regions, each of which has its own music therapy conference around this time of year. Each conference usually has a theme or focus and I’ve noticed a pattern across many of the regions this year: diversity and change. To give you an idea, here are several of the conference titles: “Earth, Wind, & Fire & Flood: Movin’ and Groovin’ Through Change” (Midwestern region); “Uniting in Diversity: Bringing Together the Individuals of the Music Therapy Community” (New England region); and “Embracing Every Note: Celebrating Diversity in Music Therapy” (Great Lakes region). In this part of the world right now (and most likely where you are too), there is a lot of discussion and activity around the topic of diversity and culture - in the news, social media, film, music, and of course, politics. As these regional conference titles demonstrate, music therapists are also engaging in the conversation of this “movement.” For students, we are entering into the music therapy field at a time when our cultural awareness and competence is especially important and relevant to our work across our regions and country. Cheers to a wonderful conference season of diversity and culture!Allison Echard, MT-BCNorth America