Concetta M. Tomaino,
DA, MT-BC, LCAT, is the Director of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function and Vice President for Music Therapy at Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, where she has worked for the past 25 years. During these years, with support from Beth Abraham’s leadership and financial assistance from state, federal and private grants, she helped lay the groundwork for the creation of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function and built a world class Music Therapy program at Beth Abraham Family of Health Services. She graduated from SUNY at Stony Brook with a BA in Music Performance (her instrument is the trumpet), a minor in psychology and sciences, and a commitment to the emerging field of music therapy. She received the Masters and Doctor of Arts in Music Therapy from New York University
Dr. Tomaino is internationally known for her research in the clinical applications of music and neurologic rehabilitation. She has lectured on music therapy throughout the United States and in Australia, South Africa, Italy, England, and Canada. She is past president of the American Association for Music Therapy and received the Award of Accomplishment from Music Therapists for Peace at the United Nations. In 1999 she received a Touchstone Award from “Women in Music” for her visionary spirit. Her work has been featured in national programs including 48 Hours and 60 Minutes; in international including the BBC; and in books on health and healing, including An Anthropologist on Mars, by Oliver Sacks, M.D.; A Matter of Dignity, by Andrew Potok; The Mozart Effect, by Don Campbell; Age Protectors (Rodale Press) and Sounds of Healing, by Mitchell Gaynor, M.D. In December 2004 she was honored with the Zella Bronfman Butler Award, which is given by the UJA-Federation of New York in partnership with the J.E. and Z.B. Butler Foundation to professionals in the UJA-Federation agency network for their outstanding work on behalf of individuals with physical, developmental, or learning disabilities.
Dr. Tomaino is on the faculty of the Brookdale Center on Aging and the New York State Geriatric Education Consortium, and on the visiting faculty of Berklee College of Music and Shenandoah University. She has served on the Certification Board of Music Therapists, the Journal of Music Therapy, and on the advisory boards for the Center for Alternative Research at the Kessler Institute, and the International Journal of the Arts. She has participated as a Super Panelist for the GRAMMY in the Schools program. She has also worked as an adjunct clinical supervisor for several music therapy programs in the New York area
Dr. Tomaino is married to Walter Barrett, a brass player who performs on and teaches trombone, baritone horn, and tuba. Together they perform in local symphonies and wind ensembles. They live in Garrison, New York, with their daughters, Rebecca and Bernadette.
Dr. Tomaino's research is focused on finding the most efficacious uses of music-brain treatments that can potentially benefit those living with the effects of autism, dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, stroke or trauma. Her present research is attempting to answer these questions:
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What music therapy interventions are best used for the remediation and rehabilitation of language and other cognitive functions such as memory?
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What music therapy interventions are best used for the remediation and rehabilitation of motor function?
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Can the use of low frequency sound help mitigate functional impairments caused by spasticity and/or pain?
David Ramsey,
DA, ACMT, LCAT, Senior Music Therapy Special Projects Advisor, IMNF at Beth Abraham Family of Health Services is an accomplished pop/jazz musician who received his music therapy training at New York University where he has been an adjunct instructor. In the Spring of 2002, he completed his doctoral studies at NYU.
Formerly, Ramsey was executive director of the first clinical music therapy center in New York City and executive director of the American Association for Music Therapy. He is currently the President of the National Registry of Music Therapists. Mr. Ramsey's expertise in designing and adapting electronic musical instruments for use by persons with special needs has gained the interest and support of major international manufacturers such as Yamaha.
Benedikte Scheiby,
MA., DPMT, M.MEd,CMT, LCAT, assistant director of Music Therapy at Beth Abraham Family of Health Services is internationally known for her model of Analytical Music Therapy. She is a graduate of the first music therapy class of the University of Witten-Herdecke in Germany.
As an assistant professor at Aalborg University, in her native Denmark, Ms. Scheiby helped establish the music therapy program offering bachelor through doctoral degree training. She has travelled around the world lecturing on muisc therapy in Brazil, Korea, Canada, Scandanavia as well as many other countries in Europe.
As a recipient of the American Council of learned Societies and the Danish Humanistic Research Council Awards, Scheiby came to the United States in 1990 to do research on the dual role of clinician and researcher. She has published numerous papers and one book on her work and is on the adjunct faculty of New York University, and the Pratt Institute.
