Faculty

Professor: Music Therapy

Director, Graduate Music Therapy Program

Trainer, Analytical Music Therapy (AMT)

sjung@molloy.edu

Dr. Seung-A Kim Jung is a Professor of Music Therapy, Chair of the Music Department, and Analytical Music Therapy (AMT) Coordinator in the Blended Learning AMT Training program at Molloy University in New York. Dr. Jung received her Ph.D. in Music Therapy at Temple University, specializing in AMT, culturally-informed music therapy, and stress reduction and wellness. She is a member of The International Association of Analytical Music Therapy (IAAMT) board, dedicated to advancing the AMT approach. Additionally, as a board member of the Esther Ha Foundation, she actively collaborates with mental health professionals to educate and raise awareness about the importance of music psychotherapy in the Korean immigrant community. She is the co-author of the book, Music Therapy in a Multicultural Context. She has been invited to present at various conferences in the U.S. and abroad. She finds joy in serving as an accompanist for Gloria Choir at Yale Church, NY.

Visiting Assistant Professor: Music Therapy

Director, Undergraduate Music Therapy Program

kkelly5@molloy.edu

Professor: Music Therapy

Founder & Director, The Rebecca Center for Music Therapy at Molloy University

jcarpente@molloy.edu

Dr. John Carpente is a Professor of Music and Music Therapy at Molloy College, Founder and Executive Director of The Rebecca Center for Music Therapy, the Founding Director of the Center for Autism and Child Development at Molloy College, and owner of Developmental Music Health Services, LLC. He is the Founding music therapist and creator of the DIR®/Floortime™-based music therapy program at the Rebecca School in New York City where he participated in weekly supervision and case conferences with Dr. Stanley I. Greenspan, co-creator of the DIR®/Floortime™.

Dr. Carpente received his Master of Arts degree from the Steinhardt School of Education and Human Development at New York University where he also completed his advanced clinical certifications, Levels 1 and 2, in Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy. He later went on to complete his doctoral degree in music therapy from Temple University and received his advanced practitioner certification in DIR®/Floortime™ from the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and  Learning Disorders (ICDL).

Dr. Carpente has over fifteen years of clinical and supervisory experience in a variety of settings as a clinician, clinical supervisor, and program director serving a wide range of client groups with developmental, neurological, and emotional challenges.  He has also provided clinical supervision to heath care professionals, as well as to countless music therapy professionals, interns, and practicum students from various universities and colleges throughout the United States.

A pioneer and leader in DIR®/Floortime™-based music therapy, Dr. Carpente’s clinical and research focus is on individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders and their families, parent coaching, assessment, and supervision. Currently Dr. Carpente is the USA site manager for the TIME-A international research study involving  eight countries worldwide. It is the largest randomized controlled trial on clinical interventions for autism to date. He was the recipient of the “Excellence in Music Therapy Research Award” from Temple University and in 2012 was awarded with the esteemed “Faculty Research Achievement Award from Molloy College.”

As a program developer and advocate, Dr. Carpente has served on several boards and committees with special attention to autism spectrum disorder and child development. His advocacy and consultation have resulted in the development of numerous first-time music therapy clinical and training programs throughout Long Island and New York City. He was recipient of the Outstanding Contributions to the Discipline and Profession of Music Therapy Award by Temple University.

As an educator, Dr. Carpente has been a faculty member of Molloy University in Rockville Centre, NY since 2001. His teaching style involves the use of both, didactic and experiential experiences. He has taught and continues to teach a wide range of graduate and undergraduate music therapy courses including: Clinical Improvisation, Internship Seminar, Functional Piano and Guitar, Psychotherapy Theories and their Relationships to Music Therapy, Music Therapy repertoire, Treatment Planning, Foundations of Group Music Therapy, Music Therapy Methods, Quantitative and Qualitative Research, and Thesis Advisement. In 2011 he was the recipient of the Faculty Recognition Award voted by music therapy graduate students for excellence in teaching.

Dr. Carpente has authored several book chapters and articles on the topic of developmental relationship-based music therapy and autism spectrum disorders. He recently authored the Individual Music-Centered Assessment Profile for

Neurodevelopmental Disorders (IMCAP-ND): A Clinical Manual. He has presented and lectured his work internationally and domestically.

