MT Mentor Podcast: Episode 6
Guest Mentor: Amy Furman, MM, MT-BC
It is an honor to welcome our guest mentor for this episode, Amy Furman.
Amy Furman, MM, MT-BC has led the development of the Minneapolis Public School Music Therapy program, which now has eight music therapists. Her specialties include students with ASD, English Learners, and inclusion/mainstreaming in the music classroom. She served as a state mentor for Minnesota Music Educators in the areas of urban education and special needs students. A Past President of the American Music Therapy Association, she has written articles for professional journals, music therapy monographs and book chapters. She has presented nationally and internationally on music and special learners for a variety of organizations including World Federation of Music Therapy, International Society for Music Education, and American Orff Schulwerk.
Topics discussed in this episode:
- The role of advocacy, research, and service in music therapy,
- The joy of sharing playlists and discovering new music,
- The importance of learning how to learn, and
- Ways to stay engaged in and excited about music therapy after decades in the profession.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- AMTA Bookstore (intellectual materials donated by members)
- Jen’s Self-Care Playlist
- Music from Amy’s Spotify Library: “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun” by Claude Debussy, “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around,” “One Foot/Lead with Love” by Melanie DeMore, Nickel Creek, Joshua Bell, and this Family Dance Party Playlist by Melissa Hentges
- Books from Amy’s Bookshelf: “This Tender Land” by William Kent Krueger, “The Kitchen House” by Kathleen Grissom, “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” by Beverly Daniel Tatum, “Just Us: An American Conversation” by Claudia Rankine, “The Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father” by Kao Kalia Yan, “WASTE: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret” by Catherine Coleman Flowers, “Sulwe” by Lupita Nyong’o, Vashti Harrison, illustrator, and “I Am Every Good Thing” by Derrick Barnes, Gordon C. James, illustrator
