Upstate Medical University becomes the first academic training site in New York State for the Music in Healing and Transition Program. An informational meeting takes place Sept. 26 in Fayetteville for people interested in using live therapeutic music to create healing environments for those with acute and chronic illness and for the dying and their caregivers.

The meeting takes place at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26 in the library of Trinity Episcopal Church, 106 Chapel St., Fayetteville. Musicians and vocalists are welcome.

Classes for the program, which is accredited by the National Standards Board of Therapeutic Musicians, begin in March 2012. Coursework will consist of five weekend modules spaced out over several months, followed by a 45-hour internship of bedside work. Students may take a year or two to complete the program.

The Music for Healing and Transition Program is based in Hillsdale, NY. Offering Upstate as a training site is expected to draw students from throughout New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Canada, says Dona Wonacott, a certified music practitioner.

She says the training is not inexpensive, but it can be approached as a career opportunity. She says students who are already working in the health field can receive tuition breaks on some classes. Tuition ranges from $420 to $525 per module. The program offers a variety of tuition plans and some scholarships.

Read the news release.