Greater Chicago Music Therapy Inc.

Bring your littles and join us THIS FRIDAY! RSVP below! Any questions, let us know 😊

Musical Tot Shabbat with GrandFriends THIS FRIDAY - please don't forget to RSVP!🤩 Such an opportunity for fun with your family!!

Children, their parents/caregivers, GRANDFRIENDS, and residents will enjoy a meaningful Shabbat experience together! Join us for an intergenerational Shabbat of singing, 🎹 instrument play,🥁 movement, and connection 🎸 with Greater Chicago Music Therapy Inc.!

Join us on the 4th FRIDAYS OF THE MONTH! 🪇
First up... AUGUST 23RD at 3:30 PM here at The Selfhelp Home!
RSVP REQUIRED.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf8kPIK9HmXXET8NAqiqkllkUQPaTRJmfqCWy5ynwBTIOnOkw/viewform

RSVP today!

Musical Tot Shabbat with GrandFriends - please don't forget to RSVP!🤩 Such an opportunity for fun with your grandfriends!!

Children, their parents/caregivers, GRANDFRIENDS, and residents will enjoy a meaningful Shabbat experience together! Join us for an intergenerational Shabbat of singing, 🎹 instrument play,🥁 movement, and connection 🎸 !

Join us on the 4th FRIDAYS OF THE MONTH! 🪇
First up... AUGUST 23RD at 3:30 PM here at The Selfhelp Home!
RSVP REQUIRED.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf8kPIK9HmXXET8NAqiqkllkUQPaTRJmfqCWy5ynwBTIOnOkw/viewform

Join our Director, Becky Freiman, at this in person CEU with Elderwerks Educational Services! The presentation is titled “Music Therapy: Supporting Your Clients.” See you at the Elison Independent Living of Niles on Wednesday, 9/18!

Register here: https://beacon360.content.online/xbcs/S2641/catalog/product.xhtml?eid=59145

CareDiem Home Care
CareDiem Home Health

Our comprehensive music therapy at The Selfhelp Home has won two awards in 2024! Check out the article below about the state and national recognition!

Music Therapy Earns 2 Awards! Read about our partnership and success with The Greater Chicago Music Therapy, Inc.

RSVP today! All are welcome to join us!

𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙏𝙤𝙩 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙗𝙗𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙁𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨! - Can it get any better than this?!?! 🤩 First up...

𝗔𝗨𝗚𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝟮𝟯𝗥𝗗 𝗮𝘁 𝟯:𝟯𝟬 𝗣𝗠
𝙍𝙎𝙑𝙋 𝙍𝙀𝙌𝙐𝙄𝙍𝙀𝘿 (link below).

With Greater Chicago Music Therapy Inc. ... children, their parents/caregivers, GRANDFRIENDS, and residents will enjoy a meaningful Shabbat experience together! Join us for an intergenerational Shabbat of singing, 🎹 instrument play,🥁 movement, and connection 🎸 !

4th FRIDAYS OF THE MONTH! 🪇
AUGUST 23RD at 3:30 PM

RSVP REQUIRED, click below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf8kPIK9HmXXET8NAqiqkllkUQPaTRJmfqCWy5ynwBTIOnOkw/viewform
Greater Chicago Music Therapy Inc.

July also marks our Clinical Supervisor and Internship Director’s, Mia Krings, MM, MT-BC, 3️⃣ year anniversary! Her passion and dedication for the field and her creativity is recognized on all of the teams that she works with. Please help us wish a happy 3rd anniversary to Mia!

Please help us welcome our new team music therapist, Tressa Meyer, MT-BC! ✨

Originally from Michigan, Tressa Meyer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Grand Valley State University and a Professional Studies Equivalency degree in music therapy from Shenandoah University. Tressa completed her clinical music therapy internship at Birch Bay Retirement Village in Bar Harbor, Maine in February of 2023, working with older adults in memory care and assisted living. Upon completing her music therapy board certification exam, Tressa began working in southern Wisconsin in March of 2023 with children and teens with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health diagnoses, and joined the Greater Chicago Music Therapy team in July of 2024. Tressa’s approach to music therapy focuses on person-centered interactions and providing space for self-expression. She brings strong musical skills to her clients and blends knowledge and insight of her clients’ clinical needs to help emphasize individuals’ strengths.

Welcome to our team, Tressa!

July marks our team music therapist Ann Fienup’s, MA, MT-BC 1 year anniversary with Greater Chicago Music Therapy! Ann’s thoughtfulness, musicality, and dedication is felt by her clients and families and all the teams she works with! Help us wish a happy first anniversary to Ann!

Last week, our music therapist at The Admiral at the Lake was on vacation so the art therapist and life engagement team took it upon themselves to make musical instruments during our normal group time! We got to use these beautiful shakers in our group today! We are grateful for our partnership with this wonderful team and thank them for their thoughtfulness, creativity, and collaboration 🎨🪇🎵

🎵Just another manic Monday🎶 We are so excited to welcome our new full-time therapist, Tressa Meyer, to the Greater Chicago Music Therapy team today! We are missing Jesse as he’s on vacation, but he was there with us in spirit! Check back later this week to hear more about Tressa.

