Erin K. Spring, MM, MT-BC, Executive Director

     Ms. Spring has been a practicing, board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) in central and southeast Ohio since 2007. Erin is a neurologically trained music therapist serving a variety of populations including the terminally ill, individuals with autism and developmental disabilities, geriatric adults, patients receiving obstetric and general hospital care and children experiencing grief.  She holds a bachelor and master degree’s in music therapy from Ohio University where she studied under Ms. Anita Louise Steele-Markland and Dr. Kamile Geist.  Ms. Spring interned at the Music School Settlement and in the Cleveland Clinic Palliative Medicine Unit before returning to southeast Ohio to begin her work as a MT-BC and graduate assistant while obtaining her master’s degree from Ohio University. Her thesis research focused on collaboration, exploring the collaborative terminology and the teaching models used to train upcoming professionals in collaborative work. Her love for music therapy and training prompted Erin to serve as adjunct professor of music therapy at Ohio University from 2012-2014 where she taught and supervised undergraduate and graduate equivalency music therapy students.

     In 2010, Erin founded Central Ohio Music Therapy, LLC (COMT) as an individual private practice. As the need and demand for music therapy services grew, COMT began to bring on additional therapists in 2012 and now currently employs multiple board certified music therapists in both central and southeast Ohio. Erin currently serves as Executive Director for COMT providing management and support to the COMT team and the numerous contracts and clients it serves. This includes coordinating the music therapy services in the Ohio University Music Therapy Clinic and contracted music therapy student fieldwork supervision for the Ohio University Music Therapy Department in Athens, Ohio.

     Ms. Spring is a member of the American Music Therapy Association and the Association of Ohio Music Therapists. She currently serves as the co-chair for the AMTA Music Listening Workgroup which provides support to music therapists developing music listening programs and advocating for safe and effective music listening experiences. She also services as co-chair for the Ohio Music Therapy Task Force seeking to obtain licensure in the state of Ohio to increase access to music therapy services for Ohioans.

     Erin enjoys advocating for music therapy through presentations to local organizations, agencies and businesses.  Among her presentations, Erin presented as a panelist with Dan Cohen, MSW at the 2014 American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) National Conference in Louisville, Kentucky discussing the effects of music on memory and discussing the film Alive Inside. In 2018 she participated in the Pioneer Network Conference in Denver Colorado where she presented on applications of therapeutic music and music therapy in geriatric care and advocated alongside  Music & Memory to promote the inclusion of therapeutic music and music therapy in geriatric care.

     Erin studied voice with Dr. Patricia Pease, Mrs. Stephanie Mouat and Mrs. Lorna Frank and performs around her community as a soloist and with various ensembles.  Erin is also the director of the Circleville Presbyterian Handbell Choir and the Roundtown Ringers Community Handbell Choir. When she’s not leading music therapy sessions, you will often find her volunteering with her ATD registered therapy dogs Oscar & Rosie, providing pet therapy services to patients, students and anyone else who’s quality of life is improved when there’s a dog around.