Why I Teach
Betsey King, Ph.D., LCAT, MT-BC
Associate Professor of Music Therapy
As a music therapist, I know that every day holds the potential for discovery. If I change the melody line for a phrase, my client—recovering from a stroke—will be able to say all the words he wants to, instead of always dropping one. If I pause, ever so slightly, in the midst of the piano improvisation, the little boy with autism will keep his focus on our interaction and communication. If I change the harmony in the song we are writing, the group of young women with eating disorders will offer more emotional and personal lyrics.
I teach because I am compelled to share what I have discovered. I teach because I know what it is like to be a musician and to find ways to share that gift with those who most need it. I teach because I love learning.
In the 16 years before I started teaching full time, I worked with more than 500 people as a music therapist. Every new “MT-BC” (board-certified music therapist) from Nazareth College has the potential to do the same, and more. If I can prepare my students to learn from research, think creatively, and make their own discoveries, then who knows how many people they can help?