On this day our team music therapist, Jesse, brought one of our clients to a private change of scenery! The music therapy session inspired by this beautiful day fostered meaningful engagement, connection, joy, cognitive stimulation, communication, and quality of life.

To learn more about our services, please check out our website at www.greaterchicagomusictherapy.com!

The most beautiful day calls for relocating a group outside ☀️ Today, we were taking our music to the beach and how lucky were the residents to feel the Lake Michigan breeze! Mia went “Walking on Sunshine” while passing the beach ball around and everyone had the opportunity to play the ocean drum 🌊 Big thanks to staff for going the extra mile and bringing the group members out on the deck!

Please help us welcome our new ✨MUSIC THERAPY INTERN, Laura Kuper!✨ Laura will be with us for the next 6 months and upon completion will be eligible to take the board certification exam to become an MT-BC!

Laura is from the northwest suburbs of Chicago and she grew up singing and playing piano. She graduated from Miami University in May 2022 with bachelor degrees in Psychology and Vocal Performance and a minor in Spanish. Laura is a current Music Therapy Master’s/Equivalency student at the University of Iowa. During her coursework at Iowa, Laura engaged in research involving reminiscence and music therapy with the spousal caregivers of individuals with dementia. She also worked in the Music and Hearing Loss Lab under the guidance of Dr. Kate Gfeller and Dr. Hae Sun Kim. In her free time, Laura enjoys doing crossword puzzles, walking her dog, and spending time with family and friends. She is beyond excited to learn from the GCMT team and get one step closer to becoming a board-certified music therapist!

For the past year, Laura has been supporting our team as our administrative assistant. We are so thrilled to be welcoming her into this new role. Welcome, Laura!!

The University of Iowa Music Therapy Program

Exciting news from the Illinois Association for Music Therapy! Music therapy has been added as a covered service in the Illinois Medicaid Omnibus package starting next year! This is a huge victory for making music therapy accessible in our community! Congratulations!

We have INCREDIBLE news to share! Music therapy services have been added as a covered service in the Illinois Medicaid Omnibus package starting on 7/1/25! Illinois MT-BCs, please find more information in your email inbox from the IL MT Recognition Task Force.

Thank you to the Illinois Association for Music Therapy Government Relations Task Force and the national teams at the American Music Therapy Association, Inc. and the Certification Board for Music Therapists for their tireless efforts in making this a reality for the soon to be Licensed Professional Music Therapists in Illinois and all of our service users!

Congratulations, all!

The team at Greater Chicago Music Therapy Inc. is celebrating this month and every month of the year! ✨🌈

According to SAGE, it is estimated that by 2030 there will be 7 million LGBTQIA+ adults over the age 50. In addition, the Human Rights Campaign estimates that 7% of the people living with Alzheimer’s (about 455k individuals) identify with being in the LGBTQIA+ community. Due to historical discrimination, people in the LGBTQ community are less likely to seek out critical healthcare, other community supports, and have increased social isolation. GCMT continues to honor, listen to, support, and affirm our clients and their families and our colleagues who are members of this community. Happy Pride! ✨🌈

Here are some resources:

SAGE Advocacy and Services for LGBTQ+ Elders: https://www.sageusa.org/

National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging: https://lgbtagingcenter.org/

LGBTQ+ friendly care communities in your area: https://www.hrc.org/resources/long-term-care-facilities

Affinity Community Services (Black LGBTQ+ social justice organization in Southside of Chicago): https://www.affinity95.org/

Center on Halsted (Securing health & community organization in Chicago): https://centeronhalsted.org/

Brave Space Alliance (“For us, by us” resources in Chicago): https://bravespacealliance.org/

Chicago House and Social Service Agency (Supporting those impacted by HIV in Chicago): https://www.chicagohouse.org/

The Trevor Project (Su***de prevention): https://www.thetrevorproject.org/ & 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678678

The Civic Orchestra of Chicago of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra reached out to us this Spring to partner in finding organizations who would like to experience their fabulous music, free of cost, through their outreach program. We of course jumped on this opportunity as we know our community partners and clients don’t always get the opportunity to go to a concert and experience music of their caliber!

Here is one of their performances at Little City! The service users there had an amazing experience as many of them have never attended a classical concert like this before.

Thank you Little City for making the time and all the efforts it took to make this so successful! Thank you Aalia Hanif and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago for this collaboration! Let’s do it again soon!

Our team attended The Selfhelp Home’s Speakeasy Sunday yesterday at the Chicago History Museum! It was a lovely afternoon and we thank The Selfhelp Home for having us!

Greater Chicago Music Therapy is celebrating its 7th birthday this week! We have grown from 1 to 7 music therapists (come July) since its inception and continue to provide the best, quality music therapy services to our community! Happy Birthday, GCMT! 🎂

P.S Our email and website are back up and running!

