David Putano, MT-BC, HPMT who lives in Toledo, OH has been a music therapist since 1992 and a professional musician all his adult life. David uses guitar every day in his work to support clients in his busy private practice that consists of children and adults of various populations. As all therapists utilize personal gifts and traits as well as developed skills, David uses his proficient guitar skills to effectively establish therapeutic rapport, support music therapy goals and to create original music. Background and Education David started playing drums at age 7 and played actively (lessons, school band and orchestra, drum corps) until age 14 when he switched his focus to guitar. David took guitar lessons all through high school. In 1977 David finished an associates degree in Liberal Arts at Broome Community College in Binghamton, NY then went on to study music at the State University of NY at New Paltz and Berklee College of Music in Boston as a guitar performance major. From there David went on to play music professionally full time, traveling all around the country, playing popular music and jazz. After eight years as a guitarist, singer and band leader David started his music therapy studies at the University of Georgia then transferred, ultimately receiving his music therapy degree in 1991 from Eastern Michigan University (MT-BC). Clinical Music Therapy Work In 1992 David was hired as a staff music therapist at St.Vincent Medical center in Toledo, OH where he worked primarily in the departments of psychology and chemical dependency. Also during this time David received valuable music therapy experience working in various hospital departments including pediatrics, oncology, cardiac rehabilitation (doing music therapy/stress management lectures) and started working with Dr. Marion Boss in 1992 providing music therapy for autistic pre-schoolers at the school S.A.I.L., which continues to this day. When hospital programing changes occurred in 1998 David was prompted to start his own private music therapy practice. In 2010 David completed a Hospice, Palliative care Music Therapy (HPMT) certification from The Center for Music Therapy in End of Life Care (Chicago, Ill). Today David’s busy private practice consists of music therapy with hospice patients and their families, pediatric and adolescent behavioral music therapy at Toledo Children’s Hospital, music therapy for autistic pre-school and school age children at S.A.I.L., music therapy with various challenged populations to support academics for the Perrysburg (OH) school district, as well as work with the geriatric population and adult developmentally delayed individuals in groups. Original Work David has been writing original music since 1981 and records various styles of music including music for educational development and autism as well as for stress management and relaxation. This music can be previewed at www.musicfromthestart.com. That site, started in 2011, also provides access to David’s music therapy related blog (http://musicfromthestart.blogspot.com/) and to other original music of various styles (http://www.autism-music.com/Davids_Music/Welcome.html). Presentations From 1992 to present David has consistently provided music therapy educational presentations to college music therapy departments, hospitals, professional groups, businesses and schools. Continuing Education Provider In the years 2000-2001 David provided full day, continuing education seminars for registered nurses and LPNs. These research based presentations, which educated nurses about how and why music affects us and encouraged them to support patients and families to utilize (mostly) purposeful music listening as a wellness strategy, were offered all over the midwest and east coast (it was stressed that their support of others in the use of music was not music therapy). And, starting in January 2014 David started www.guitarplaylikeapro.com, a website offering video based guitar instruction for music therapy students and professionals as well as any body wanting to better their guitar skills. The sites motto is: “play guitar like a rehearsal pianist plays, i.e., all styles, with no shortcuts and as the composed intended.” David now makes available to music therapy professionals continuing education courses based on concepts and techniques taught on this site. For those who register for his CMTE classes at CMTEonlineclasses.com he provides a bonus membership to his site. Contact David at: david@guitarplaylikeapro.com