About Us:
Faculty

Melissa Wenszell, MacPhail Music Therapy Co-Founder, Senior Music Therapist, joined MacPhail Center for Music in 2001 as a board certified Music Therapist, becoming director in 2008.  She earned a Bachelor of Music Therapy degree from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, and completed Fellowship training in Neurologic Music Therapy through the Center for Biomedical Research in Music at Colorado State University.

She has worked as a music therapist in a variety of settings, including health care units, rehabilitation centers, schools, camps and correctional facilities.  As a music therapist at MacPhail Melissa works in individual sessions, groups, classes, and partnerships with clients of all ages and diagnoses.  She is experienced in team leadership, curriculum design, program development and supervision.

Melissa is also the clinical director of a university affiliated music therapy internship with the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and serves as a practicum supervisor for Augsburg College and the University of Minnesota music therapy students.  Melissa has taught in keyboard, piano, guitar, basic percussion, accordion and vocal performance as adaptive lessons through MacPhail

Melissa is the Reimbursemet Chair for the Music Therapy Association of Minnesota and serves on the Disability Advisory Council for Mixed Blood Theatre.  She is also in the neurologic music therapy graduate program through Colorado State University, and has presented at national, state and community conferences and for various community service organizations.

October 2001          Music Therapist – Board Certified; The Certification Board for Music Therapists
August 2005           Neurologic Music Therapist Fellow –Unkefer Academy for Neurologic Music 
February 2011         Therapy; Center for Biomedical Research in Music, Colorado State University
April 2006               Newborn Intensive Care Unit Multimodal Stimulation and Pacifier Activated Lullaby; Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare – Florida State University Infant and Child Medical Music Therapy
November 2006      Certified Infant Massage Instructor; International Loving Touch Foundation Incorporated
March 2010             Psychological First Aid – Medical Reserve Corps; National Center for PTDS, The National Child Traumatic Stress Network