Eric Waldon

SHORT BIO

Eric G. Waldon, PhD, MT-BC, is professor and program director of music therapy at University of the Pacific, California. A board-certified music therapist, he also holds a license to practice psychology in California.  His scholarly interests include clinical assessment, measurement, music therapist research competency and social emotional learning. He has served on the editorial boards for Music Therapy Perspectives and Journal of Music Therapy and recently authored the AMTA text “The Music Therapy Assessment Manual: A Guide to Data-Based Decision Making.”

STANDARD BIO

Eric G. Waldon, PhD, MT-BC, teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in music therapy at University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music.

Waldon received his bachelor’s degree in music therapy from Western Michigan University and completed his internship at University Hospitals of Cleveland, OH. He completed two master’s degrees at Pacific, in music therapy and in educational and counseling psychology. Afterwards, Waldon started a private firm for music therapy practice/consulting in the Stockton area, began working for San Joaquin County Mental Health and then returned to Pacific where he completed his PhD in educational psychology.

In addition to being a board-certified music therapist, Waldon is a licensed psychologist in California. His scholarly interests include meta-research in music therapy, music therapy assessment and evidence-based approaches. He has published articles in Journal of Music Therapy, Music Therapy Perspectives, The Arts in Psychotherapy, and the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy. He has served on the editorial boards for Journal of Music Therapy and Music Therapy Perspectives as well as an ad hoc reviewer for Frontiers in Medicine, The Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, and The Arts in Psychotherapy. He has authored book chapters in both psychology and music therapy, co-authored a pediatric music therapy training manual, co-edited “Music Therapy Assessment: Theory, Research, and Application,” and recently published “The Music Therapy Assessment Manual: A Guide to Data-Based Decision Making.”

Waldon is the Western Region representative on the American Music Therapy Association's (AMTA) research committee and serves on the AMTA Assembly of Delegates. In the past he has served on the AMTA Board of Directors as council coordinator for the Commission for Education and Clinical Training and as an assembly representative. In addition to speaking nationally and internationally on topics ranging from music therapy research, assessment and clinical practice, Waldon is also a member of the International Music Therapy Assessment Consortium where University of the Pacific is a signatory member.