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IT services restored – All systems impacted by this morning’s IT outage are now back online. IITS is continuing to monitor the situation closely to ensure stability.

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Sandra L. Curtis, PhD, MTA, MT-BC

  • Distinguished Professor Emerita, Music Therapy, Creative Arts Therapies

status: Retired. Not accepting research supervisees.

Research areas: Feminist music therapy, violence against women and children, community music therapy, women's issues.

Contact information

Biography

Research Interests / Expertise / Clinical Practice Experience

  • Music therapy
  • Feminist music therapy/feminist therapy
  • Women and children survivors of violence
  • Community music therapy
  • Adults with disabilities/Disabilities arts movement
  • Deaf Culture/ASL & Deaf Community

Education and training

Education:

  • PhD, Humanities/Interdisciplinary Studies (Feminist Music Therapy), Concordia University
  • Master of Music (Music Therapy), Florida State University
  • Bachelor of Music, McGill University

Training:
  • Taiko Traditional Drumming
  • HealthRhythms Drumming Facilitation
  • Sign Language Interpretation for the Deaf (ASL)

Teaching activities

Current Teaching/Course Offerings:

No current teaching.

Research activities

Recent Awards & Grants

2016-2023: SSHRC Partnership Grant ($2.5 million), "A Multi-Sector Partnership to Investigate & Develop Policy & Practice Models to Dismantle Rape Culture in Universities", co-investigator.

2015-2016: Concordia Seed Funding, "Music Therapy with Women Survivors of Intimate Male Partner Violence", principal investigator.

2011-2013: CIHR, "Gender, Health, & Music Therapy: An International Dialogue", principal investigator.

2011-2013: Canadian Heritage Human Rights Program, "Children's Right to Music, principal investigator

Publications

Selected publications / Works of interest


  • Curtis, S.L. (2019). Music for women (survivors of violence): a feminist music therapy interactive ebook. Dallas, TX: Barcelona Publishers

  • Curtis, S. L. (2019). Beyond #MeToo. A film. (unpublished). https://sandicurtis.wixsite.com/mysite/beyond-metoo

  • Curtis, S.L. (2017, February 9). Opinion. The Grammys could use  some Gaga. The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved from http://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-the-grammys-could-use-some-gaga

  • Curtis, S.L. (2017). Profile 11: Sandra Curtis, Canada. In John Mahoney (Ed.), Lives of prominent music therapists: profiles in creativity (Vol. 2). Dallas, TX: Barcelona Publishers.

  • Curtis, S.L. (2017). Intersections of gender and culture. In A. Whitehead-Pleaux & X. Tan (Eds.), Cultural intersections in music therapy: music, health, and the person (pp. 207-222). Dallas, TX: Barcelona Publishers.

  • Curtis, S.L. (2016). Survey research. In B. Wheeler & K. Murphy (Eds.), Music therapy research (3rd ed., pp. 322-330). Dallas, TX: Barcelona Publishers.

  • Curtis, S.L. (2016). Music therapy for survivors of violence [podcast]. AMTA Pro-Podcast Series. Silver Spring, MD: American Music Therapy Association.

  • Curtis, S.L. (2016). Music therapy with women who have experienced domestic violence. In J. Edwards (Ed.), Oxford handbook of music therapy (pp. 289-298). London, England: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199639755.013.30 

  • Curtis, S.L. (2015). Alike and different: Canadian and American music therapists’ lives and work. Canadian Journal of Music Therapy, 21 (1), 11-30.

  • York, E, & Curtis, S.L. (2015). Music therapy with women survivors of domestic violence. In Barbara Wheeler(Ed), Music Therapy Handbook, (pp. 379-389). New York: Guilford Press.

  • Curtis, S. L. (2015). Feminist music therapists in North America: Their lives and their practices. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 15(2), doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.15485/voices.v1512.812

  • Curtis, S. L. (2015). Profile of community music therapists in North America. A survey. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 1(1), doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15845/voices.v1i1.811

  • Curtis, S.L. (2013). On gender and the creative arts therapies. Journal of  Arts in Psychotherapy, 40 (3), 371-372.. doi: 10.1016/j.aip.2013.05.014

  • Curtis, S. L. (2015). Profile of community music therapists in North America. A survey.

  • Curtis, S.L. (2013). Sorry it has taken so long: Continuing feminist dialogues in music therapy. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 13(1). Retrieved from:https://normt.uib.no/index.php/voices/article/view/688/572

  • Curtis, S.L. (2013). Women survivors of abuse and developmental trauma. In Lillian Eyre (Ed.), Guidelines for Music Therapy Practice: Mental Health, pp. 263-268. Philadelphia, PA: Barcelona Publishers.

