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Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm

A Place To Be

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One of our Same Sky recording artists has just released a new song: take a listen to Russell's new song "Memories" out now on all streaming platforms!

https://open.spotify.com/track/365xY1XrukYLBtU5a84oYa?si=09f2150296af4f2d&nd=1

We were so honored to receive a commendation from the Virginia House of Delegates in February 2021 as an expression of their, “admiration for the organization’s important work to help children better understand and cope with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The House Resolution specifically recognized our animated children’s show, “The Land of Music,” created with voices and art and animation done by APTB clients, with hand-painted backgrounds by local artist Penny Hauffe, and led by our production team.

Congratulations to all who were involved in this project and thank you to Patrons Gooditis, Delaney, Reid and Subramanyam and the entire House of Delegates for this great honor!

You can watch The Land of Music at www.youtube.com/aplacetobefamily

Our music therapy clients took to the stage this past Sunday for our annual Spring Recital! We extend a special congratulations to all who performed, as well as to our therapists, admin staff, & families who help to make these performances possible!

Thank you so much to Boy Scout Troop 2950 for their work on Jack’s Garden! They keep this garden a beautiful spot where clients, friends, and families, can talk, relax, and enjoy the beauty of nature.

"Music memories are our strongest memories, so let’s go for a drive". Read Ray's latest music therapy blog: "It's Van Halen Weather"

https://rleonemusic.tumblr.com/post/683605343103827968/its-van-halen-weather?fbclid=IwAR22O_qNsbameQ0__PG6tcIXNpPW55UkoNbMsWklwfLxc4tU-QA7EYCqDyQ

Don't forget to rsvp for tomorrow's parent forum, featuring special guest speaker Melissa Heifetz! To RSVP, email [email protected]

Thank you so much to all the members of 100 Women Strong for your deep support and commitment to the community! You truly model that we are stronger together! And congratulations to all the nonprofit awardees who we are honored to serve with together in this community!

100WomenStrong of Loudoun County, Virginia

https://loudounnow.com/2022/05/04/100womenstrong-awards-475k-in-nonprofit-grants/?fbclid=IwAR3mXAZ_DhEsqLdT8B-7nSmasyhlRD7rVtvXmvPb0kdGUDG4d7sBHbChoSA

For those interested, a reminder to RSVP for our next parent forum. May 11th's forum features special guest speaker Melissa Heifetz who will discuss lifetime planning. This event is free but requires an RSVP to [email protected]

Join us in offering a huge congratulations to Rich Hixon on achieving his LBSW credentials – his is now a licensed social worker! We are grateful to have his expertise here at APTB, supporting our families in countless ways. Way to go Rich!!!

On a beautiful spring day recently some of our young adults got together for our Touchstones group to connect with their APTB friends. We have a variety of options (and more coming soon) for folks who have completed our main programs but still want to stay connected to the community that is such an integral part of their life. Interested in learning more? Contact [email protected]

A great event this weekend in Middleburg: Emmanuel Church will be hosting the annual Washington Sängerbund Spring Concert this Sunday at 4pm. To reserve a seat, call 540-687-6297, and join the after concert gathering at Old Ox Brewery!

Mark your calendars: our next Parent Forum is May 11th! This month's forum will feature special guest speaker Melissa Heifetz, founder of Advocacy Partners Center For Lifetime Planning. This event is free but registration is required. The event is in person at our Middleburg location, with a zoom option available. We hope you can join us!

To register, email [email protected]

Creating community, belonging, and hope through music therapy, performance, and the expressive arts

A Place To Be Music Therapy (APTB) works under the premise that gifts come in many shapes and sizes. In a world that often lacks compass-ion, understanding and acceptance, APTB provides opportunities for those whose gifts may not be as readily apparent. APTB provides the opportunity for each individual to discover and understand their unique contribution and connection to the world to
better navigate the future.

Operating as usual

SurroundSounds Podcast: Jess Malfa, MT-BC

11/07/2023

Jess Malfa, MT-BC joins the Hannah and Jenna for this week's SurroundSounds podcast! Jess has served as a clinical supervisor for the past 4 years, currently working works with teens and adults with medically complex developmental conditions at Matheny Medical and Educational Center in Peapack, New Jersey.

Follow the SurroundSounds on Spotify and YouTube

YouTube:
https://youtu.be/hq5IeU7dN1g

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3ZpqatmvjaFTfgD5NSzT8e?si=fd85252bc2d04530

SurroundSounds Podcast: Jess Malfa, MT-BC Jess Malfa, MT-BC has been working as a music therapist and clinical supervisor for the past 4 years. She started her career working with older adults at The...

