Happy Back-to-school, AMTAS!

Written by Tess Vreeland, MT-BC, AMTAS Secretary 2023

It's an exciting, yet sometimes overwhelming, time to begin a new school year! Some students may be just beginning their path to becoming a music therapist as freshmen, some may be working on applying to internships, and some may be somewhere in between. Wherever you are in your academic journey, the AMTAS board would like to wish you a happy and growth-filled school year. 

The start of a new academic year brings potential for new opportunities to learn in the field of music therapy. Getting involved with (or starting!) your school's music therapy club is a wonderful way to form connections with peers and get involved with music therapy advocacy efforts on your campus. Consider also looking into workshops and other opportunities available through your regional music therapy associations for students. Our regional boards work hard to provide support for students and universities across the country!

This fall, AMTA has provided a coupon code to assist with textbook purchases! Now through September 30th, students can input the code "MTSTUDENT2023-BOOK" at checkout to receive 25% off their AMTA published book purchase. 

AMTAS has some exciting dates to mark in your planners for this semester!

• Proposals for Passages presentations are due on Sunday, September 3rd at 11:59pm PST.
• Have you ever wanted to learn more about how the music therapy professional organizations work? Applications to be a part of the AMTAS standing committees are also due on September 3rd at 11:59pm PST. More information about these committees can be found under the "About AMTAS" tab on this website. 
• AMTAS is offering a number of scholarships including the President's Challenge and STARS Award. If you would like to be considered for any of these scholarships, please apply through the "Scholarships" tab on this website by September 15th at 11:59pm PST.
• Coming up towards the end of September into October are our student business meetings. These will be held via Zoom and will announce important updates regarding student business, events, scholarships, and more. These meetings will be on September 3oth and October 7th 3:30-4:30pm. More information about Zoom links will be posted soon, but mark these dates to stay up-to-date on the year of AMTAS!
• Also on October 7th, 12pm-2:30pm, will be our annual virtual Passages! Students are encouraged to attend free of charge to learn from students, new professionals, and keynote speakers. This year's Passages is titled "Navigating Music Therapy: Empowering students through advocacy, research, creative outlets, and supportive spaces."

Staying organized is a useful skill to acquire and maintain as a future music therapist. There are resources available to help facilitate the growth of this skill, such as planners designed for music therapists. One planner available on Etsy is linked here, and it is specifically designed for music therapy students juggling practica experiences, homework, practice, and more!

Looking for some back-to-school music therapy advocacy merch? Keep looking out on our social media @_amtas_ on Instagram and American Music Therapy Association Students on Facebook for big things to be announced soon!