“It was certainly an experience of a lifetime to be invited and nominated; it felt a bit like being at the ‘Book Oscars,’” Thaut said with a laugh. In addition, this spring Thaut was named an overseas fellow of Great Britain’s Royal Society of Medicine, which was established in 1805 and is one of the country’s primary providers of postgraduate medical education. Fellows receive access to one of the finest medical libraries in the world, online and educational resources, exclusive club facilities and support for continuing professional development.
T HE UN IVE RSI TY C ENT E R F OR T HE ARTS THE GRE E N R OOM / I S S UE 5, O C TO B ER 2 0 1 5
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The Oxford Handbook of Neurologic Music Therapy, co-edited and co-authored by Thaut
Neurologic music therapy is a standardized, evidence-based system of music therapy developed by Michael Thaut and his original research team, which included Hoemberg and Corene Thaut as well as neurologist Gerald McIntosh and physical therapist Ruth Rice. Their efforts resulted in the founding of the Robert F. Unkefer Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy in 1999, which offers training in the field and has certified about 2,500 neurologic music therapists and other rehabilitation professionals in 25 countries. Neurologic music therapy uses music-based rehabilitation exercises to retrain the brain for regaining control of movement, speech, language and cognitive/emotional functions like attention, memory and executive function. The therapy is used to address a variety of conditions, including stroke, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, dementia, autism, Alzheimer’s disease and developmental disabilities. Michael Thaut received his master’s degree and Ph.D. in music from Michigan State University with a minor in movement science. He also has a degree in music from the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria. At Colorado State University he is a professor of music and neuroscience and is former director of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance, which is in CSU’s College of Liberal Arts.