Marah Bobilin,
MT-BC,earned her degrees in Music and Sociology from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and has recently completed her Master’s of Music Therapy from Montclair State University in Upper Montclair, NJ.
She is currently working as staff music therapist at Beth Abraham Health Services with patients in the neurological rehabilitation, dementia, and palliative care programs. A a vocalist, Marah is particularly interested in the use of singing and songwriting as a therapeutic intervention for patients with these clinical needs.
She has also presented at regional and national music therapy conferences on the use of songwriting as a supervisory technique for the music therapist, and is currently conducting research for her thesis on the use of music therapy in the treatment of eating disorders.
Lucinda Anne Butler,
MT-BC, earned her degrees in Music Therapy and in Psychology from the University of Georgia, graduating Magna Cum Laude and garnering a number of commendable academic honors and achievements in the process. She completed her internship at Beth Abraham Health Services, and is currently working at Beth Abraham as a staff music therapist specializing in neurological rehabilitation and dementia program and treatment.
Prior to joining Beth Abraham, Luci had implemented music therapy programs for patients with Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and Parkinson's disease; stroke patients; and premature infants in special care nursery in facilities such as the Athens Regional Medical Center, Arbor Terrace, and Buckingham South, among others.
Mijin Kim
DA, CMT, LCAT, Director of Research, IMNF received her BA in Music in Seoul National University. She was trained as a classical pianist in Korea, where she received several music awards and taught music students. In 1994, she received her MA at New York University. Since then, she has worked with various clinical populations including inpatient/outpatient psychiatric adults, children and adolescents with emotional and developmental difficulties, and patients with neurological impairments. In addition, she has taught courses to music therapy masters students, both in New York University and in Korea and has been giving clinical supervisions to music therapy interns. She recently received her DA after completing her research, which focused on neuro-cognitive and emotional aspects involved in musical behavior of autistic individuals.
She is currently working at the IMNF as a music therapy research associate. Research areas include implicit and explicit processing of music in the brain and its effect on memory, speech, emotion, and motor functions, as well as their implications for therapeutic use of music in treating patients with neurological impairments.
Tom McClelland
completed his music therapy internship at Beth Abraham Health Services and was soon after hired to lead group music therapy programs on various units. An accomplished musician he has performed with such folk artists as Sis Cunningham, Pete Seeger, and Tom Paxton. McClelland is presently completing his Masters in Music Therapy at NYU.
He has served as a part-time music therapist at the Stanley Isaacs Senior Center in Manhattan since 1996 and was a consultant to a NYSDOH Dementia Grant at Cobble Hill Nursing Home investigating the effects of training care givers in the use of Touch Therapy and Music Therapy for persons with late-stage Alzheimer's.
Board of Directors
Edwin H. Stern III, Chairman
Michael S. Fassler, President
Justin Ginsberg, Treasurer
Concetta Tomaino, D.A., MT-BC, LCAT, Executive Director
Harvey Alter
Charles Armstrong
Charles F. Butler, M.D., Ph.D.
Al Cafaro
Tom Calderone
Victoria Ninon Olivia Camerini, M.D.
Clifford P. Case III
Warren Eckstein
Linda Rodgers Emory, Honorary Board Member
Michael Feinstein
Arnold H. Goldstein, Director Emeritus
Barbara Grenell
Mickey Hart
Wilfred Heilbut, DDS
Lorin Hollander
Karen Karp
moby
Michael R. Potack
Thomas Roberts IV
Jay Stark
Nick Stern
Beverly Taki
Joel Thome
Scientific Advisory Committee
Oliver Sacks, M.D., Honorary Medical Advisor
Gottfried Schlaug, M.D, Ph.D.
William Benzon, Ph.D.
Diana Deutsch, Ph.D.
Richard P. Kline, Ph.D.
Edward Large, Ph.D.
Rueven Ofir, Ph.D.
Aniruddh D. Patel, Ph.D.
Renato Rozenthal, M.D., Ph.D.
Steven Sparr, M.D.
Elizabeth Cohen, Ph.D., Ex-Officio Board Member
