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Kenneth Aigen

Professor, Director of Music Therapy; Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs

Music and Performing Arts Professions

212-998-5284

Kenneth Aigen is a music therapist whose clinical specialties include work with children and adolescents with emotional and developmental delays, and adults in mental health. His research has used musicological analyses to reveal connections between the elements of music and common cognitive, emotional, and physical goals in music therapy. His current work involves studying the role of music in everyday life for autistic adults. He lectures internationally and has authored numerous publications on Nordoff-Robbins music therapy, popular music in music therapy, and qualitative research methodology. Three of his books--Paths of Development in Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, Music-Centered Music Therapy, and The Study of Music Therapy: Current Issues and Concepts--have been translated into Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Aigen is a past–president of the American Association for Music Therapy and he was the scientific committee chairman for the Ninth World Congress of Music Therapy. Aigen received his doctorate from New York University in 1991 and for 15 years he was the research director and then co-director of the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy at NYU. From 2006 until returning to Steinhardt in 2013, Aigen was an associate professor in music therapy at Temple University where he received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. Other honors include the NYU Steinhardt School Teaching Excellence Award, and the Research and Publications Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award, both from the American Music Therapy Association,  In addition to his teaching duties at NYU, he maintains an active performing career as a keyboardist in Stella Blue's Band. 

Selected Publications

  • Aigen, K. & Hunter, B. (2018). The creation of the American Music Therapy Association: Two personal perspectives. Music Therapy Perspectives, 36(2), 183-194.
  • Aigen, K. (2014). Music-centered dimensions of Nordoff-Robbins music therapy. Music Therapy Perspectives, 32(1), 18-29.
  • Aigen, K. (2014). The study of music therapy: Central issues and concepts. New York: Routledge. 

Programs

Music Therapy

Music Therapy at NYU Steinhardt helps you combine your love of music and your commitment to helping others for a rewarding professional career.

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Courses

Contemporary Music Therapy Theory

This advanced course involves in-depth explorations of contemporary frameworks in music therapy such as community music therapy, feminist music therapy, and resource-oriented music therapy. The course uses a colloquium format with student-led discussions. Students will develop the ability to critically evaluate the arguments underlying these orientations and to apply the thinking that characterizes contemporary orientations to their own clinical approaches.
Course #
MPAMT-GE 2944
Credits
3
Department
Music and Performing Arts Professions

Current Issues in Music Therapy

This course covers issues that arise from the diversity of music therapy theory and practice. It examines the clinical, theoretical, professional, and ethical concerns that constitute the contemporary debate over the nature of music therapy practice and the identity of the discipline and its practitioners. The NYU program is contextualized within the broader profession of music therapy and the profession as a whole is contextualized within a variety of social contexts.
Course #
MPAMT-GE 2951
Credits
3
Department
Music and Performing Arts Professions

Developing Presentations and Publications in Music Therapy

This course will help students gain the skills and knowledge required to develop effective professional communications in music therapy. This includes learning how to determine 1) the focus of the information to be shared with colleagues, 2) the form of communication best suited to delivering this information, and 3) the clinical, theoretical, and experiential elements that will best convey the writer's/presenter's message. During the course, students will develop a detailed outline for either a publication or an oral presentation.
Course #
MPAMT-GE 2945
Credits
3
Department
Music and Performing Arts Professions

Key Concepts in Music Therapy II

This course covers theory in music therapy that derives from music-based sources and explores suitable research approaches for investigating this type of theory. Students will study music therapy theorists who base their theory on music philosophy, psychology, ethnomusicology and musicology.
Course #
MPAMT-GE 2942
Credits
3
Department
Music and Performing Arts Professions

Music Therapy Research

This course will provide an overview of qualitative, quantitative, & mixed-methods research in music therapy. It will focus on methodological issues such as philosophical foundations, design & implementation, & the functions of research reports specific to each type of research. Students will acquire the skills & knowledge required to critically evaluate research studies of all types.
Course #
MPAMT-GE 2933
Credits
3
Department
Music and Performing Arts Professions

Theory Development in Music Therapy

The historical development of theory and research in the field of music therapy will be examined. Students will each develop an individualized theoretical framework for the music therapy techniques and strategies that they have learned in their clinical internship.
Course #
MPAMT-GE 2943
Credits
3
Department
Music and Performing Arts Professions