Dr. Sekyung Jang

Dr. Sekyung Jang, Associate Professor and Director of Music Therapy, earned her Bachelor of Arts from Utah State University. She has her Master of Music from Colorado State University, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education with an emphasis of Music Therapy from the University of Kansas. Dr. Jang teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music therapy which include Psychology of Music, Research in Music, and Advanced Methods and Materials in Music Therapy.

Prior to her appointment at Radford University, Dr. Jang developed and implemented various music therapy interventions as a founder and director of GongGam Music Psychological Institute in South Korea. Through contractual works, she served variety of clientele, including older adults in community-based settings and children and adolescence in public schools. She has also worked with children with developmental delays and emotional/behavioral challenges in both South Korea and the United States.

Her current clinical and research interests include prevention of depression in older persons, theory-based intervention research, intergenerational programming, and reflective practice in music therapy. Her writings can be found in the Journal of Music Therapy, The Arts in Psychotherapy, and Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Additionally, Dr. Jang received specialized training in Neurologic Music Therapy and actively presents in international, national, and regional conferences and symposia.

Dr. Jang’s teaching is characterized by a balanced combination between lectures, experientials, and discussions so that students can integrate theory and practice. Also, she believes that it is important to learn life-long learning skills when students are in training, so her assignments and class projects are often associated with practical issues and problem-solving skills crucial to clinical practice. Additionally, Dr. Jang emphasizes on building a culture learning where students feel safe to try new things, make mistakes, and freely and respectfully receive and give feedback. Dr. Jang strives to provide quality education that prepares students to be future leaders of music therapy.