I’ve been up and at my desk since 4:45 am doing some last-minute work, which can only mean one thing: I’m leaving for conference today! In just a few hours (plus several lessons and music therapy sessions), I’ll be headed north to St. Charles, IL for the 2012 American Music Therapy Association’s national conference.
And boy, is it a good thing conference is within driving distance this year, because my car is going to be FULLY loaded. Not only will I have a suitcase with enough clothes and shoes for 5 days, but I’m also packing up most of the materials for the Music Therapy Pro booth in the exhibition hall.
Michelle, Kimberly and I shared our plans for this year’s conference in the latest episode of the Music Therapy Round Table last week, but here’s a quick summary of what I’ll be up to:
- Serving on the technology committee as a representative of the Great Lakes Region
- Attending several advocacy events for the Illinois Association for Music Therapy
- Presenting Your Business, Your Way: Resources and Ideas for YourMusic Therapy Practice on Saturday at 9:30 am with two colleagues, Meryl Brown and Melaine Pohlman.
- Hosting the Music Therapy Pro booth in the exhibit hall with my partners in crime, Michelle Erfurt and Kimberly Sena Moore.
- Attending “official” and “not-so-official” tweet-ups (head over to Twitter and watch #AMTA for more info).
Although I’m super excited about everything on that list, I’d have to say that my #1 priority at this year’s conference is making sure the Music Therapy Pro booth is full of awesome-ness at all times. I’ll be spending LOTS of time there talking to our members, helping new members join, and inviting people to enter our raffle. The prize is valued at over $250 and includes tons of wonderful music therapy resources and products. So if you’re at conference, make sure to stop by the booth and get it on it!
The official conference hashtag over on Twitter is #AMTA12, but my colleagues and I will also be using #MTPRO. And of course, I’ll be posting plenty of updates and photos on my Facebook page and Instagram account (@rachelrambach) for those of you who aren’t able to attend or are just curious about what’s happening.
One more thing — if you see me at conference, please come up and say hi! Over the last three years that I’ve attended, I’ve been able to connect with so many music therapists who read the blog and use Listen & Learn resources…I’m hoping to meet many more this year!
