Nancy Hadsell, PhD, was Professor of Music, with a focus on music therapy. She taught at Texas Woman’s University since 1984 and served as Coordinator of the Music Therapy Program from that time until 2016. Prior to her tenure at TWU, she served as Director of Music Therapy for Tennessee Technological University (1977-1981) and as a Music Therapist for the DeKalb-Rockdale Psycho-educational Center in DeKalb County, Georgia (1974-1977). She taught courses in the music therapy program at the graduate and undergraduate levels, along with Music and World Cultures, and Music Appreciation (distance learning). She served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Certification Board for Music Therapists (2000-2003 and 2005-2011), acting as Secretary/Treasurer for that organization. Hadsell is a past-president of the Southwestern Region of the American Music Therapy Association (2003-2005) and served as the SWAMTA representative to the AMTA Research Committee. She also represented the Southwestern, Midwestern, and Southeastern Regions on the AMTA Assembly of Delegates for many years and was a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Music Therapy from 2000 through 2006.
Hadsell published articles on the effects of music listening on musicians and non-musicians, the uses of structure in music therapy practice, music therapy practicum, Autoharp® skills for music therapy, music therapy practice with children with Rett Syndrome, and private practice in music therapy. She presented at professional conferences on many topics related to the practice of music therapy, the CBMT Scope of Practice, legislative/regulatory affairs, clinical techniques in music therapy, behavior management strategies, and exam preparation using the CBMT Self Assessment Examination. She is listed in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers (1996) and has been a member of Phi Beta Kappa since 1972. She was awarded the prestigious Humphries Award (2016) for Dedication to Texas Woman’s University. The Southwestern Region of AMTA awarded her the Lifetime Leadership Award at its regional conference in Austin in Spring 2016.