11/05/2023

“One day Elle told me that she was disappointed that a friend, who was supposed to visit, had to cancel. She reminisced about their past “escapades” together. But I sensed an overtone of longing, and a little sadness, in her stories. I sensed that she felt… lonely. She asked me if I would play The Rose. “It’s my favorite song. It reminds me of my friends.” During the song, it was really the first time that she looked vulnerable to me”

Read The Story of Elle in full, as well as other stories of music therapy in action, over on Ray’s Substack page:

The Story of Elle Greetings! Thank you for reading! I hope that you are enjoying this blog! Working as a music therapist in a hospital, in acute care, I rarely see patients for more than a few times. However, occasionally I will see someone over the course of a longer stay. I was reminded, when this came up from a ye...

11/04/2023

Congratulations to the cast of Priscilla's Potion Party! Hundreds of families throughout the county celebrated Halloween weekend by watching our talented cast perform the first ever show at our new Mars-Schmidt theatre at Village at Leesburg. Well done to all cast and crew!

11/03/2023

Leesburg Lifestyle stopped by our new space and received a tour from our co-founder Kim Tapper and executive director Dr. Judy Hanley. Thanks to Leesburg Lifestyle for stopping by and to the Loudoun County Social Collective for their support of A Place To Be!

11/03/2023

A Place To Be is the subject of a new feature for City Lifestyle! New to A Place To Be? This article is a great place to get acquainted with us, our mission, and our 13 year journey thus far from our start in Middleburg to our recent expansion to Leesburg.

Read the full article at the link below:

A Place to Be Takes Center Stage A Place to Be Takes Center Stage

11/02/2023

On this week's SurroundSounds podcast, Kevin spoke about discovering music therapy in Malaysia, and his experience coming to the United States to study music therapy. Watch the clip below, and listen to the full podcast on YouTube and Spotify!

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3mBvc8oIhs

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2eX3YbXPjeDHzVdNYHJRlK?si=db5f4c69740443e7

11/02/2023

Mark your calendars! A Place To Be's 2023 Fall Fest is coming up on November 18th, from 1-3. This event is FREE and open to current APTB clients and their families! Join your A Place To Be community for an afternoon of games, music, food and friends!

Fall Fest will take place at the Trillium Gathering Building at 1895 Lincoln Road Purcellville, VA 20132. We can't wait to see you there!

THIS EVENT IS FREE BUT RSVP IS REQUIRED BY FRIDAY NOVEMBER 10TH

10/31/2023

It was an eventful Halloween at A Place to Be as staff and clients alike arrived in costume! Here’s just a few of the characters we spotted today…

SurroundSounds Podcast: Kevin Leong, MT-BC, NMT

10/31/2023

On today's episode of the SurroundSounds Podcast, Hannah and Jenna spoke with A Place To Be's very own Director of Music Education, Kevin Leong Mt-BC, NMT!

Kevin discusses his work in the inpatient and outpatient oncology unit, and the inpatient behavioral units at Inova. He has specialized training in Neurologic Music Therapy, and has had experience in hospice, pediatric and neuro-rehabilitative settings as well.

Watch or listen to the podcast on Youtube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3mBvc8oIhs

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2eX3YbXPjeDHzVdNYHJRlK?si=51c9689d5bc64179

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/.../surroundsounds/id1705938397

SurroundSounds Podcast: Kevin Leong, MT-BC, NMT Kevin is the Director of Music Therapy Education, and medical music therapist at A Place To Be – a nonprofit music therapy organization providing accessible ...

Photos from Loudoun Chamber of Commerce's post

10/30/2023

We are honored to share that our executive director, Dr. Judy Hanley, is one of the finalists for the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce Community 2024 Leadership Awards! Congratulations to all nominees, and thank you to Dr. Hanley for all the great work she does for A Place To Be!

10/29/2023

Priscilla’s Potion Party has its last two showings today at 1 and 4! Don’t miss these final performances. Performances at held at Village at Leesburg

10/29/2023

Priscilla’s Potion Party has two more shows TODAY, at Village at Leesburg! We’re so proud of our talented cast, who have already shared this show with hundreds of audience members, and are currently prepping for today’s show! Don’t miss your last chance to see this festive Halloween show at 1 and 3 today!

