Barbara Crowe

Professor Barbara J. Crowe has been Director of Music Therapy at
Arizona State University since 1981 having held a similar position at
Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne from
1977-1981.  Her work involves teaching music therapy courses
required for the Bachelor’s degree in music therapy including
Psychology of Music. In addition, she supervises students in their
clinical practicum experiences.  She also teaches or co-teaches
the courses for the Master of Music in Music Therapy. Professor Crowe
holds a Bachelor’s degree (1973) and Master’s degree
(1977) in music therapy from Michigan State University, and completed
her clinical internship at Ypsilanti State Hospital in Michigan. 
Her clinical experience in music therapy includes work with
emotionally disturbed adolescents, trainably cognitively impaired
adolescents, and as a consultant in music therapy in geriatric care in
Fort Wayne, Indiana and Phoenix, Arizona.  


She has served The National Association for Music Therapy (NAMT)
and The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) in many ways. She
was NAMT vice president from 1988-1990, served on the Assembly of
Delegates, and numerous committees. She was President of the National
Association for Music Therapy from 1990-1992 and served as Chair of
the Transition Task Force on Educational and Clinical Training. She is
currently serving as Chair of the Task Force on Sound and Healing
Organizations. Professor Crowe was Executive Director of the Rhythm
for Life Project from 1992-1996, which stemmed from the US Senate
Committee on Aging’s hearing, “Forever Young: Music and
the Elderly.”  She submitted written testimony to the
hearing record and worked on Capitol Hill to write the legislation
including music therapy services in the Older American’s Act.
She works extensively with group percussion experiences as a basis for
music therapy and wrote “Cost Effective Activity Programs for
Older Adults with Dementia” and “Utilizing Group
Percussion Strategies for Promoting Volunteerism in the Well
Elderly” for the Rhythm for Life project.  She used the
group drumming model in a pilot project for gang prevention among
junior high school age children.


Professor Crowe’s research interests include the
historical antecedents of modern music therapy and the theoretical
foundations of music therapy practice.  Publications include the
article, “Music Therapy for an Emotionally Disturbed Adolescent
Boy” in German Journal of Music Therapy, the article,
“Shamanism and Music Therapy: Ancient Healing Practices in
Modern Practice” and “An Overview of Sound Healing
Practices: Implications for the Profession of Music Therapy” in
Music Therapy Perspectives, “Implications of Technology in Music
Therapy Practice and Research for Music Therapy Education” in
The Journal of Music Therapy, and a chapter for the book Music:
Physician for Times to Come entitled “Music the Ultimate
Physician”.  She has also published a chapter in the book,
Inside Music Therapy: Client Experiences entitled, “The Special
Place of Music for a Multiply Disabled Child.”  In 2004, a
book, Music and Soulmaking: Toward a New Theory of Music Therapy, was
published by Scarecrow Press. This book examines music and the four
aspects of human functioning – body, mind, emotion, and spirit
– in a complex interaction leading to the effectives of therapy
we observe. She also wrote and edited the 2007 publication, Music
Therapy for Children, Adolescents and Adults with Mental Disorders and
Group Rhythm and Drumming with Older Adults both published by AMTA.
She also served as a contributing editor for music therapy and sound
healing to the Time Life Books publication, The Alternative Advisor
and is on the editorial board of the Harp Therapy Journal.




Professor Crowe presents extensively at international, national,
and regional music therapy conferences and at related-field
conferences including “Music Therapy and Children” for the
Academy of Osteopathic Physicians, “Music Therapy and
Transpersonal Psychology” for the Annual Conference of the
Association for Transpersonal Psychology, “Music Therapy and
Models Theory” for the First North American Music Therapy
Conference, “Music as Subtle Energy Healing” for the Third
Sound Healers Colloquium in New Hampshire,  “ Subtle Energy
Considerations in Music and Sound Healing” for The International
Society for the Study of Subtle Energy and Energy Medicine,
“Music Therapy and Sound Healing for Health and Wellness”
for the California Institute of Integral Studies, and “Music
Therapy and Meditative Practices” for the University of Denpasar
School of Medicine (Indonesia).


Professor Crowe has received many awards for her work in music
therapy including the 2004 AMTA Award of Merit, the 2005 AMTA Lifetime
Achievement Award and the 2008 Spirit of Unification Award.  She
received the 2006 Research Achievement Award from the ASU Herberger
College of Fine Arts.