Keynote Speaker, Presenter & Program Leader
Roman Music Therapy Services founder Meredith Roman Pizzi, MPA, MT-BC, is a thought leader and a passionate champion for the music therapy profession.
Regionally and nationally, she is in demand as a keynote speaker, presenter and program leader, offering insights on clinical and professional topics that appeal to a wide range of professional and consumer audiences.
Speaking Engagements for Businesses & Community Groups
Roman Music Therapy Services works with professional organizations and businesses seeking to enhance innovation, leadership and team development. On an ad-hoc or retained basis, Meredith supports and consults with companies and organizations on program development, using music-based tools for creative problem solving and out-of-the box thinking.
Roman Music Therapy Services partners with companies, healthcare organizations, human services agencies and schools to provide goal-driven wellness programming where music is used as a platform to facilitate positive change. Industry-specific programs have been developed for technology workers, medical professionals and human service providers.
One-time presentations or ongoing programs are offered based on client interest and goals.
Click here for past keynotes, presentations, & engagements --
- Keynote Speaker (Virtual), Prioritizing You: Six Keys to Support Your Well Being, Massachusetts Early Intervention Consortium
- Presenter, Culture is Collaborative – Creating a Company Culture That Reflects Your Values and Inspires Your Employees, Northeast HR Association (NEHRA) conference
- Speaker, Federation for Children with Special Needs conference
- Presenter, It’s More than Just a Song, MA Alzheimer’s Association
- Speaker, You Are a Leader & Unwind with Music – Music Based Stress Management – Providers’ Council Convention
- Small Business Presentation and Drum Circle, Board of Directors Meeting, Accion International
- Guest speaker, Small Business Celebration, Eastern Bank and Accion East
- Speaker and presenter, topics relating to community inclusion and engagement, mental health and music therapy, various organizations
- Presenter, Parent Workshop Series co-presented with other specialists including sign language, special education and early childhood development, Roman Music Therapy Services
- Presenter, Special Education Parent Teacher Organizations, Parents of Multiples groups
- Guest Speaker, Team Building Initiatives – MaidPro Corporate Offices, Northeast Residential Services
Programs and Leadership for Music Therapists
A deeply valued and high-profile member of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), Meredith has served as a keynote or featured speaker at conferences for five geographic regions. She has also conducted countless professional development programs for music therapists on a wide range of topics, including advocacy, financial intelligence for entrepreneurs, and visioning your business and professional success.
Within the AMTA, Meredith served as chair of the National Institute Leadership Academy from 2014 to 2018 and conducted numerous continuing education (C.E.) Training Institute sessions on various topics.
Click here for continuing education topics --
TOPICS FOR STUDENTS:
- The Music In Me: Understanding Early Childhood Musical Development
- Music Therapist Essentials: Passion, Perseverance and Professionalism
- Music Therapy Entrepreneurship 101: Things to Consider Before Launching a Private Practice
- Real World Documentation: A Music Therapy Electronic Record System in Practice
- First Impressions: What you Need to Know about Resumes, Interviewing and Networking Skills
- Shark Tank Experience – Pitch competition for music therapy students or could provide an opportunity for engagement with other programs across campus
- Music Therapy Internships: Tips for Success
TOPICS FOR MUSIC THERAPISTS:
- The Music Therapy Pyramid Model: From Theory to Practice
- Claiming our Place at the Table: Reimagining the Potential of Music Therapy – the result of graduate capstone work and the Keynote GLR in 2017
- Building Social Capital Through Music Therapy – CMTE 5-8 hours; Can be done as with or without a community event in the evening, a Karaoke Open Mic Night open to the public and designed to be fully integrated
- Nurturing Sound Mental Health in Young Children
- Crash Course in Accounting for Music Therapists – this has been really popular as a conference presentation and CMTE. Could be 90 min or 3-5 hours.
- Music Therapy Businesses of the Future: Building a Music Therapy Practice that Fulfills your Life Purpose
- Music Therapy as a Related Service from Assessment to Service Delivery (SEMTAP Training)
- MTBO Mastermind™: Power Up, Focus Down, and Lead Your Business
- Marketing Skills All Music Therapist Need – for entrepreneurs and employees
TOPICS FOR FACULTY:
- Looking Beyond the Classroom: Entrepreneurship in the Arts
TOPICS FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS:
For early childhood educators, head start teachers or early intervention professionals:
- The Musical Child in the classroom, Understanding Musical Development in the classroom, Using Music to Support Learning in Early Childhood, Behavior Management and Music: Using Music Therapy Strategies Tools for Behavior Management
For special education professionals:
- Music Therapy in Schools: Understanding the Options for Service Delivery, Music Therapy and the IEP, Music Therapy as Programmatic Enhancement in Special Education, Music Therapy
- Nurturing Sound Mental Health in Young Children
For parents of children with special needs
- Bring on the Music, Bring on the Fun – this presentation is a bit active experientials, information sharing and advocacy all rolled into one! Can be presented with or without children in attendance.
For community leaders or administrators
- Augment your Program: Building Effective Partnerships with Music Therapists in your Community
ADAPTIVE TOPIC FOR ANY AUDIENCE:
- Prioritizing You: Six Keys to Support Your Well-Being
- Staff Beats: An Improvisational Approach to Creativity, Community and Resilience
- Self-care: Understanding and Implementing Everyday and Extreme Self-Care Plans
- Leadership: It’s Not What You Do, But How You Be!
