UK Professor Named Associate Editor of Music Therapy Journal

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 17, 2018) — The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) has named a University of Kentucky music therapist, Olivia Yinger, as one of two new associate editors of the Journal of Music Therapy (JMT).

The Journal of Music Therapy is a forum of current music therapy research and theory, including book reviews and guest editorials. All papers for publication are selected on their quality and contribution to existing knowledge with around 30 percent of the submissions chosen for publication.  

An associate professor, Yinger directs the music therapy program housed at UK School of Music and UK HealthCare. She joined the UK faculty in 2012. Prior to teaching at UK, Yinger taught at Florida State University as a doctoral candidate and coordinated the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare/Florida State University Music Therapy and Arts in Medicine Program, as well as the National Institute for Infant and Child Medical Music Therapy. She has a continuous history of service to AMTA and the Certification Board for Music Therapists.           

In 2013, Yinger co-founded the mUsiKcare program on UK’s campus. The 10-week piano-based workshop emphasizes musical learning, group support and quality of life enhancement for individuals ages 50 and over and utilizes technology, wellness strategies and learning methods geared specifically toward adult learners. In addition, Yinger is pursuing research in procedural support music therapy, neonatal and pediatric music therapy, music in gerontology, and music therapy for individuals with neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease.

Yinger has a growing portfolio of publications with peer reviewed published articles. Among the awards and honors she has garnered, Yinger has received the AMTA Southeast Region's Research (2015) and Professional Practice awards (2013). In 2004, she was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year award from Florida State University's School of Music.

Joining Yinger as an associate editor on JMT is Stine Lindhal Jacobsen, an associate professor at Aalborg University in Denmark.

The AMTA began in 1998. The association is committed to advancing education, training, credentials and research in support of the music therapy profession. There are over 3,800 individuals who hold memberships. Learn more about AMTA at www.musictherapy.org/about/amta/.