Hi, my name is Beth Huss, and I graduated from the University of Dayton with a B.M. in Music Therapy in May 2000. My hometown is Parsippany, New Jersey, and I attended Morris Catholic High School in Denville.
While at Dayton, I took advantage of the many great opportunities to get involved in my major. These included both the Delta Sigma chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, the international women's professional music fraternity, and the Music Therapy Club, a service club that provides volunteer music therapy sessions in the Dayton community. I served in many leadership roles in both of these organizations, and I enjoyed my experiences with them immensely!
I was also involved in a number of activities that were not music-related, including the New Student Orientation Program and various facets of Campus Ministry. My favorite project I did through Campus Ministry was the Dayton Summer of Service immersion program, where I lived in community with 11 other awesome people for two months and volunteered 20 hours each week at a battered and homeless women's shelter. This experience was extremely rewarding, and it inspired my interest in social work and social justice issues.
I was also involved in numerous music ensembles at UD, including the Pride of Dayton Marching Band, Ebony Heritage Singers, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Hands in Harmony, Flute Ensemble, Flyer Pep Band, and Concert Band. I loved being involved in these organizations because it affords me the opportunity to make music with my friends, one of my favorite things to do! My primary instrument is flute but I have been known to play a large assortment of instruments, including guitar, piano, tenor saxophone, mandolin (!), and percussion. I have a (presently) small hobby of collecting interesting musical instruments, mostly wooden flutes, but some percussion as well.
Currently, I am biding my time until my music therapy internship at Forbes Medical Center in Pittsburgh starts in September. After that, I will either do clinical or research work in music therapy or pursue a graduate degree in social work. My clinical interests include psychiatric care, hospice, and adult crisis situations. A special interest of mine is domestic violence, and did research with this population to write my Honors thesis, "The Effects of Music Therapy Interventions on State Anxiety of Women in Crisis." If you have any questions or any positions available for me, please don't hesitate to email me. I also invite you to check out the American Music Therapy Association webpage (link provided below) to learn more about music therapy.