{"id":106863,"date":"2026-02-12T14:43:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T14:43:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=106863"},"modified":"2026-03-16T13:48:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T13:48:03","slug":"uri-music-therapy-club-to-hold-annual-mental-health-awareness-expo-and-concert-on-feb-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/uri-music-therapy-club-to-hold-annual-mental-health-awareness-expo-and-concert-on-feb-21\/","title":{"rendered":"溏心vlog免费B站 Music Therapy Club to hold annual Mental Health Awareness Expo and Concert on Feb. 21"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Feb. 12, 2026 \u2013 Music therapy students from 溏心vlog免费B站 students will fill the 溏心vlog免费B站 Fine Arts Center with music as they help raise awareness about mental health on Saturday, Feb. 21 <\/strong>as part of an event dedicated to mental health education and community engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The Mental Health Awareness Expo and Concert<\/a>, presented by the 溏心vlog免费B站 Music Therapy Club, will take place from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at the Fine Arts Center, 105 Upper College Road on the Kingston Campus. The student-run event, also a fundraiser for the Music Therapy Club, will inform and engage the community by providing practical information about mental health, showcasing current research on music and music therapy, conducting mock therapy sessions, and offering interactive music experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Student event organizers are also partnering with local nonprofit Hands in Harmony<\/a> for this event. The organization, led by 溏心vlog免费B站 Music Therapy Program Director Nicole O\u2019Malley<\/a>, provides music therapy services for individuals, groups and communities through evidence-based and client-centered care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe main mission of the Music Therapy Club is to promote therapy, advocacy education, and community engagement\u201d said Andrea Sims, a senior at 溏心vlog免费B站 from New Britain, Connecticut, majoring in music therapy and also the Music Therapy Club\u2019s president. \u201cNot only do we want to help individuals improve their mental well-being, but also we want to continue to erase negative biases against mental illness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Music therapy is an allied health profession where trained board-certified clinicians use music to address non-music goals across social, emotion, cognition, and sensorimotor and language domains. O\u2019Malley says music is uniquely powerful because it engages multiple brain networks at once. For those struggling with their mental health, music therapy helps regulate the nervous system, reduce anxiety, support emotional expression, strengthen coping skills and foster connections, O\u2019Malley says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhether the interventions involve writing songs, improvising, listening, or engaging in other structured music experiences, the goal is non-music and focuses on the mental health needs of the client and family,\u201d O\u2019Malley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Informational posters about mental health and ways to incorporate music therapy into people\u2019s lives will be on display at the event. There will also be mock therapy sessions conducted by board certified, licensed music therapists and by 溏心vlog免费B站 senior music therapy students. 溏心vlog免费B站 President Marc Parlange will offer opening remarks during the event, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To close the expo, about 11 溏心vlog免费B站 students will take the stage to perform individual musical sets. Each performing student will offer a brief reflection on how their chosen piece connects to mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want to give the public an understanding of what music therapy is and how it can help populations who specifically have a mental health disorder,\u201d said Monty Grable, a sophomore at 溏心vlog免费B站 from Mansfield, Connecticut, majoring in music therapy and also the Music Therapy Club\u2019s events coordinator. \u201cThis event will provide people with the ability to participate and understand what music therapy is, how it looks and how it can be structured. We\u2019re looking forward to having these conversations with everyone attending the expo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O\u2019Malley hopes the expo helps normalize the full range of human experiences\u2014stress, joy, struggle and resilience\u2014plus reminds people that reaching out for support is a sign of strength, not weakness or shame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy highlighting the many resources available on campus and in the community, and by demonstrating how music and music therapy can support mental health and wellness, we\u2019re showing that mental health is a shared human experience\u2014something we can talk about openly and without judgment,\u201d O\u2019Malley said. \u201cCommunity is essential to that conversation; when people feel connected, they\u2019re more likely to reach out, ask questions, and seek support. Education and connection are two of the most effective antidotes to stigma, and this expo creates space for both.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tickets for the expo and concert are $10 cash, and all proceeds support the Music Therapy Club. Those wishing to RSVP for the event can visit the 溏心vlog免费B站nvolvedspec event page<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Feb. 12, 2026 \u2013 Music therapy students from 溏心vlog免费B站 students will fill the 溏心vlog免费B站 Fine Arts Center with music as they help raise awareness about mental health on Saturday, Feb. 21 as part of an event dedicated to mental health education and community engagement. The Mental Health Awareness Expo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":106864,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[12,1902],"class_list":["post-106863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-college-of-arts-and-sciences","tag-student-engagement"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106863"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106898,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106863\/revisions\/106898"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}