Professor: Music Therapy

ssorel@molloy.edu

Dr. Suzanne Sorel served as the Director of Graduate Music Therapy at Molloy University until 2024, where she has been teaching since 1991. She received the Molloy University Distinguished Service Award in 2009 and the Faculty Recognition Award in 2012. She practiced clinically as a senior music therapist and supervisor for 13 years at the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy at New York University achieving Level III Certification (trainer status) in the approach. Since 2003, she has worked as a music therapist, supervisor, and consultant at The Rebecca Center for Music Therapy, Molloy’s on campus clinic. In 2010, she developed the Nordoff-Robbins training at Molloy at The Rebecca Center. Dr. Sorel completed her undergraduate music therapy training at State University of New York at New Paltz in 1986 and received Master’s and Doctoral degrees from New York University in 1993 and 2004. She has worked with a variety of client groups including autistics of all ages, as well as children and adults with developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, speech and language disorders, and psychiatric illnesses. Dr. Sorel has been an invited lecturer at regional, national, and international conferences and workshops sharing her expertise regarding Nordoff-Robbins music therapy, clinical improvisation, and developing humanistic music-centered treatment plans that are evidence-based.

Adjunct Instructor: Piano, Music Therapy, Music Theory & Aural Skills

hbae1@molloy.edu

Hannah Bae is an adjunct instructor at Molloy University where she teaches music theory, sight singing/ear training, applied piano, and music therapy lab. In addition to teaching, she is a composer, pianist, and Nordoff Robbins music therapist. Hannah holds a master's degree in music therapy from Molloy University and a bachelor's in music composition from Yeung Nam University in Korea. Drawing from her extensive teaching experience ranging from early intervention to elders, she has creatively customized her approach to teaching piano and music theory. Her individualized and unique teaching methods allow students to grasp musical concepts easily. This not only fosters a deeper motivation to practice but also brings greater enjoyment to their musical journey. 

Adjunct Instructor: Music Therapy

ccaprioli@molloy.edu

Carly Caprioli, MS, LCAT, MT-BC (she/her/hers) is an Adjunct Faculty member in the Molloy University Music Department. As a Molloy Alumni, she is excited to share her expertise and knowledge with Molloy's music therapy students and community. In Fall 2023 she served as the academic supervisor in Music Therapy Fieldwork I and taught the Professional Growth in Music Therapy Training TU course. Carly has been practicing as a board-certified music therapist and licensed creative arts therapist for over nine years and has gained extensive clinical experience working with a wide range of populations. Additionally, she has received an advanced Analytical Music Therapy certification, obtained through Molloy University's Blended Learning Analytical Music Therapy training program. Carly is excited to extend her passion and love for music therapy with her students and is looking forward to working collaboratively with faculty to support students' overall academic and professional growth.

Adjunct Instructor: Music Therapy

nfarr1@molloy.edu

Adjunct Assistant Professor: Music Therapy

mguerrero@molloy.edu

Adjunct Instructor: Music Therapy

Special Projects Coordinator: Music Therapy

lheller@molloy.edu

Lora Heller is a music therapist and teacher of the Deaf. Her private practice, Baby Fingers, was developed in 2000. In addition to Baby Fingers, she is Special Projects Coordinator and Adjunct Instructor in Music Therapy at Molloy University where she has worked since 2011, with many more years as a music therapy clinical site supervisor for Molloy students. Lora currently teaches music therapy graduate and undergraduate courses, coordinates music therapy clinical site placements, collaborates on our continuing education workshops, assists with new and prospective students, and more. As part of the ‘Molloy Mission,’ Lora spent time in Jamaica providing music therapy to teen girls in a safe-house. Her Reflections on Practice was published in Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy in Summer, 2021. You can find her podcast in imagine early childhood music therapy online journal about her work with Peter, a young child with

Fragile X Syndrome who used ASL and music as his primary means to communicate. Lora is the author of seven sign language books for kids, technical editor and ASL consultant on several other books, co-author of a textbook chapter on music therapy in hospice care, and a frequent presenter at professional music therapy & special education conferences. In 2020, Lora had the distinct pleasure of performing with the New York Deaf Theatre.

Adjunct Instructor: Music Therapy

kjoplin@molloy.edu

Kendall Joplin, MM, MT-BC is a music therapist working in a forensic psychiatric hospital in Washington, D.C. She received her bachelor's in music therapy from Sam Houston State University and her master's in music therapy from the University of Kansas. She is currently getting her Ph.D. in Expressive Arts Therapies from Lesley University and focuses her research on exploring how music therapists engage in oppressive practices through their clinical music decisions. Along with her clinical work and adjunct position at Molloy, she is an adjunct professor at Washington Adventist University. Forever an animal lover, Kendall has a dog, a cat, two frogs, and a snake.

Adjunct Instructor: Guitar, Music Therapy

mkelliher@molloy.edu

Michael Kelliher is a professionally credentialed, board certified music therapist at the Rebecca Center for Music Therapy. He received his Masters of Science degree in Music Therapy from Molloy College in Rockville Centre, NY.  Mike has completed advanced certification in Level 1 Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy from Molloy College in 2016. He has presented at professional conferences on his work within music-centered music therapy and relationship-based models of music therapy.

