As a child, music was and remains a vital part of each day for Nancy Zilker. When asked, there was no hesitation, no illusions, she wanted to be a music teacher. To that end, in and out of school, lessons and performances on various instruments began. The University at Buffalo was the location of an Undergraduate degree in Music Education. Upon graduation, Ms. Zilker began teaching in private schools, while also taking on a church music director position. As a substitute teacher, she was assigned several classes containing special education students and discovered a particular interest in providing music instruction tailored to their unique abilities and needs.

An older family member recommended the pursuit of a Music Therapy degree in addition to a Master of Music Education, which began a completely new and fulfilling aspiration. Ms. Zilker attended SUNY Fredonia for graduate studies, while taking additional course work at Canisius and Buffalo State Colleges. After an internship at the West Seneca Developmental Center and receipt of the CBMT credential; she began a career as a Music Therapist and never looked back.

Ms. Zilker took a position as a part-time MT at a skilled nursing facility, followed by a position within a school program for children and young adults with Autism. In 1997, she was hired to provide Music Therapy to students with disabilities in the Buffalo Public Schools and continues her work there. She has also engaged in private practice music therapy in various capacities as well as continuing as a church music director.

Upon retirement from the Buffalo Public Schools, she would like to continue to share her love of music with individuals with special needs part-time and plans to maintain her MT-BC designation.

It's World Music Therapy Day! In honor of today, Jenna and Hannah discuss education, certification, and accreditation in the field of music therapy!

Learn More:

https://www.musictherapy.org/

https://www.cbmt.org/

https://www.aplacetobeva.org/

Dr. Suzanne B. Hanser is Founding Chair Emerita & Professor of Music Therapy at Berklee College of Music and President of the International Association for Music & Medicine. She is Past President of the World Federation of Music Therapy and National Association for Music Therapy. Her books include: The New Music Therapist's Handbook, Integrative Health through Music Therapy: Accompanying the Journey from Illness to Wellness, and Manage Your Stress and Pain through Music, book and CD, with Dr. Susan Mandel. Her most recent book, Music for Wellness: Feel the Music, See the Light will be published this year. Her courses on music and wellness may be found on Coursera and Berklee Online. She has published research in multi-disciplinary journals, and is recipient of many awards, including the American Music Therapy Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.