SUNY Fredonia Music Therapy Department

08/06/2026

A great post from Harmony Creative Therapy!

If you would like more information about becoming a board-certified music therapist and the undergraduate music therapy program at Fredonia, please check out: https://www.fredonia.edu/academics/colleges-schools/school-music/program/music-therapy

Or, contact our program director, Dr. Heeyoun Cho at [email protected] for more information on the application process.

Do you love music and want to make a career of it? It might seem like music education or performance degrees are the only majors out there, but that is far from the truth. Thankfully, there is the fulfilling profession of music therapy! Aspiring

08/05/2026

Thank you The Arc Erie County New York for recognizing Nzingha and Isabella's hard work and their exciting accomplishment of completing their undergraduate clinical training.

We are incredibly grateful for your ongoing support of the music therapy profession and your advocacy that expands access to music therapy for the clients we support in our community!

07/31/2026

An exciting milestone for May Creative Arts! We are SO proud of you, Amara, and the impact that all of our alumni on your team have in our community. 🦬

We would love to shout out more alumni accomplishments on our page this year. Email Dr. Cho or Dr. Warren to share your journey after Fredonia! 💙

07/31/2026

We are proud of Malia Flusche, Abby Pratt, and Jess Franco for completing a year of meaningful learning and growth through their first clinical practicum at Fredonia Place under the supervision of Dr. Hyun-Jung Kang.
Throughout the year, they learned, reflected, and grew with the residents through shared music experiences and therapeutic relationships. We celebrate not only their developing clinical skills, but also their ongoing journey of becoming music therapists.

Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music! 🎶🎉
Today was our last day of Music Therapy with our friends from Fredonia State. We wish all of these talented students well and thank them for the music!

07/31/2026

An exciting day for Allison, Isabella, and Nzingha. We are SO proud of all you! 💙🤍

Our alumni are a testament to the commitment we have to developing skilled, compassionate, and resilient music therapists while empowering each graduate to find their own path to career success.

What a bittersweet day! 🧡🎶

Today we celebrated the last day of my incredible interns, Isabella and Nzingha, as they completed their 1,200 hour music therapy at The Arc. It has been 7 months of dedication, growth, learning, and countless meaningful moments with the people we serve.

Watching them develop their clinical skills, build confidence, and grow into compassionate music therapists has been such a privilege. They have worked so hard, embraced every challenge, and made a lasting impact on so many lives.

I am beyond proud of both of you and all that you've accomplished. While I'm going to miss seeing you every day, I can't wait to watch where this next chapter takes you. The music therapy profession is lucky to have you both. 🧡

Congratulations, Isabella and Nzingha! Thank you for all of your hard work, your kindness, your laughter, and the joy you brought to our team. I'll miss you both so much! 🎉🎓🎵

07/30/2026

A look back at one of our inspiring SURC-West presentations!

On April 21, 2026, at the SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC)-West, Music Therapy students Max Oppedisano, Reggie Walters, Bridget Cunningham, Mackenzie Coccia, and Venus Rodriguez presented an original performance based on their exploration of emerging student music therapist identities in Dr. Hyun-Jung Kang's Clinical Seminar.

Title:
Emerging Student Music Therapist Identity as Embodied Transformation and Expansion of the Self within Musical and Relational Communities

Abstract:
Becoming a music therapist is not simply the acquisition of skills and knowledge, but an ongoing transformation and expansion of the self. Within musical, therapeutic, clinical, and communal contexts, identity does not exist apart from lived experience; it emerges through embodied participation, relational encounter, and shared sound.
In Dr. Hyun-Jung Kang’s Clinical Seminar, junior and senior music therapy students engage in an artistic inquiry into their emerging student professional identities. Rather than approaching identity as a fixed or fully formed construct, this project understands it as dynamic, situated, and continually becoming. Drawing on phenomenological and post-structural sensibilities, identity is framed as embodied, relational, and in motion, shaped through musical practice, therapeutic presence, community participation, and campus life. While this inquiry begins within the classroom, it continues to develop through dialogue and witnessing within the broader music therapy and SUNY community.
Student health-musicians (student music therapists) collaborated in small groups to explore who they are becoming within the field. Through original performance works, each group renders audible and visible the resonances, uncertainties, tensions, aspirations, sense of connection, and emerging values that characterize their developmental process. Performances will be followed by brief spoken reflections, inviting the audience into a space of witnessing and collective meaning-making.

04/23/2026

The Music Therapy Club is holding a thrift sale tomorrow from 11-4pm in the MPR of the Williams Center. There may be a special guest around 3:45, so be sure to get your shopping in and stop by to support the club!!

04/22/2026

Research in Clinical Practicum: A Resource-Oriented Music Therapy Case Study

On April 21, 2026, at the SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC)-West, sophomore Malia Flusche shared a research poster emerging from her first clinical practicum experience.

This case study, developed in collaboration with Dr. Hyun-Jung Kang, focuses on resource-oriented music therapy work with an older adult in an assisted living setting, based on her work with her first individual client.

Drawing directly from clinical engagement, the project explores how approaches such as songwriting and music autobiography can help identify and strengthen personal resources.

We congratulate Malia on this important milestone and look forward to the continued development of her clinical and research work.

04/22/2026

From Clinical Practice to Research

Today at the 2026 SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC)-West, senior Maxon (Max) Oppedisano presented a research poster on behalf of a collaborative project with Abigail (Abbie) Shine and Dr. Hyun-Jung Kang, "Transition Songs and Co-Regulation in Inclusive Preschool Group Music Therapy: An Exploratory Study"

This faculty–undergraduate–graduate collaboration emerged directly from clinical practice, where participants’ needs were actively assessed and shaped the focus of the study.

The project explores how transition songs and the therapist together support preschool children’s co-regulation and engagement in group music therapy.

We warmly celebrate Max, Abbie, and this meaningful work, and are proud to see our students growing into thoughtful clinicians and emerging scholars.

04/20/2026

Preschool Music Therapy: From Engagement to Regulation

Last year, master’s student Abigail Shine presented a poster on children’s engagement in music therapy, based on research conducted with Dr. Hyun-Jung Kang, at the Fredonia OSCAR Expo (May 1, 2025).

Building on this work, this year’s study further explores preschool children’s engagement by examining co-regulation processes between the therapist, music, and children, with a particular focus on the use of transition songs in an inclusive music therapy setting. This research is conducted by Abigail Shine and Maxon Oppedisano in collaboration with Dr. Hyun-Jung Kang.

The team will present their findings at SURC-West:

- Time: 9:00–10:00 AM
- Location: Multipurpose Room, Williams Center, SUNY Fredonia

We invite you to join us and support our students’ ongoing research and creative work!