McConnell Music Therapy Services, Inc.

MMTS Staff Member Spotlight! Featuring: Genessee Tudino, MT-BC, Neurologic Music Therapist What setting do you work in? Sutter Rehabilitation Institute (physical/neurologic rehab)... Sutter Neuroscience - Sacramento (outpatient neurology) Sutter Davis inpatient & Infusion (adult medical, oncology) Why do you enjoy that setting? I really enjoy working within the medical setting and enjoy working with adults, especially adults with different neurologic impairments. I like being able to use music to impact the brain to best support our patients and provide the effective and collaborative treatment. What have you learned during 2020 and the pandemic? That it's okay to not have all of the answers! This year has been a constant state of change for everyone; I've learned to forgive myself and give myself grace for what I don't know or what I'm not able to keep track of in all of the craziness. What is one of your favorite songs and why? I have a lot of favorite songs! Being a music therapist, it's not surprising that there's a lot of music that speaks to me and that I enjoy. One of my longtime favorites is "Vienna" by Billy Joel. It's a good reminder that everything will come in time and that, REALLY, it's okay to take a breath every once in a while. Thank you for everything that you do for MMTS!

MMTS Staff Spotlight - Celebrating Tanner McDowell, MT-BC Today we celebrate Tanner McDowell, MT-BC, his four year tenure at MMTS, Inc. and his launch into a new career path as an RN! He'll be relocating to his hometown in Portland, Oregon and his departure brings mixed feelings of sadness for us, but joy for him and his future spouse, fellow music therapist, and love of his life, Kristin King, MMT, MT-BC. Tanner not only is a remarkable music therapist, who has worked in o...ncology, psychiatry and special education settings, but a phenomenal guitarist, songwriter and recording artist creating unique and personal compositions with patients and groups. Tanner, you will be deeply missed by all of us, your patients and coworkers. We are grateful for all you gave to us, your patients, and to the profession of music therapy. And.... we will now have another nurse advocate who understands firsthand the power of music therapy and its role in healing. Congratulations Tanner! May you have a healthy and safe trip on your journey. ~ Tara See more

MMTS Staff Spotlight - Celebrating Kristin King, MMT, MT-BC This week we have exciting news! Kristin King, MMT, MT-BC, is relocating to Portland, Oregon and transitioning in her role at MMTS to remote/virtual work. After four years with our Sacramento-based team, she will continue to serve our virtual clients, providing remote support and supervision to our oncology programs and continuing her role in graphic design and marketing. Kristin has shown exceptional skill as a m...usic therapist and extraordinary talent as a singer/songwriter. She has gained experience in Sacramento as the lead for our full time Sutter Cancer Center programs, starting a new outpatient MT program for people with eating disorders, and advocating for children with special needs. While we are sad to see her leave the physical area, we are thrilled to continue to have her a part of our virtual team. In Portland, she plans to pursue a graduate degree in counseling and marry her fellow co-worker and music therapist, Tanner McDowell, MT-BC. Congratulations Kristin! We share joy in welcoming this new chapter in your life and your career. We are so blessed to have you a part of our team. Thank you for your tireless devotion to music therapy, our work, and our patients. ~Tara #musictherapy See more

For this Throwback Thursday we're celebrating our owner, visionary and music therapist, Tara McConnell, MT-BC, and her feature in the Oct 2014 issue of Sacramento Magazine! Tara continues to challenge the status quo and forge new pathways for music therapists in Sacramento. #tbt #musictherapy ~ Ashley Manges

Get to know our team through our MMTS Staff Member Spotlight! This week featuring: Rachel Meyer Gonzalez, MT-BC, Neurologic Music Therapy Fellow What setting do you work? For MMTS, I serve as the consultant for the Neurologic Music Therapy Programs which includes our outpatient program with Sutter Medical Center Sacramento-Neuroscience, Sutter Rehabilitation Institute in Roseville, CA, and our NMT clients via Telehealth. ... Why do you enjoy that setting? Working in the outpatient and home settings allows me to "dig deep" and really make lasting change with those individuals I have the honor of working with. I get to look at the big picture of everything an individual is faced with: speech and language, mobility, attention, tasks of daily living, sensory needs, memory, you name it. And being in this setting allows me to see how they are all interconnected and treat the issue that the individual or family feels like is the most pressing at that moment. Working this way, I have been witness to dramatic change in my clients. I love using Neurologic Music Therapy techniques as this evidence-based practice gives me the tools to predict how the music will affect the brain that has suffered trauma of some sort. What have you learned during 2020 and the pandemic? The driving principle in music therapy regardless of specialty is what we call the "iso principal", which means we meet our clients exactly where they at in any moment. This has been critical in working with all my clients and in my own life as more than ever I've had to be very present in each moment so I can adapt to what is needed. More than anything it has reinforced the need to be ever present and accepting of where people are at the moment they are there. What was your first concert or most memorable concert? I think my most memorable concert was the Christmas Choir concert my senior year when I was at the University of the Pacific. We were in the big cathedral, and we had 3 choirs singing simultaneously placed up front, on the sides, in the back and even some in the choir loft with me as I accompanied on the organ. It was so hauntingly beautiful and very difficult to pull together. It felt amazing to be a small part of making something so beautiful. We also wanted to say Happy 1 year anniversary with MMTS-Even though she has been a co-worker, colleague and friend of Tara McConnell since 1998. Thank you for everything that you do!