Get your tickets for today ahead of time by visiting https://aplacetobe.booktix.com/dept/main/e/Potion

10/28/2023

Monster Mash is here, and with it comes Priscilla’s Potion Party! Stop by Village at Leesburg for a day of Halloween fun, and join us for our original haunting new musical. Showtimes today are 11, 1, 3, and 6!

Tickets available at https://aplacetobe.booktix.com/dept/main/e/Potion

10/27/2023

Our new Halloween musical, Priscilla's Potion Party, opens tonight at Village at Leesburg! This spooky new musical is fit for the whole family. Come experience the first ever show in our brand new theatre! Tickets are available at the link below or at the door!

Showtimes:

October 27th (6:00pm & 7:30pm)

October 28th (11:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm, & 6:00pm)

October 29th (1:00pm & 4:00pm)

Tickets:
https://aplacetobe.booktix.com/dept/main/e/Potion

10/26/2023

Live from A Place To Be - our team is hard at work painting our new mural! Haven’t had a chance to visit our new space? Join us for our first show in our new theater this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and explore A Place To Be Leesburg.

Tickets To Priscilla’s Potion Party Available Now:

https://aplacetobe.booktix.com/dept/main/e/Potion?mibextid=Zxz2cZ

10/25/2023

Each week, our "5 Ways To Make A Friend" cast brings our original musical, based in social emotional learning techniques, to elementary school students throughout the county. So far, we've reached thousands of students, with many more performances to come!

Loudoun Education Foundation

SurroundSounds Podcast: Leanna Moore, MT-BC, NMT

10/24/2023

On today’s episode of the SurroundSounds Podcast, Jenna and Hannah are joined by Leanna Moore, an NMT fellow and the Clinical Training Director at Neurologic Music Therapy Services of Arizona. Leanna has been practicing as an MT-BC, MT for 7 years, with clinical experiences centered in private practice, in 1:1 and group settings with a diverse client population range.

To support the Podcast, follow SurroundSounds on Spotify:
https://spotify.link/dReQqR2U9Db

YouTube:
https://youtu.be/kDtRSY8pKws?si=IZnjXz_OX-27sNdy

SurroundSounds Podcast: Leanna Moore, MT-BC, NMT Leanna Moore (she/her) is an NMT fellow and the Clinical Training Director at Neurologic Music Therapy Services of Arizona. Leanna holds a BM and MA in music...

10/23/2023

It's Disability Employment Awareness Month, and A Place To Be community member Farris Hallaj sat down to share his story. Farris lives with optic nerve hypoplasia, and is currently teaching voice lessons at Bach to Rock.

Hear Farris's story (and songs) on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/aIy-BmC4NQw

10/21/2023

The staff of A Place To Be congratulates our co-founder Tom Sweitzer on finishing the 2 month off-Broadway run of 20 Seconds! The show was a great success, and we can’t wait to have Tom back at A Place To Be. Congrats Tom!

10/20/2023

We invite everyone to join A Place To Be for our Abstract Emotions Art Workshop, October 28th in our Middleburg space! Journey into the abstract world of emotions to express feeling through color shape and texture. Check out all our upcoming workshops and reserve your space at: [email protected]. Canvas and supplies are included with sign up - (registration required at least 3 days in advance).

10/20/2023

Don't miss Monster Mash at Village at Leesburg, next Saturday from 3-6pm! A Place To Be will be hosting the inaugural musical for our new theatre as part of this event. RSVP to Priscilla's Potion Party and reserve your tickets today at https://fb.me/e/3dL7hpDjZ

Showtimes:

Friday Oct 27: 6pm, 7:30pm
Saturday Oct 28: 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 6pm
Sunday Oct 29: 1pm, 4pm

10/19/2023

Next weekend, A Place To Be brings "Priscilla's Potion Party" to life for our first ever show in our new space at Village at Leesburg! We invite you to join us Oct 27, 28th, and 29th for this haunting new musical!

Priscilla's Potion Party is a ticketed event. Get tickets for the whole family today at https://aplacetobe.booktix.com/dept/main/e/Potion

RSVP: https://fb.me/e/3dL7hpDjZ

10/19/2023

"I was driving home the other day and feeling all of the stressors of work, thinking about some bills that were due and, it was also my night to cook dinner, blah… blah… blah… But—suddenly, without warning, as if the music Gods were looking out for me, the opening guitar riff of Hot Blooded (Foreigner) started bleeding out of the speakers. Suddenly, all was right in the world"

Read the latest article from our director of medical music therapy, Ray Leone, at Psychology Today

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/music-therapy-music-musings/202310/so-what-are-you-listening-to?fbclid=IwAR1vPgqrt1opX0Spro-3QWaMxKzwuL_Ypkhgh3xwWoZfc7WwGZRKUpz865M

So, What Are You Listening To? Why is there so much power and joy in listening to the music from our youth?