- Completing the Stress Cycle with Music and Creative Expression
- Authentic and Strategic Living: How to Create a Purposeful Life
Lectures & Keynotes for Educational Institutions
Offering a valuable perspective based on a unique combination of industry knowledge and entrepreneurship skills, Meredith is a popular presenter and keynote speaker for educational institutions.
Over the past decade, Meredith has served as an adjunct faculty member and guest lecturer at Alverno College, Shenandoah University, Berklee College of Music, Florida Gulf Coast University, Ohio University, and Duquesne University.
Click here for past lectures & presentations --
- Faculty member, graduate level music therapy courses on Entrepreneurship and Leadership, Alverno College
- Faculty member, Human Resources Management, Suffolk University
- Guest lecturer, business skills and professional development, Colorado State University
- Adjunct faculty member, graduate level music therapy courses on professional practice, Shenandoah University
- Presenter, Professional development in-service workshop, Lee County Head Start of Fort Myers, FL
- Presenter (multiple occasions), MA Early Intervention Consortium
- Featured presenter, statewide annual conference for early childhood professionals and parents, MA Early Intervention Consortium
- Keynote presenter, staff retreat, Bay Cove Early Intervention
- Presenter, Staff development workshop (85 staff members including teachers; paraprofessionals; Occupational, Physical and Speech/Language Pathologists), Greater Lawrence Education Collaborative: EPIC Program
If you're looking for a speaker to propel you and help you to level up, Meredith crafts a conversation that takes you on a journey through self-discovery, re-evaluation and moves you into action!
Serial Entrepreneur and Innovator
Meredith Roman Pizzi, MPA, MT-BC, is passionate about the potential of music therapy to benefit people of all ages and abilities through universal, promotive, and clinical music therapy services.
A serial entrepreneur, Meredith is the founder of several music therapy organizations, including Roman Music Therapy Services, a music therapy agency established in 2006 to serve children and adults with social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, physical, and educational needs.
In 2009, she created the award-winning Sprouting Melodies®, an exclusive and award-winning early childhood music program offered through Board Certified Music Therapists. Sprouting Melodies® programs have expanded across the country and the world, advancing Meredith’s mission.
Raising Harmony, co-founded by Meredith in 2012, provides training to music therapists, parents, and early childhood professionals on using music therapy strategies and tools with young children. In 2017, she also launched the Project Harmony initiative to create inclusive, community-based experiential music programs that celebrate potential. Project Harmony programs support organizations and families, fostering creative self-expression and encouraging growth.
Education
Subsequent to earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Therapy from Duquesne University, Meredith has furthered her education within a broader context, taking part in various post-graduate programs. She was selected as one of an elite group of 10 interdisciplinary fellows for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Post-Graduate Fellowship through the University of Massachusetts Medical School, completing the certificate program in 2015.
Through Suffolk University in Boston, Meredith earned a Certificate in Disability and Health Policy and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. She also completed the Building A High Performing Minority Business certificate program at Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH.
Clinical Background & Areas of Expertise
Meredith’s primary areas of clinical practice include working with infants, children, and adults in private, educational, and community settings.
She has extensive experience working with young children, individuals of all ages with complex medical and developmental needs, non-verbal learners, individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and persons with Down Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, and other developmental disabilities.
Innovative Programming & Models
In addition to her clinical work and overseeing the team at Roman Music Therapy Services, Meredith has devoted her career to developing business models for the delivery of music therapy services. She advocates for music therapy on the systems level, and trains and supervises students and professional music therapists with developing clinical competencies and other professional skills required to be a music therapy business owner.
On an ad-hoc or retained basis, Meredith supports and consults with companies and organizations on program development, using music-based tools for creative problem solving and out-of-the box thinking.
Accomplishments and Accolades
Advocacy for the Music Therapy Profession
Among the first Music Therapy Business Coaches in the country, Meredith created a network for music therapy business owners to facilitate professional networking and mentorship through the American Music Therapy Association and online forums. She subsequently conceptualized and launched the MTBO (Music Therapy Business Owners) Mastermind experience.
Publications and Papers
Meredith is an ongoing service contributor to the music therapy profession and the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), sharing tips and strategies based on her own professional journey. For her contributions, She was recognized with the Presidential Achievement Award for the New England Region of the American Music Therapy Association in 2014.
Leadership and Service
Meredith has served on the AMTA Board of Directors, the fiduciary body of the national association, and as an Assembly Delegate on the AMTA Assembly, the policy-making body of the AMTA. She has also been sought out to serve on task forces and in various advisory roles.
She has received awards and nominations from numerous business organizations, including Boston Business Journal’s Make Mine a Million $ Business Competition, Small Business Administration of Massachusetts for Micro Enterprise and the Woman-Owned Business of the Year, sponsored by the MA SBA.
Meredith's additional contributions include --
- Making It Work: Sharing Insights as a Small Business Owner (podcast for AMTA members)
- Early Childhood Mental Health and Music Therapy: Defining Universal and Preventative Models, Published in Ricerche di Psicologia (2016)
- Leading the Way – Music Therapy Businesses of the Future, published by American Music Therapy Association – Co-Editor (2015)
- Re-Imagining Music Therapy: Articulating a Framework for Building Social Capital through Music Therapy, Master’s Capstone (2016)