OUR STORY
Laurie is fond of saying that God gifted her with music because He knew that she would need it to survive and thrive throughout her life. Music (listening to, playing and creating) was what helped her communicate her thoughts and provided a supportive container to express her feelings, while serving as a companion and providing a means of connecting to herself and others.
At age eight, Laurie was taking piano lessons at the home of Audrey, a family friend from church. Audrey’s mother lived with her and was confined to her bed in a room at the top of the stairs from where the piano sat, a floor below. On the very day Laurie had intended to notify Audrey that she was not going to continue with lessons, but before she could do so, Audrey shared with Laurie that her mother so looked forward to Laurie’s lessons because of her touch on the keys. While Laurie had no idea what that meant, she did realize that her music had helped someone, and this was an amazing revelation to her. (Spoiler Alert! She did not quit that day!)
Fast forward seven years, and Laurie is at her clarinet lesson with Mr. Schietroma, who asks her “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. Laurie explained that she knew it would involve music but that she did not want to perform, nor did she want to teach. Mr. Schietroma suggested “What about music therapy?”. Although Laurie had never heard of such a thing (this was 1982, after all!), she knew right away that this was her calling. She went to the local library and found one article about music therapy, featuring a music therapist and his work with adults with Intellectual Disabilities, and she was hooked!
Desiring to hone her musical skills prior to becoming a music therapist, Laurie earned her Bachelor of Music degree from WVU and then took a year off to sing with a band, traveling throughout the United States. On a break from touring, she auditioned for and was accepted into the Master of Music Therapy degree program at Temple University, to study with none other than the man she had read about in that article ten years earlier, Dr. Kenneth Bruscia, who has remained a mentor throughout her career.
Laurie has worked steadily as a music therapist and educator in her hometown of Greensburg, PA for the past 27 years. And while you can read the specifics of that work here, it is more important to Laurie that you know that the seed which God planted in her heart at a tender age (helping others through music) was cultivated and grew into a full-fledged passion to assist people in accessing, developing, and restoring their own sense of their musical self as a path to living their best lives. NewSong Center for Music Wellness is the culmination of these endeavors, and Laurie is excited by the prospect of exploring how music can be of benefit for you and your loved ones!
LAURIE FOX
MMT, MT-BC, LPC
-Master of Music Therapy
-Music Therapist-Board Certified
-Licensed Professional Counselor
Laurie Fox, founder of NewSong Center for Music Wellness, earned her Master of Music Therapy degree and has completed extensive coursework towards the PhD in Music Therapy, both from Temple University in Philadelphia.
Upon returning to her hometown of Greensburg, PA, in 1994, Laurie developed a long-standing music therapy program at St. Anne Home, where she worked until 2011. Other places of music therapy employment have included Excela Health, St. Clair Hospital and Western State Penitentiary. She currently facilitates private 1:1 Music Therapy Sessions in Greensburg and Scottdale; Music Therapy groups at Easter Seals in Export, PA, The Waters of Wexford, PA and Music Enrichment Groups at Educated Athletes First (EAF) after-school program in Jeannette PA, and was recently the music therapist at Silvermist Recovery Center in Renfrew, PA.
Specializing in voicework and therapeutic eurhythmics, Laurie is a music-centered clinician and presenter who engages her clients and participants in active music-making to access, develop and restore a person’s sense of their musical self, thereby enhancing their personal well-being. Music-making experiences include techniques such as drumming, structured instrument play and/or movement, music relaxation, song communication, lyric analysis, improvisation, and songwriting.
Laurie is also an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Bachelor of Music Therapy program at Seton Hill University, where she teaches guitar, piano, voice and assists in the direction of the Commercial Music Ensemble, in addition to music therapy curriculum. This is a post she has held since the creation of the program in 2003. A frequent presenter of in-services and workshops, Laurie has been instrumental in raising awareness of the benefits of music therapy for the past 27 years. NewSong Center for Music Wellness is looking forward to continuing in this tradition of advocacy and invites you to contact them with any presentation, workshop, or wellness needs!
OUR MISSION
NewSong Center for Music Wellness is dedicated to the highest quality music therapy, wellness, and instructional services, delivered with compassion and creativity to children, adolescents, adults and older adults in Westmoreland County and surrounding areas. Our mission is to promote health and wellbeing through music by
- Educating, inspiring and musically engaging persons of all ages and abilities
- Providing access to opportunities for quality musical exploration
- Respecting individual needs and resources throughout the music-making process
- Designing meaningful music experiences and treatment/instructional plans
Any of our services can be conducted in your home, at our center (1140 Garden Street) Greensburg Pennsylvania, at school, at church, or at any healthcare facility, and services/sessions range from 30-90 minutes, depending on the need of the individual or group.
WHAT IS MUSIC THERAPY?
Music Therapy is the clinical & evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. Music therapy interventions can address a variety of healthcare & educational goals:
- Promote Wellness
- Manage Stress
- Alleviate Pain
- Express Feelings
- Enhance Memory
- Improve Communication
- Promote Physical Rehabilitation
- and more
(Official Definition of the American Music Therapy Association)
WHAT IS MUSIC WELLNESS?
Therapeutic Musicking Experiences. Goals addressed are embedded within each experience, and the participant can select according to their own self-identified needs. Benefits addressed in all the Music Wellness Offerings:
- Inducing Relaxation
- Increasing Concentration and Focus
- Releasing Negative Feelings
- Promoting Feelings of Well-being
- Reducing Tension and Anxiety
- Creating a Sense of Connectedness
- Integrating Mind and Body
- Fun!
FAQ
01 What are the qualifications of a music therapist?
At minimum, a professional music therapist holds a bachelor’s degree or higher in music therapy from an. The curriculum for the bachelor’s degree is designed to impart entry level competencies in three main areas: musical foundations, clinical foundations, and music therapy foundations and principles as specified in the AMTA Professional Competencies. In addition to the academic coursework, the bachelor’s degree requires 1200 hours of clinical training, including a supervised internship (from www.musictherapy.org)
02 What does a typical music therapy session include?
Nothing about a music therapy session can be considered “typical”, as our music therapists work from a humanistic framework, tailoring experiences to the goals identified for each client. Types of music experiences may include structured instrument play, structured music, therapeutic singing/vocalizing, percussion and/or vocal improvisation, songwriting, lyric analysis and discussion, music relaxation, therapeutic rhythmics, among others. What is important to note is that NewSong Music Therapists consider themselves music-centered, and so a priority is placed on the client’s active engagement with the music as being of utmost importance to their well-being.
03 Is music therapy a related service on the IEP?
Music therapy may be provided by the public schools either by decision of the IEP team (as a related service) or by decision of the school district (as educational enrichment).
04 Do I have to have a musical background, in order to participate in and benefit from music therapy
and music wellness experiences?
In a word, NO! Many of our clients enjoy and are motivated by music but have no prior musical experience. You will benefit from music therapy and music wellness regardless!