  • Curtis. S.L. (2013). Women’s issues and music therapists: A look forward. Journal of Arts in Psychotherapy 40 (3), 386-393.doi: 10.1016/j.aip.2013.05.016

  • Curtis, S.L. (2012). Changing winds: The music therapy event of 2012. Music Therapy Matters,

  • Curtis,S.L., & Vaillancourt, G. (2012). The Children’s Right to Music Project. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 12 (3). Retrieved from https://normt.uib.no/index.php/voices/article/view/676/565

  • Curtis, S.L. (2012). Feminist musictherapy: Transforming theory, transforming lives. In Ken Bruscia (Ed.),Readings in Music Therapy Theory (pp. 227-244). Philadelphia, PA: Barcelona Publishers

  • Curtis, S. L. (2012). Music therapy and social justice: A personal journey. Arts in Psychotherapy. 39 (3), 209-213.doi:10.1016/j.aip.2011.12.004

  • Curtis, S.L. (2012). Working together for music therapy: An interview with Jennifer Geiger. Music Therapy Matters, 15(1),14.

  • Curtis, S.L. (2011). Working together for music therapy: An interview with Clifford Madsen. Music Therapy Matters, 14(3),6-7.

  • Curtis, S.L. (2011). New horizons: Graduate music therapy education in Québec, Canada. Voices: A World Forum for MusicTherapy, 11, 23. Retrieved from:https://normt.uib.no/index.php/voices/article/view/596/487.

  • Curtis, S.L. (2011). Celebrating music therapy:The sky’s the limit. Ensemble. 37(3).

  • Curtis, S.L. (2011). Music therapy in and with community: A convergence in Montréal. Ensemble, 37 (2), 18-19.

  • Curtis, S.L. (2011). Music therapy and the symphony: A university-community collaborative project in palliative care. Music and Medicine, 3(1), 20-26.

  • Curtis, S.L. (2008) Gathering voices: Music therapy for abused women. In S. L. Brooke (Ed.) Creative arts therapies &domestic violence. (pp. 121-135). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publishers.  

  • Curtis, S. L. (2007). Claiming voice: Music therapy for childhood sexual abuse survivors. In S. L. Brooke (Ed.), Use of creative arts therapies with sexual abuse survivors, 196-206.             Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publishers.

  • Curtis, S.L. (2006). Feminist musictherapy: Transforming theory, transforming lives. In S. Hadley (Ed.) Feminist perspectives in music therapy, 227-244. Philadelphia, PA: Barcelona Publishers.

  • Curtis, S.L., & Harrison, G. (2006). Empowering women survivors of violence: A collaborative music therapy-social work approach. In Stephanie L. Brooke (Ed.) Creative modalities for therapy with children and adults, 195-204. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publishers.

  • McIntosh, L., Bucci, J., Stickney, S.,& Curtis, S. L. (2006). Music therapy in medicine: The student music therapist’s perspective, In Changing lives, changing worlds: 32nd annual conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy. Retrieved July 1,2007 from http:www.musictherapy.ca/docs/confproc/2006/McIntosh.pdf.

  • Curtis, S. L. (2005). Empowering connections: A music therapy-social work approach for women survivors of violence. In Pereira, G. (Ed.), Proceedings of the 11th world congress of musictherapy, Brisbane, Australia.

  • Curtis, S.L., & Mercado, C. S. (2004). Community music therapy for citizens with developmental disabilities. Voices.:A World Forum for Music Therapy, 4 (3). Retrieved November 1, 2004 fromhttps://normt.uib.no/index.php/voices/article/view/185/144.

  • Curtis, S.L. (2004). Music therapy in medicine:Creative collaborations. In Joerg Fachner (Ed.), Proceedings of the 6th annual conference of the European Music Therapy Congress.

  • Curtis, S.L. (2004). Celebrating the creative spark: Community building through music therapy. In Brian McBay (Ed.),Proceedings of the 30th annual conference of the Canadian Association of Music Therapy. Waterloo, ON: Canadian Association of Music Therapy.

  • Curtis, S. L. (2004). A symphony of life:Changing lives through music therapy. In Proceedings of the annual Ontario Palliative and End of Life Care conference. Toronto, ON: Ontario Palliative Care Association.