Adjunct Instructor: Music Therapy

lklein1@molloy.edu

Lillie Klein, MS, LCAT, MT-BC (she/her/hers) is adjunct faculty with the Music Department and proud alumna of Molloy University, where she earned her master’s degree in Music Therapy. Her clinical experience ranges across a diverse array of settings from birth to end-of-life, with a focus in grief and memory care. Lillie has served as a researcher, investigating the neurologic effects of music experiences for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, and assisted in developing arts-based dementia care with

Lincoln Center’s accessibility programming. She has published and presented her work for a variety of interdisciplinary forums and regional conferences. In addition to teaching and her clinical work, Lillie has a rich background in the performance arts, having earned her undergraduate degree in Musical Theatre from the University of Miami and studied theatre at the British Academy of Dramatic Arts at Oxford University. Lillie currently serves her home community of Long Island providing music therapy for individuals of all ages and abilities. As a professor of music therapy, Lillie is vested in providing students with a creative educational experience within an inclusive and collaborative space.

Adjunct Assistant Professor: Music Therapy

amacrae@molloy.edu

Adjunct Instructor: Piano, Music Therapy

lmcdonough@molloy.edu

Lauren McDonough graduated with a B.F.A in Piano Performance from C.W. Post in 1991. She went on to earn her master's degree in music therapy from New York University. From 1994 through 2003. Lauren worked as a music therapist in special education settings. During this time, she also received her advanced training from the Nordoff Robbins Center for Music Therapy.  For the last 20 years, she has taught piano and music therapy courses at Molloy University. 

Adjunct Assistant Professor: Music Therapy

kmyers-coffman@molloy.edu

Dr. Kate Myers-Coffman (they/she) is an adjunct assistant professor of music therapy at Molloy University and a board-certified music therapist. Centering culturally humble and critically reflexive approaches to music therapy practice, pedagogy, and research, Dr. Myers-Coffman has published and presented nationally and internationally on topics such as critical pedagogies, inclusive syllabus design, community-based, resource-oriented music therapy with youth who have experienced trauma and loss, suicide prevention in music therapy, and supporting LGBTQIA2+ students and music therapy stakeholders. In 2023, they published a co-edited volume of case studies with Dr. Noah Potvin (Duquesne University), entitled Portraits of Everyday Practice in Music Therapy. Dr. Myers-Coffman embeds values of creativity, curiosity, critical thinking, participatory learning, interactive processes, and co-constructed experiences of making meaning in their work. These values, along with a commitment to justice and equity work, continue

in their service to the music therapy profession and academia, including co-founding the Molloy University Music Therapy Equity and Inclusion Collective; serving on Molloy University's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, Mental Health Task Force, and Community Care Response Team; serving as an editorial board member for the journal, Music Therapy Perspectives; and serving regionally within the  Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Music Therapy Association as a member of the Anti-Oppressive Accountability Ad-Hoc Committee. To learn more about Dr. Myers-Coffman's publications, please visit their ResearchGate profile.

Adjunct Instructor: Music Therapy

vsa@molloy.edu

Adjunct Assistant Professor: Music Therapy

bschneible@molloy.edu

Dr. Brigette K. Schneible, PhD, MT-BC is Adjunct Faculty at Molloy University and Postdoctoral Researcher at Drexel University.  Her clinical experience and research interests involve older adults in long-term care with a particular focus on transition.  She has supervised and mentored students and interns throughout her career.  Dr. Schneible has presented her work and served in various professional roles regionally and nationally.

Adjunct Instructor: Music Therapy

eschwartz@molloy.edu

Elizabeth K. Schwartz, MA, LCAT, MT-BC, holds a Bachelor of Music in music education and special education music from the Crane School of Music and a Master of Arts in music therapy from New York University. She spent her music therapy clinical career working in early childhood music therapy and school-based music therapy practice. She frequently presents on music development, music centered practice and the use of the voice in music therapy. She is the author of a number of articles, book chapters and books on music therapy including “Music, Therapy, and Early Childhood: A Developmental Approach, Functional Voice Skills for Music Therapists” and “Basic Verbal Skills for Music Therapists” published by Barcelona Publishers and two songbooks - "You and Me Makes, We" and "Together with the Beat.” Schwartz is co-founder and education and training director of Raising Harmony: Music Therapy for Young Children which provides training and resources for music therapists. Her other passion is music therapy advocacy on the regional, state and federal level including

government law and regulation pertaining to practice oversight and funding. Throughout her career she has served in a number of professional positions on behalf of music therapists and clients. In 2014, Schwartz received the American Music Therapy Association Professional Practice Award.

Adjunct Instructor: Music Therapy

ssofield@molloy.edu