Rising Star Music Fund’s signature program is the Rising Star Choirs for Children with Autism. We work with the Music Therapy Departments of our partner Universities to provide the choir experience led by Certified Professional Music Therapists. In addition to providing this beneficial activity to the children our goal is to provide a joyful and stress free activity for the parents, who face tremendous challenges each day. We currently offer this program at:
California State University, Northridge
Meet the Asteroids
The goal of The Asteroids is to promote the use of music to express one self, increase creativity, and imagination. Through the love of music they can learn to express themselves using real instruments such as the guitar, ukulele or drums, and virtual instruments and programs. These Young Adults/Teens will compose their own songs or version of a preferred song, and create their own music to go along.
Hillary Yip
Hilary Yip, MM, MT-BC is an Assistant Professor of Music Therapy and Director of the Music Therapy program at California State University, Northridge. A board-certified music therapist for over a decade, she has provided clinical music therapy services in schools, communities, and hospitals with clients ranging from infants to older adults in Texas, Florida, and California. She has worked with individuals with autism and developmental delays, children with learning and communication disorders, patients receiving psychiatric services, adult oncology patients, and adults with Parkinson’s Disease. In addition to music therapy, Hilary teaches adaptive piano and guitar lessons. She earned degrees from the University of the Pacific (B.M. in Music Therapy and B.A. in Psychology) and a Master of Music in Music Therapy from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Hilary is currently working on her dissertation to complete a Ph.D. in Music Education with Music Therapy emphasis from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Her research focuses on the impact of music and movement interventions to address motor differences of children with autism.
Rebeca Orantes
Rebeca Orantes is a board certified music therapist that completed her Bachelor of Arts in Music Therapy at CSUN. Rebeca has served as outreach therapist at CHIME, Northridge Hospital, and Huntington Hospital pediatric Unit. Rebeca has led the Reminiscing Through Music Group for older adults and Kidz Music & Movement Group at CSUN, and is the co-director for the Rising Star Choir. Prior to graduating, she completed her internship at Professional Child Development Associates in Pasadena, CA. She worked with children with a wide range of disabilities. Rebeca was trained in the DIR/Floortime® approach, a relationship-based model that focuses on the social-emotional development of a child. In addition, Rebeca has experience working with geriatric populations in assisted living facilities, memory care homes, and senior centers, using music to promote wellness, memory recall, and life enrichment.
Judy Langdon
Judy Langdon is a graduate from the Music Therapy Program at Cal State, Northridge. She is the Director for the Asteroids Band and Co- director for Sunshine Singers. Judy has served as outreach therapist at LAUSD Lokrantz Sped Elem. Judy completed her clinical internship at Professional Child Development Associates in Pasadena, California, where she received training in DIR®/FloortimeTM, a relationship-based therapy model. Judy has experience working as a Music Therapist at an acute psychiatric facility, elementary education, and also utilizes her music therapy expertise and techniques to facilitate sessions at teen rehab centers and various camps.
Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee
Alejandra J. Ferrer
Alejandra J. Ferrer, Ph.D., MT-BC, Assistant Professor of Music and Coordinator of Music Therapy, joined the faculty at Belmont University in the Fall of 2015. Dr. Ferrer holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy from The Florida State University (2004), a Master of Music in Music Therapy from The Florida State University (2005), and a PhD in Music Education from The Ohio State University (2012).
Prior to joining Belmont University, Dr. Ferrer worked as Adjunct Professor at Ohio University and The Ohio State University, where she taught music therapy and music education courses. Concurrently, she practiced music therapy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where she served infants and toddlers in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and supervised undergraduate and graduate practicum students and interns. Dr. Ferrer developed the first music therapy program at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. Prior to that, she served adults with mental illness and substance abuse disorders in both acute care and forensic units. Additional clinical experiences include working with the gerontology population and children and adults with developmental disabilities.
Dr. Ferrer is an active member of the American Music Therapy Association and a regular presenter at regional and national music therapy and music education conferences on topics pertaining to medical music therapy, prgram development, and professional issues. Her research has been published in the Journal of Music Therapy. Dr. Ferrer has authored one book chapter (Music Therapy: Bettering Lives One Note at a Time in Charyton’s Creativity and Innovation Among Science and Art) and most recently co-authored an article for the music therapy online magazine Imagine.