  • Curtis, S. L. (2002). Book review of L. Montello’s  “Essential Musical Intelligence: Using Music as Your Path to Healing, Creativity, and Radiant Wholeness”, Music Therapy Perspectives, 20 (2), 136-137.

  • Curtis, S. L. (2000). Singing subversion,singing soul: Women’s voices in feminist music therapy. (Doctoral dissertation,Concordia University, 1997). Dissertation Abstracts International, 60, (12-A),4240.           

  • Curtis, S. L. (1994). Killing us softly:male inner violence against women. In Stanley G. French (Ed.), Interpersonal Violence, Health and Gender Politics (pp. 287-306). Dubuque, IA: W.C. Brown.

  • Curtis, S. L. (1994). The effect of music on pain relief and relaxation of the terminally ill. In J. Standley & C.Prickett (Eds.), Research in Music Therapy: A Tradition of Excellence. Outstanding Reprints of the Journal of Music Therapy 1964-1993. Washington, DC: AMTA.

  • Curtis,S.L. (1994). La musicothérapie féministe. In Recueil des résumés de communications,62e congrès de l’ACFAS, 151. Université du Québec àMontréal.

  • Curtis, S.L. (1990). Women’s issues and music therapists. Music Therapy Perspectives, 8, 61-66.

  • Curtis, S.L. (1989). Music therapy in griefand stress management. In J. Martin (Ed.), The Next  Step Forward: Music Therapy with the Terminally Ill. Bronx, New York: Calvary Hospital.

  • Curtis, S.L. (1988) The music therapy game.Music Therapy Perspectives, 4, 11-13.

  • Curtis, S.L. (1987). Book review of S.Munro’s “Music Therapy in Palliative/Hospice Care”, Journal of Palliative Care,3(2), 59-60.

  • Curtis, S. L. (1986). The effect of music on pain relief and relaxation of the terminally ill. Journal of  Music Therapy, 23(1), 5-12.

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Participation activities - select

Professional affiliations

  • Research Member, PERFORM, Concordia University
  • Fellow, Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University
  • Professional Member, American Music Therapy Association
  • Professional Member, l’Association québécoise de musicothérapie
  • Professional Member, Canadian Association of Music Therapists
  • Music Therapist Board Certified (MT-BC), Certification Board for Music Therapists
  • Music Therapist Accredited (MTA), Canadian Association of Music Therapists

Conference participation

  • July 2023
    World Congress of Music Therapy, Vancouver British Columbia
    What Every Music Therapist Should Know About Male Violence against Women & Girls

  • May 2019

Annual conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy, Gatineau, QC

Keynote Address. Tapestry: Our Rich Diversity

  • May 2016
    Annual conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy, Waterloo, ON
    Research for Music Therapists in the Real World (S. Curtis & L Young, Co-Presenters)
  • November 2015
    Annual Conference of the American Music Therapy Association, Kansas City, MO
    Music Therapy for Women Survivors of Violence: Current Practice & Research Trends
  • November 2015
    Annual Conference of the American Music Therapy Association, Kansas City, MO
    Panel Facilitator, 2015 Trending Topics: Hospice, Memory & Palliative Care 
  • September, 2014
    University of Melbourne, Australia
    Music Therapy for Women Survivors of Violence
  • July 2014
    World Congress for Music Therapy, Krems, Austria
    Music Therapy for Women Survivors of Violence: A Diversity of Voices
  • 2013 Annual Conference of the American Association for Music Therapy (Jacksonville, Florida), Conference Chair & AMTA Vice-President
  • 2012 Annual Conference of the American Association for Music Therapy (Chicago, IL), Conference Chair & AMTA Vice-President
  • 2012 International Conference on Gender and the Creative Arts Therapies (Montreal, Quebec), Conference Chair
  • 2012 Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy (Montreal, Quebec), Conference Co-Chair
  • 2012 Children's Right to Music (Montreal, Quebec), Conference Co-Chair
  • November 2011
    Annual Conference of the American Music Therapy Association, Atlanta, GA
    Who Are You? A Profile of Music Therapists across North America
  • October 2011
    Faculty Showcase: Excellence in Research, Concordia University, Montreal, QC
    Music Therapy for Health and Wellness: A Diversity of Research and Practice
  • May 2011
    Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy, Winnipeg, MB
    Music Therapists’ Lives: 20 Years Later
  • March 2010
    International Conference on Music Therapy and Supportive Cancer Care, Windsor, ON
    Invited Speaker
    Maximizing Resources for Palliative Care Music Therapy: A Town and Gown Collaboration

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