Music Therapy in Fulton County Schools
In 1991, the Fulton County School System created its Music Therapy program with a single music therapist, Ms. Amber Weldon-Stephens. Now, Fulton County has seventeen Music Therapists working with thousands of students system-wide. In 1998, the county became an approved American Music Therapy Association National Roster internship site. The county had to meet rigorous guidelines to obtain the title of an internship site. The Music Therapy program is funded and supported through the music department. Each Music Therapist is required to hold a board certification in the field of Music Therapy, and have state licensure. The Music Therapy department proudly supports the Fulton County School System’s mission to educate students to be responsible, productive citizens who through continuous learning will be able to adapt to an ever-changing, global society.
Music Therapists work in conjunction with classroom teachers and related professionals to address the goals and objectives that are stated in the individual education plans (IEP) of each student. Specifically, Music Therapists use music and music based interventions to target student needs. As a member of the interdisciplinary team, each Music Therapist carefully reviews the IEP of each student as part of the treatment plan process. After assessing each student, a Music Therapist will design Music Therapy sessions for small groups based on client needs. Finally, a Music Therapist will discuss session results with the other members of the interdisciplinary team.
Populations Served |
Interventions/Activities |
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GoalsGoals for most Music Therapy sessions include the use of music interventions to:
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ObjectivesSkills are addressed within objectives specifically designed for each intervention. These may include:
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