Music Therapy
Jennifer Drees
Jennifer is a Board-Certified Music Therapist who began in the field after graduating from Temple University in 1995. While at the university, she studied under Dr. Kenneth Bruscia and Dr. Cheryl Dileo. Jen graduated from Temple in December 2016 with a Master of Music Therapy. Her areas of focus include children and adolescents with autistic spectrum disorders and communication delays. She also provides music therapy at a local mental health and addictions program, framing her groups around a wellness and wholeness model while her clients discover creative ways to engage in musical experiences to support their recovery. Jen is a member of the American Music Therapy Association. She
recently has completed training in Disaster Response for Music Therapists, is in training to become a Disaster Relief Crisis Counselor, and is trained in mental health first aid and psychological first aid. She is a CPR instructor, BLS Provider certified in NJ, and NAEMT instructor for the class Psychological Trauma for the EMS Patient. Jen has taught private piano lessons for beginning and intermediate students for many years. She also plays organ and directs a youth choir and teen worship band at Church of the Incarnation in Mantua, NJ. She is also the full-time youth minister in the same community. Jen is glad to be working in collaboration with Main Street Music, to enable clients to engage in the safe container of music therapy as they work on their personal growth and discover their potential. Jen ensures the music therapy relationship is confidential, personalized, goal-directed, responsive to client’s growth, and in line with evidence-based research.
Dr. Lynn Gumert (DM, MA, MT-BC), music therapist, composer/arranger, educator, performer, and conductor, has been a board-certified music therapist since January 2019 and has been teaching in the Music Therapy program at Rowan University since September 2019. As a music therapist they have worked with children, adolescents, and adults in medical and psychiatric settings; with older individuals experiencing the effects of dementia; and with children with developmental delays. They have served as Site Supervisor and Clinical Supervisor for music therapy practicum students through Rowan University, Montclair State University, Temple University, and Immaculata University. They have also taught adaptive piano and voice lessons for children and adults. They are currently Vice President of the New Jersey Association for Music Therapy (NJAMT) and serve as an MidAtlantic Region Assembly (MARAMTA) Delegate to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA).
Dr. Lynn Gumert
As a composer and educator, they have taught courses in Gender and Popular Culture, Music Theory, Popular Music, Music Technology, World Music, Women in Music, and Composition at Montclair State University, Rider University, Rutgers University, Indiana University, and Gettysburg College. Their compositions have been performed in the U.S., South America, and Europe, including performances by the Contemporary Music Forum in Washington, D.C., the Festival of Women Composers International, Society of Composers Regional Conferences, the Midwest Composers Symposium in Oberlin, and the Seventh International Alliance of Women in Music Concert. They have received commissions for vocal, choral, early music ensemble, viola da gamba, and guitar compositions. They have also served in various capacities on the Board of the International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM).
As a community artist, they have developed bilingual programs using music for building self-esteem and enhancing creative expression with groups ranging in age from pre-K to senior citizens and have worked with immigrant and migrant communities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. They have served on Pennsylvania AIE artist roster panels for the Cultural Alliance of York County and the South Central PaARTners at Millersville University.
As Artistic Director of Zorzal Music Ensemble, they developed and managed multidisciplinary art projects that received funding from Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts and served as Artistic Director for projects funded by the Central PA Consortium. They also presented lecture-recitals on aspects of colonial-period Latin American music at the College Music Society International Conference in Costa Rica and at the Seventh International Festival of Women Composers in Pittsburgh.
What is Music Therapy
Music therapy is an established health profession in which music and music experiences are used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. The field of music therapy is clinical and evidenced-based, which means interventions evolve from and inform research and theory. After a period of assessing a client’s strengths and areas of need, music therapists engage with clients through a variety of music therapy interventions, which may include improvising, writing, singing, moving to, or listening to and discussing music. It is hoped that these experiences allow clients to grow musically and personally, encouraging growth in other areas of life.
Who Can Benefit
Since music therapy is client centered and goal directed, and follows a comprehensive process of assessment, treatment and evaluation, many persons may benefit from the client therapist relationship which is built on trust and empathy. Music therapy has been shown to positively benefit the lives of many, including those with ADD/ADHD, autism,learning issues, language delay, emotional disorders such as anger and adjustment disorders, stress and anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, addictions, and medical conditions such as stroke, cancer, and hospice care.
What Are the Goals and What Can You Expect
There are many examples of goals which are unique to client’s strengths and needs. Some possible goal areas are:
- Improve social skills and self-expression
- Increase attention to task
- Promote positive self-concept
- Increase verbal and musical communication
- Improve attention to task
- Decrease anxiety and develop coping skills for stress and anxiety
- Improve communication of needs and desires
- Promote individuality and decision-making skills
- Processing of past trauma experiences in a safe container
Music therapy sessions are individualized, which means many interventions are used in order to meet mutually determined goals. Singing, playing instruments, moving to music, focused listening, music facilitated relaxation, composing music, and/or music and art media activities may be used in sessions.