10/18/2023

At A Place To Be, it is our goal to create a community for all those who walk through our doors. Here's a look at one of our recent family events: activities included a scavenger hunt, musical performances and karaoke, and other opportunities for fun and friendship making. Watch this space for news on future community offerings from A Place To Be!

10/17/2023

Mark your calendars for our next Art Workshop, October 28th in Middleburg. Our art workshops are the first of many offerings from our new Community Wellness series. You don't need to be a client, or even an artist, to join us for this these great opportunities! Sign up today by emailing [email protected]. Canvas and supplies are included with registration!

10/17/2023

Many of you will recognize today's guest on the SurroundSounds podcast, as Anneka Bell MT-BC, NMT joins Hannah and Jenna to discuss her experience as a music therapist. Anneka was previously an intern at A Place To Be, and in this clip discusses the process that led to her joining us for her internship.

Support the SurroundSounds podcast by following us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube!

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZmYMLhF8yo

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4An0WBT2Chsaul4I1kzOLw?si=62bab20d2a114586

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../surroundsounds/id1705938397

Photos from Loudoun Education Foundation's post

10/16/2023

Thank you Loudoun Education Foundation, the Inova Foundation, and Loudoun County Public Schools for your support! We couldn't be happier to be sharing 5 Ways To Make A Friend with students countywide!

10/16/2023

Here's a great way to start your week: During his sessions with Dan, Ian has written an original song about A Place To Be! Great job Ian!

10/14/2023

In our new space, you'll notice new names for each therapy room, and the names of those who generously contributed to our new space. One such room, "The Ry Guy Room" is named for long time APTB community member Ryan Lowry, and was made possible by KC and Ben Graham! Ryan stopped by to check out the room himself. His thoughts? "It makes me feel like I want to record and play music. I love my room"!

10/14/2023

This atmospheric trailer for last year's Story Creators short film "Consoles and Castles" is the culmination of some editing work Ben, one of our film campers, has been working on during his individual sessions. Great job Ben!

To see more original video projects and music created by our APTB community, follow us on YouTube at "A Place To Be Family"!

Consoles and Castles | Ben's Trailer This atmospheric trailer for last year's Story Creators camp film "Consoles and Castles", is the culmination of some editing work Ben, one of our film camper...

10/13/2023

It's Friday the 13th, and our actors are in the spooky spirit preparing for our new original Halloween musical, Priscilla's Potion Party!

Following the story of a young girl who moves into a house crawling with spooky Halloween creatures, Priscilla's Potion Party is the latest of our inclusive theatre offerings and is a part of Village at Leesburg's 2023 Monster Mash!

RSVP for the show and get your tickets today by visiting our event page:
https://fb.me/e/3dL7hpDjZ

10/12/2023

A message from our touring cast of 5 Ways To Make A Friend! Our tour continues for the remainder of the semester, and our team is having a great time sharing social emotional learning techniques and friendship making skills with elementary school children across the county!

Loudoun County Public Schools

10/11/2023

Registration for our Fall Groups remains open! Don't miss your chance to join in the fun and friendship making this semester. Through our social groups, our board-certified music therapists foster community, belonging, and hope for individuals of all abilities and backgrounds!

All groups require an assessment. To learn more and register today, visit www.aplacetobeva.org/social-groups/

10/11/2023

Child Safety Day is this Saturday at Village at Leesburg! Come out and support local businesses and engage in interactive displays. There's always something happening at VAL for the whole family. Keep up to date with the goings-on at Village At Leesburg (including our upcoming shows) at https://www.villageatleesburg.com/events/

NEW DATE: Join the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office for their annual Child Safety Day on Saturday, October 28, from 12 – 4 p.m.! Take part in interactive public safety displays and get information from local community partners all over Loudoun! 👋💖

10/11/2023

Thank you to Dr. Thema Bryant, president of the American Psychological Association, and Dr. Shavonne Moore-Lobban-Moore, Director of APA-Accredited Internship Program, for inviting Kevin and Kalysta to speak on music therapy and grief at the Healing is Here Summit at Howard University! It was a powerful, transformative and liberating experience. May we all continue to heal and grow through music, community and connection.

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