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Music Therapy E-books

 / Author Q&A  / Meet the Author:

Meet the Author:

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Author Q&A

1. Your name:

Stephanie Scheffel

2. Education/Background:

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Music from University of Texas in Austin,TX, and a Master of Arts in Music Therapy from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, TX.  I didn’t know about music therapy as a profession until 2005 – had been planning on being an elementary school music teacher until that time!  I’ve also taught percussion, piano and guitar lessons, both regular and adapted for special learners, and I recently taught a series of college-style history of music classes for adults with developmental disabilities.

3. Favorite band/artist in 7th grade:

Mariah Carey, with Ace of Base as a close second.

4. Why did you want to write an e-book?

Songs for Growth

Songs For Growth: A collection of songs for academic and functional development

I feel like in the past five years, I’ve had opportunities to sharpen my songwriting skills through the unique needs of the amazing clients I’ve had in that time span.  I’ve learned that the melody, the harmony, the dynamics, the style – EVERY aspect of original compositions I write – affects my clients/students and how they respond.  Over time, I’ve learned ways I can make fine adjustments to my process that help that person be more successful and independent.  When it was the right time in my life, I decided to “take the leap” and share that experience and product with others through this book!

5. What was your process for developing your e-book?

First, I looked through the original songs I’ve written over the years and picked the ones I thought could be most helpful to others, either because they target common academic objectives or because they speak to helping someone function more independently socially.  I had never written down or recorded many of these songs before, so quite a bit of work went into preparing the sheet music and recordings.
I also thought that it was important to include tips and other ways to modify what I’d written to better suit the tastes and abilities of each person they work with, because as I mentioned in question #4, I think that is SO important to what we do as music therapists.  I’d love for people to use my songs, but what I’d really love is for people to use them as a good base and create something completely amazing and different from them!
Finally, I put the book together and had two amazing reviewers – my sister-in-law Allie and my mentor Dr. Bill Matney – look at the book and make sure everything I wrote made sense and was therapeutically sound.

6. Favorite book (e-book or print) related to Music Therapy

Oh, this is tough! I’ve become a HUGE fan of the “Tuned In To Learning” series of books from Coast Music Therapy, not only because they’re an amazing resource for MTs but also because of how easy they make the materials for teachers, parents, and other staff to use.  In my previous job in the schools, I had multiple copies lent out to teachers, and nearly everyone (regardless of their musical proficiency) told me how easy they were to use in the classroom.
My most recent e-book purchase was “The Therapy Business Blueprint” by Kimberly Sena Moore, which I also love and plan to use often!

7. How would you describe your e-book in three words or less?

Helping people grow. 🙂

8.  Who can benefit from purchasing your e-book and why?

My hope is that “Songs for Growth” is a valuable resource not only for new music therapy professionals, but also for more “seasoned” professionals who want to add a few new songs and/or ideas to their repertoire.  
However, I ALSO think that there are groups of non-music therapists who can benefit from this book – special education teachers, other allied health professionals, parents, and music educators, just to name a few.  My hope is that, between the audio recordings and the sheet music, I’ve created a resource that is accessible to many different groups of people, regardless of their music-reading experience.

9.  What kinds of music therapy e-books would you like to see more of on MusicTherapyEbooks.com?

I tremendously appreciate the variety that is already on the website – it is a treasure trove of resources for people working in a variety of different settings!!  If I had to pick one category, it would be more and more practical ideas for people with autism and other developmental disabilities.  I hope my book helps, but I’d also love to see what others are doing.

10.  Anything else you would like to add?

I hope you love and learn from my book!!  If you purchase it and have any questions or want to provide feedback, feel free to email me at songsforgrowth@gmail.com.  🙂

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Rachel See, MA, MT-BC is a board-certified music therapist who is passionate about helping other music therapists share their ideas, songs and knowledge with the world through e-books!

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