In April 2024, LSU’s School of Music and Dramatic Arts became the only public university in the state to offer a bachelor’s degree in music therapy, a program that combines music and psychology courses to train students for therapeutic work. But less than a year after launching, the program faced a setback when its founder and coordinator, Kamile Geist, died.
Geist was recognized as a leading expert in the field of music therapy, and she began building the program from the ground up when she joined the LSU faculty in 2022 as the first Ava & Cordell Haymon Endowed Chair of Music Therapy. She curated the curriculum, partnered with local healthcare facilities to provide clinical training for students and created a supportive community within the music program.
After Geist’s death in February, the administration named Penny Roberts, a board-certified music therapist, as the interim director of the music therapy program. Roberts has a doctorate degree in aging from Tulane University School of Medicine and specializes in working with older adults.
“My main concern is how do we take what she so lovingly and carefully built and add on to it in a way that makes the most sense,” Roberts said of her efforts to advance Geist’s work.
Administrators also hired Molly Austin, who has a doctorate in music education with an emphasis in music therapy, as an assistant professor of music therapy. Austin joined LSU with over a decade of experience, ranging from work with preschool children to older adults to inmates at corrections facilities.
“This semester is about jumping back in in a way that honors the legacy that Dr. Geist left behind,” Austin said.
As a way to do just that, the music therapy administration created the Dr. Geist Memorial Library and Music Therapy Resource Room in the School of Music. The room enables students to continue to benefit from Geist’s extensive knowledge.
In this room, students can find an array of instruments and a vast collection of Geist’s music therapy resources, donated by her family from her home.
Annalise Pitts is one of seven music therapy students who studied under Geist’s administration. As Pitts began her senior year this semester, she reflected on the hardships that helped the program grow and brought her closer to her classmates. She attributes the success of the program to the efforts of Geist, the current administration, and her fellow students.
“We have this program because of her,” Pitts said of Geist. “If it wasn’t for her, Dr. Roberts and Dr. Austin would not be here. We are able to have such incredible faculty, and have all these instruments ready for practicum, and all these sites set up for us and a degree plan that was already laid out.”
Pitts said students and faculty have a common goal of looking out for one another. She said the program is unique because of the enthusiasm they all share.
“I don’t even feel like a student in this program,” Pitts said. “I feel like a person who is passionate about getting out there and helping people.”
Sadie Smith can attest to the familial bond among the students in the music therapy program. As she began her first semester in August, she said she found the program was well-established and organized.
“I’m just excited to get going and really get into the classes,” she said. “I have one music therapy class right now, and it’s the highlight of my week.”
Music therapy programs generally help students understand what is happening in the body, brain and spirit when a patient is listening to music or playing an instrument. All music therapists must be able to play the piano, guitar and a percussion instrument. They also must be able at least to carry a tune, Roberts said. Each student is required to take four piano classes as part of the music therapy degree plan. To receive a degree, students also must take 14 to 17 hours per semester, followed by a year-long internship.
LSU has partnered with Baton Rouge General and Our Lady of the Lake hospitals and Southdowns Pre-K Center to provide students field experience. Those experiences may range from shadowing healthcare providers on an oncology unit to working with older adults who have neurocognitive disorders.
“Wherever there is healthcare or treatment needed, you can find a music therapist,” Austin said.
Samantha Johnson, a second-year student, said music therapy is even used in the neonatal intensive care unit of a hospital. She said the work of these therapists, who use frequencies of sounds to help premature babies digest formula, is like magic.
“Certain frequencies assist the baby in lowering its heart rate, and it allows them to digest food,” Johnson said. “That’s just something you have to see in real life.”
Taleya Jordan spent some of her junior year in the oncology unit of Our Lady of the Lake, fulfilling her practicum hours. Jordan became an LSU Tiger the same year the music therapy program was initiated. Seeing it in every stage, Jordan said she is thankful for all the opportunities the program has offered her, leading to her senior year.
“I feel like I’ve expanded myself as a musician,” she said.
Jordan said the intimacy of the small program does not leave much room for competition and that all students want to see each other succeed. Since 2024, the student population of the program has more than doubled to about 20, administrators said. The administration aims to continue this trend as more people learn about the widespread practice of music therapy.
“As music therapists, we are working to use music in an evidence-based way to help people meet their treatment needs no matter where they’re at, so I’m excited to be here at LSU to help students do just that,” Austin says.