Not one Day Without a Smile: Music Therapy in Early Childhood Education – An Interview With Marcia Humpal

by | Sep 1, 2010 | History, Music Therapy, Young Children

Petra Kern, Ph.D., MT-BC, MTA, DMtG

In the early childhood and music therapy literature, you will find an outstanding person: Marcia Humpal. Through her writings, passion, and devotion to very young children and their families, she is very well known among music therapists and other professionals working in the field of early childhood education. Marcia has a special interest in inclusion of children in their natural environments and believes strongly in the benefits of music for individuals of all ability levels. Her research, reports, and sharing of many years of experiences are testimony of the knowledgeable, warm, and generous person who stands behind these beliefs. Marcia is currently employed by the Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Her primary responsibilities are working with children from ages one to five and their families. Marcia’s commitment to the field of music therapy is evident in her involvement in many committees and boards. She is the chairperson of the American Music Therapy Association’s (AMTA) Affiliate Relations Committee, the co-chair of AMTA’s Early Childhood Network, and was an editorial board member of Early Childhood Connections. Marcia has served on the AMTA Executive Board and on the Editorial Board of Music Therapy Perspectives. Her most recent assignment is to edit and write for AMTA’s Best Practice in Music Therapy – Early Childhood and School Age monograph. During my doctoral studies, I contacted Marcia several times to ask her for resources and to discuss issues related to music therapy in early childhood education in the U.S. with her. It was then, when the idea was born to share her ideas and knowledge in an interview. Finally, at the Sixth Annual AMTA Conference in Austin, Texas in November 2004, we met and talked about the role and impact of music therapy in early childhood education. Marcia is among the special individuals who inspired me along my music therapy journey with young children and their families. Enjoy the interview!

Resources:

  • Colwell, C. M., & Murrless, K. D. (2002). Music activities (singing vs. chanting) as a vehicle for reading accuracy of children with learning disabilities: A pilot study.  Music Therapy Perspectives, 20(1), 13-19.

  •  Gunsberg, A. (1988). Improvised musical play: A strategy for fostering social play between developmentally delayed and nondelayed preschool children. Journal of Music Therapy, 25(4), 178-191.

  • Hughes J. E., Robbins, B. J., McKenzie, B. A., & Robb, S. S. (1990). Integrating exceptional and nonexceptional young children through music play: A pilot program. Music Therapy Perspectives, 8, 52-56.

  • Hibben, J. (1992). Music therapy in the treatment of families with young children. Music Therapy, 11(1), 28 – 44.

  • Humpal, M. E. (1991). The effects of an integrated early childhood music program on social interaction among children with handicaps and their typical peers. Journal of Music Therapy, 33(1), 19-33.

  • Kern, P. (2004). Making friends in music: Including children with autism in an interactive play setting. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. V, Issue 4, August 2004, available at http://musictherapyworld.net.

  • Register, D. (2001). The effects of an early intervention music curriculum on prereading/writing. Journal of Music Therapy, 38(3), 239-248.

  • Robb, S. (2003). Designing music therapy interventions for hospitalized children and adolescents using a contextual support model of music therapy. Music Therapy Perspectives, 21(1), 27 – 40.

  • Simpson, J. & Burns, D. S. (2004). Music therapy reimbursement. Best practices and procedures. Silver Spring, MD: The American Music Therapy Association.

  • Standley, J. M., & Hughes, J. E. (1997).  Evaluation of an early intervention music curriculum for enhancing prereading/writing skills. Music Therapy Perspectives, 15, 79-85.

  • Standley, J. M. (2003). Music therapy with premature infants. Research and developmental interventions. Silver Spring, MD: The American Music Therapy Association.

About the Author:

Dr. Petra Kern is a member of the Music Therapy Today editorial board. She currently works as a researcher at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. Contact: petrakern@musictherapy.biz

Note: Reprinted with permission from Music Therapy Today. 

Kern, P. (2005). Not one day without a smile: Music therapy in early childhood education – An interview with Marcia Humpal. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VI, Issue 3, July 2005, available at http://musictherapyworld.net.

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