Sorry, we are having some technical difficulties! Our website and incoming email are currently down and we are working to fix it as soon as possible. In the meantime, please reach out to us via our social media channels or call/text the therapist you are trying to reach. Thank you for your patience!

Hey everyone in the Chicago suburbs! Our Director, Becky, volunteers with Northwest Compass, Inc., an organization that helps in our community with housing and food insecurity and many other social services. If you are available, come join us on Wednesday this week - you'll have a chance to learn about this great organization and all the good work they do in our community! The board is currently seeking new members and there is a newly formed youth board members (age 35 and below), so this would be a great chance to learn more! See you there! 🙂

Our Clinical Supervisor, Mia Krings, presented on behalf of the Illinois Association for Music Therapy in her capacity as President along with our amazing colleague and IAMT's Clinical Training Chair Beth Blankenship, about music therapy and hospice care at the Illinois Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's Annual Conference. Grateful for the opportunity to have music therapy represented as it is incredibly beneficial in hospice care!

We spy Melissa in action! 🎶🧠

To our clients, families, community partners, and supporters who are celebrating Easter this weekend, hoping your holiday is meaningful and full of wonderful moments!

Sharing again! Happy Friday! ☀️

Extra, extra! WE ARE HIRING✨

Greater Chicago Music Therapy Inc. is looking for a board-certified music therapist to join our amazing team! This position offers flexibility—both with scheduling and number of hours. We welcome applicants interested in a part-time and/or full-time salaried position. Our team is mobile as we travel to our clients throughout Chicago and several surrounding suburbs. We are looking for an independent music therapist who can manage their own caseload of individual and group sessions with adults with dementia, neurodiversity/developmental/intellectual disabilities, neurological disorders (e.g. Parkinson's, post-stroke), and in hospice care. We work from a strength-based and person-centered approach, and we have wonderful community partners. It is important to us to be doing the work we love while being supported. Our team collaborates closely sharing knowledge, expertise, guidance, and resources. We are thrilled to be able to have someone awesome join us!​

Start date: July 2024 or sooner!

BENEFITS:
- Competitive salary based on experience (please reach out for details)
- Membership to AMTA & IAMT
- CBMT & IL Licensure dues covered​
- Professional development paid time and enrollment cost coverage (e.g. CMTEs)
- Compensation for travel (time and mileage)
- Weekly clinical supervision & team meetings
- Opportunities to work with interns & practicum students
- Worker’s compensation & professional liability insurance
- Health insurance options (up to $350 per month)
- Dental insurance
- Life insurance
- Short term disability insurance and options for additional coverage
- Instruments, equipment, and supplies
- Access to sheet/digital music and session plan library
- Streaming music subscription
- Monthly technology stipend
- 4 weeks PTO
- Flexible schedule/comp time

REQUIREMENTS:
- Applicant must be MT-BC/eligible
- Team members must have a valid driver’s license, insurance, and reliable and safe transportation
- Must be COVID-19 vaccinated & boosted
- Comfortable assisting clients who use wheelchairs short distances if necessary (e.g. escorting a client from their room at a skilled nursing care community to a quiet space for session)
- Ideal applicant brings energy, creativity, dependability, good communication skills, and patience to their work​

TO APPLY:
Please send resume, cover letter, and 2-3 references to Rebecca Freiman, Owner/Director of Greater Chicago Music Therapy Inc. at [email protected]

This week holds a lot of lasts for our GCMT students! You may have seen our music therapy practicum student, Kevin Roche, around this semester. He just finished his last group sessions with persons living with dementia and other chronic diseases in a long term care community. Congratulations on another semester down, Kevin!

Kevin (BA in Music, UIC, 2006) is a music therapy practicum student from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC), back to school after 16 years as a Stationary Engineer. Kevin is a classically trained pianist, self-taught guitarist, former low-brass player (trombone, tuba, euphonium), and lately has been discovering his singing voice. Kevin lives in Brookfield with his family and a houseful of music equipment, occasionally plays gigs with friends, and leads daily jam sessions with his 13-month-old son.

SMWC Music Therapy

Congratulations, Heather Aikins (almost MT-BC), GCMT’s first intern! Yesterday, Heather completed her music therapy internship, a requirement to graduate and sit for the board certification exam. Our team could not be more proud of the tremendous growth we have had the privilege to witness! Your next team and future clients will be so lucky!

Please help us congratulate Heather on this huge milestone! 🥳👏🏼

A couple of weeks ago, our intern, Heather, designed and led an intergenerational program with our young friends and residents at The Selfhelp Home! Intergenerational programming can lead to enhanced cross-age attitudes, social competency, self efficacy, mental health, motivation, self expression, creativity, and of course… so much JOY!

These intergenerational music therapy groups that Heather has led over the past few months have all been a portion of her final internship project.

Thanks to all who brought their little ones to enjoy time with their grand-friends!