Community Partner: The George Center

The George Center provides music therapy scholarships and services to families, organizations, and programs. This 501(c)(3) organization relies on the support of individuals, organizations, businesses, and grants to carry out its mission and serve the community. Thanks to generous support, children, adolescents, teens, adults, and grandfriends have access to quality, licensed, and board-certified music therapy programs that they could not otherwise afford.

The center is home to 10 licensed and board-certified music therapists and neurologic music therapists. These talented team members specialize in treating pregnant women; babies in the NICU; children, teens, and adults with developmental and neurologic differences; and aging adults in independent living, assisted living, and memory care facilities, affectionately known as grandfriends. The George Center Giving Tree, an intergenerational preschool program, offers structured musical interaction for grandfriends and young children. Therapists utilize tools inherent in music to address social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and motor skill abilities/needs.

In a typical session, a therapist will facilitate music-based interventions designed to address individualized goals for clients.

Goals may include:

• Motor function development and rehabilitation
• Speech and language (communication) development and rehabilitation
• Cognitive skill development and rehabilitation
• Behavior modification
• Sensorimotor rehabilitation
• Sensory integration
• Emotional/behavioral support
• Academic assistance

Therapists may utilize instrument playing, singing, dancing and/or movement during a session. A sample of techniques used within the therapy setting are presentation of social or communication scripts through music cuing, music mnemonics, music as a motivator or reinforcing stimulus, music to assist in task sequencing, presentation of language concepts through song format, and support of cause and effect goals through the use of musical instruments.

In 2019, The George Center raised $15,000 in grants and individual donations, which created the following:

• Singing With Parkinsons - Atlantas first therapeutic choir for individuals living with Parkinsons that addresses and treats its symptoms, using neurologic music therapy and nonpharmacological solutions
• Funding for public and private school music therapy programs
• Scholarships for social skills and performing arts groups for teens and young adults with developmental and neurological differences
• Therapeutic summer programming for individuals with developmental and neurological differences
• Support for Atlanta-area families in need of financial therapeutic assistance
• Growth to access more of the families and programs in need of music therapy support around metro Atlanta
• Programs funded 100% through philanthropic efforts and gifts

The George Centers goal is to raise $20,000 in 2020 to continue to expand the impact of services around Atlanta and the metro-Atlanta area. One hundred percent of all contributions made to the center are invested in programs and services that directly impact clients and families. All donations are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated. For more information, please call or visit the website.

The George Center
12060 Etris Road, Suite 200
Roswell, GA 30075
678-701-1203
TheGeorgeCenter.com