Music Therapy PA State Task Force

10/07/2026

Pennsylvania IMMEDIATE CALL TO ACTION!

https://www.votervoice.net/AMTA/Campaigns/140019/Respond

Use the above link to contact Senator Stefano, Senator Pittman, and your own State Senator in support of the Music Therapy Practice Act (House Bill 2586) and to ask for the bill to be called to a vote!

Senator Pittman: (717) 787-8724
Senator Stefano: (717) 787-7175

Scripts:
"I am calling in support of the Music Therapy Practice Act, House Bill 2586 which is currently referred to the Senate Licensure Committee. I am asking Senator Pittman to get the Music Therapy Practice Act to the Senate floor for a vote."

"I am calling in support of the Music Therapy Practice Act, House Bill 2586 which is currently referred to the Senate Licensure Committee. I am asking Senator Stefano to call The Music Therapy Practice Act up to a vote in the committee."

06/28/2026

ACTION ALERT
National Call-In Day to oppose moving IDEA out of the U.S. Department of Education

Call your member of Congress to tell them you oppose moving special education out of the U.S. Department of Education.

The American Music Therapy Association is joining other disability advocacy groups across the country in a National Call-In Day today, Thursday, June 25, to oppose the U.S. Department of Education’s recent transfer of OSERS (the agency that oversees the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We also oppose the move of the Office for Civil Rights to the U.S. Department of Justice.

You can help by calling your U.S. senators and representatives and asking them to urge the U.S. Department of Education to reverse this decision. (Please call rather than email to have the most impact!). Use the links above or call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Call script

Once connected, you can speak to whoever answers the phone using the following script as a guide:

Hi, my name is ______ and I live in ________ (City and State). I am a (music therapist/parent of a child with a disability/educator/concerned community member, etc.) calling to express my opposition to the U.S. Department of Education moving special education to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Special education programs are education programs first and should be administered by an agency with that expertise.

Additionally, moving the Office for Civil Rights to the Department of Justice further fragments oversight of special education and the rights of students with disabilities to a free, appropriate public education. Moving these programs risks disrupting services, creating confusion for states and districts, and weakening the federal commitment to ensuring students with disabilities have access to the supports and services they need to succeed.

I urge the Senator/Representative to publicly call on the Administration to reverse this decision and keep OSERS and the Office for Civil Rights within the Department of Education. Families and schools rely on OSERS’ education-focused expertise to support the implementation of IDEA and protect the rights of students with disabilities.

Please let (congress member’s name) know how important this issue is to their constituents. Thank you for your time.

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!

For full story with live links see the LinkTree in our bio under "Latest News".

05/20/2026

Take a listen to today's PMEA (Pennsylvania Music Educators Association) Podcast Episode featuring the PA State Task Force co-chairs Dr. Nicole Hahna and Madison Frank talking about Music Therapy in Pennsylvania and PA Music Therapy Licensure!

We just released a new Take Note podcast and we're talking about music therapy in Pennsylvania. Dr. Nicole Hahna and Madison Frank join us to talk about music therapy and the push for licensure in Pennsylvania.

Find Take Note in your favorite podcast app or at www.PMEA.net/takenote

04/27/2026

I just wrote on Substack about the importance of creating a music therapist license to keep graduates in Pennsylvania and ensure our economy is not losing out to other states.

You can read the article here and learn more about our legislation to create a music therapist license in Pennsylvania: https://senatorcomitta.substack.com/p/graduates-are-leaving-pennsylvania

Music Therapy PA State Task Force

04/19/2026

04/17/2026

Check out this video from Senator Carolyn Comitta discussing the importance of music therapy licensure here in Pennsylvania. This video highlights the advocacy event held at West Chester University this week!

457 Main Capitol Building Senate Box 203019 Harrisburg, PA 17120-3019 (717) 787-5709 Fax: 717-787-4384 Mon. – Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

04/17/2026

04/17/2026

04/15/2026

Music Therapy harnesses the power of music to help people heal and improve their overall quality of life.

Pennsylvania is fortunate to have colleges like West Chester University with outstanding music therapy programs; however, without a professional music therapy license in the state, many students leave the state after graduation to pursue their careers in states that offer licensure.

I was glad to gather with music therapists, teachers, and advocates to discuss the importance of music therapy and why licensure will help improve our well-being and keep our students in Pennsylvania after they graduate. I am glad to work with my colleagues Senator Vogel and Rep. Pashinski on legislation that establishes a professional music therapy license here in the Commonwealth.