Welcome to the Schools Division of Spectrum Creative Arts. Our organization is proud to bring music therapy services to children and young adults enrolled in special education programs throughout the Greater Rochester area. We bring the therapeutic arts to students in preschool through Grade 12 in public, private, and charter schools, in addition to early childhood and early intervention programs. We are passionate about using music as a therapeutic tool to support skill development critical to each student’s educational experience.

Each music therapist works with the student’s educational team to identify areas that could benefit from additional support. From there, the music therapist will either create goals or objectives specific to the scope of the music therapist’s work with the student, or collaboratively address existing goals listed on the student’s IEP or educational plan.

Music therapy is integrated within a student’s educational program in a variety of formats to best suit individual interests, strengths, and areas of development. We provide music therapy services in the following formats:

• Individual
• Small Group
• Curriculum/Classroom Group
• Consultation
• Co-Treatment (with other related service providers)
• Eligibility Evaluations
• In-Services and Specialized Trainings

Have questions about these service types? Give us a call!

Families and caregivers: If you are in New York State, connect with your school district’s Committee on Special Education (CSE) Chair or Chair of Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) to inquire about whether they have an existing relationship with a music therapy service provider or agency. If your district already has a relationship with a music therapist, ask your child’s special education teacher and/or your district’s CSE Chair about how to receive a referral for a music therapy evaluation. Evaluation requests are typically made at a child’s Annual Review Meeting, or can be requested outside of a scheduled meeting should the student’s caregivers and districts identify an immediate need to evaluate for services.

Evaluation Process: Evaluations to determine eligibility for a student to receive Music Therapy as a related service on their IEP are a multi-step process. After completing Spectrum’s initial evaluation request paperwork that helps to identify what domain/skill areas the educational team is hoping to support through a music therapy service, our evaluation team works with the district to determine whether an evaluation for an IEP is warranted at this time, or whether an alternative service type may better meet the needs of the student.

When an evaluation is conducted, the process typically takes between 30-45 days to complete, and is scheduled based on the availability of Spectrum’s evaluation team. Music Therapy eligibility evaluations include the following steps:

1. Review of the student’s file (IEP and related district documentation)
2. Interviews with the student’s case manager, related service providers, and extended team members
3. Observations (in the classroom, other related services, or vocational settings – when applicable)
4. 1:1 assessment session with the student
5. Evaluation report generation
6. Meeting with the CSE, student, and caregivers to discuss findings and recommendations

School District Administrators and Educators: If you’re interested in learning more about music therapy, or would like to explore a relationship with us, you can reach out to our Director of School Therapy Programs, Noa Ferguson, at noa@spectrumcreativearts.org. Our team currently has openings for additional students, and we would love to explore working with you!

• US Dept of Education Clarifying Music Therapy as a Related Service
• Music Therapy and Special Education

Webinar: Music as a Tool to Support Virtual Learning in Special Education