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Share thisFaculty Spotlight: Megan Resig, M.S., MT-CB, Associate Director of Music Therapy
What brought you to Roberts?
My very first experience with Roberts was actually as a student in the music department (would you believe my grandfather actually attended in the early days of the college!). I graduated in 2007 with a degree in Piano Performance. Many years later, when I was working as a local music therapist, Dan Barta reached out and asked if I would serve as a consultant for some accessible community music programming the department was offering to local families. In setting up that program, it became evident that there was significant interest in developing an undergraduate music therapy program. I was thrilled to be asked to assist with this - music therapy so perfectly fits within the mission and vision of the college.
How long have you been teaching here?
While I have been serving as a consultant during the development phase of the program, my first semester as official faculty was this past fall, 2019.
When did you start becoming interested in Music Therapy?
After I graduated from Roberts in 2007, I still had a lot of questions about my career path. I deeply value my musical training, but also felt called to the human services field, particularly in the areas of counseling and psychology. When I came across the field of music therapy in my research, it felt like a perfect fit.
What is an interesting fact about you?
I own and operate my own business - Spectrum Creative Arts, which employs around 20 creative arts professionals in various disciplines.
How do you serve the community at Roberts?
I have absolutely loved getting to know the students in the new Music Therapy program and am passionate about making sure they develop the skills necessary to be a successful 21st century music therapist. I have found it tremendously valuable to draw upon the clinical experiences both myself and my team at Spectrum are encountering in our practice to provide relevant topics for exploration in the classroom.
How do you serve your community (outside of Roberts)?
As a clinical, I’ve focused the majority of my clinical work on serving children and adults with developmental disabilities, and, by extension, this has become a major part of the mission of Spectrum Creative Arts. During the Covid-19 crisis, many of the students and families we serve in the local community were immediately without the therapies, supports, and programming that are a vital part of their day-to-day life. It became imperative that we, as a company, were in a unique position to make a difference, and, almost overnight, we transitioned to offer virtual services online and put out free daily livestreaming videos. We also started developing pre-recorded video content to supplement home learning, and published a digital songbook of original work by our music therapy team designed specifically for parents, educators, and therapists to use in their efforts to support coping with social isolation.
We recognize that we have the privilege of having access to, and training on how to use, these platforms effectively as clinicians, but realize that there are other helping professionals who have struggled more with this transition. In an effort to assist in a more wide-spread way, we have been using our website to share resources and provide training to other clinicians who might be attempting virtual practice.
Academic Work
Any recent presentations?
I recently presented a session at the 2019 American Music Therapy Conference in Minneapolis, MI called “Interviewing Skills for the New Music Therapist”. I was scheduled to present another concurrent session at the upcoming Mid-Atlantic Regional Music Therapy Conference this March titled “When Music is the Goal: The Role of Pedagogy in Clinical Practice”, but it was unfortunately postponed.
Share about an academic highlight from your time at Roberts?
Watching this brand new program finally get off the ground and meeting the students who will become future music therapists from Roberts Wesleyan College!
What your favorite thing about teaching?
As a clinician, so much time is spent “doing the work” that often there isn’t much time to explore new ideas or theories of practice. Being able to dive into these topics in the classroom and engage in dialogue about different perspectives has been so rewarding.
What is the most helpful advice you’ve received?
Therapists often talk about “trusting the process” - something that is immensely difficult, and, sometimes painful to do. As someone who can have a tendency to only focus on the end goal, I’ve found tremendous value in stopping to notice, and honor, the journey to get there.
What is an interest you have outside of teaching?
I have two young kids (ages 7 and 2) who keep me pretty busy, and two very large Great Pyrenees that we adopted last year! In my spare time (when there is any), you can usually find me working on some sort of home renovation project.
What is one highlight from your time at Roberts?
Returning to Roberts, I have the opportunity to work alongside many of the faculty who were teaching when I attended as a student. Having the privilege of calling them my colleagues has been such a highlight.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Watching that “spark” ignite in students when they encounter a topic, idea, or experience in music therapy that personally resonates with them.
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