AMTA Overall Update

June 2, 2022

TO:  American Music Therapy Association Membership

FROM: President Lori Gooding

RE: AMTA Overall Update

Dear Fellow AMTA Members, Supporters, and Other Key AMTA Stakeholders,

AMTA has faced many challenges in the past few years. And while we dealt with each head-on, we did so on an issue-by-issue basis rather than treating each as a symptom of a single holistic issue. The reality is that our profession has changed greatly in the decades since AMTA’s founding, and AMTA has not done enough to adapt in response. 

As previously communicated, the entire Board of Directors of AMTA (“Board”) is committed to addressing the concerns that have been raised by its members and to doing the difficult work necessary to make wholesale changes within AMTA. The Board, on whose behalf I write, has determined a complete restructuring of operations is necessary to support the needed changes. We are confident that with these changes, AMTA will survive and thrive in the 21^st Century and beyond.

We anticipate this process will last about six months, taking into account our desire to include all stakeholders in the process of deciding the future of AMTA. We are committed to working with you to reconstitute AMTA to be a more inclusive, focused, and responsive organization that has at its core, a mission that is dedicated to strengthening the music therapy profession.

The Board, in consultation with outside professionals, has determined it is in AMTA’s best long-term interest to pare down services during this period. To this end, the Board has made the difficult decision to lay off some staff, cancel the 2022 annual conference, and suspend or reduce other functions. We are committed, however, to continue without interruption, AMTA’s approval of bachelor and masters degree programs and AMTA’s work with national roster internship sites.

The Board will continue to keep you regularly updated. We acknowledge that there is a broad desire among members for more information, which the Board is committed to providing. Our plan is to post these updates on the Latest News section of the AMTA website and AMTA social media channels.  

To be clear, these updates will most surely include surveys/polls, calls for volunteers, and other requests for assistance. The AMTA is what it is because of its members and supporters and AMTA needs you more than ever at this critical time. Thank you for the energy and time so many of you have contributed in the past weeks and to the many individuals who have joined and/or contributed financially to AMTA. We appreciate all aspects of engagement: time, energy, and funds. They all matter.

Please reach out to me or any Board Member with questions or concerns or offers of volunteer assistance.

Sincerely, 

Lori F. Gooding, PhD, MT-BC

President, AMTA

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