Music Therapy Program Commemorates 50 Years of Innovation and Academic Excellence

Shenandoah Conservatory’s music therapy program celebrated a major milestone this year, commemorating 50 years of innovation and academic excellence with a two-day event for alumni, students and faculty on Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26. Alumni traveled from across the country to attend, with participants joining on Zoom from as far away as The Philippines and South Africa.

On Friday, 130 students, alumni and faculty gathered for a symposium celebrating music therapy research and clinical practice. The afternoon began with a stimulating keynote address by Adjunct Associate Professor of Music Therapy Kerry Devlin ’18, LPMT, MT-BC, “Advancing Medical Music Therapy Practice: New Horizons in Neurocritical Care,” and continued with a series of breakout sessions presented by alumni.

“The event was such an incredible thing to witness as a current student,” said Genevieve Moffett ’26 (Bachelor of Music Therapy). “Having so many generations of Shenandoah University (SU) music therapists in one room really demonstrated the impact this program has had on every student that went through it. As I’m heading into internship and the professional world, it’s encouraging to know that I will always have my SU community to come back to and celebrate with!”

On Saturday, alumni gathered for a fireside chat with current and former faculty members, covering some 40 years of the program, including Michael Rohrbacher, Ph.D., MT-BC, and Sue Rohrbacher, MT-BC; Daniel Tague, Ph.D., MT-BC; and Anne Lipe ’73, Ph.D, along with current faculty members Associate Professor of Music Therapy Bronwen Landless ’04, ’13, Ph.D., MT-BC; and Assistant Provost for Inclusion, Diversity & Equity and Associate Professor of Music Therapy Hakeem Leonard, Ph.D., MT-BC. Alumni shared their memories of their time studying at Shenandoah, which included honoring Marian Sung, who founded the program in 1974.

Celebration events concluded with a wonderful NW Works Chimers concert, under the direction of Fredrica Dooley-Brown ’11, ’19, M.M.T., MT-BC, attended by more than 200 people on Saturday afternoon under the direction of Fredrica Dooley-Brown ’11, ’19, M.M.T., MT-BC, and a reception honoring Dr. Mike and Sue Rohrbacher for their contributions to the program (1994–2013).

Danielle Coffinbarger ’18, ’23, M.M.T., LPMT, MT-BC, reflected on the weekend by sharing how important it was to reconnect: “Being back on campus for the 50th celebration symposium felt like coming home. My time at Shenandoah was one of the most impactful times of my life, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not grateful for my years there and the relationships I’ve built. Being a part of the symposium not only reminded me of what I love about Shenandoah, but it also reminded me of everything I love about music therapy: the connection, the hope and the ability to find joy in our shared humanness.”