Assistant ProfessorCoordinator, Master of Music TherapyDirector, Manfred and Penny Conrad Institute for Music Therapy ResearchFaculty of MusicMusic TherapyWaterloo, Ontariodkogutek@wlu.ca
I am a Music Therapist Accredited (MTA) by the Canadian Association for Music Therapists. I began classical guitar studies at Juan Jose Castro Conservatory of music in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In Canada, I graduated from the Honors Bachelor of Music Therapy program at University of Windsor, and t...
I am a Music Therapist Accredited (MTA) by the Canadian Association for Music Therapists. I began classical guitar studies at Juan Jose Castro Conservatory of music in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In Canada, I graduated from the Honors Bachelor of Music Therapy program at University of Windsor, and the Master’s of Music Therapy at Wilfrid Laurier University. My PhD research stems from a collaboration between the Health and Rehabilitation Science program and the Brain and Mind Institute at Western University. My PhD research was expanded with the support of Mary Elizabeth Horney Fellowship in Rehabilitation Research from the Parkwood Institute Research-Specific Endowment.
My research area of interest is motor improvement in neurological rehabilitation through client’s active use of musical instruments in improvisation sessions. To accomplish this, I have developed a methodological system called Improvised Active Music Therapy (IAMT). In this methodological system, clients play uninterrupted improvised music on a simplified electronic drum-set while being accompanied by a music therapist on guitar or keyboard. The musical content of IAMT sessions is transformed into digital music data in real time using Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI). This provides the possibility of measuring the number of notes, velocity of movement, synchronicity, and acquisition of rhythmic complexity levels from the clients and the music therapists.