Education: BA, Emmanuel College, 1980; MA, University of Washington, 1987; PhD, University of Washington, 1991. At SPU since 2005.
Dr. Carlene J. Brown is a musician, music educator, music therapist, and arts manager. Her early training began in Boston, Massachusetts, where she studied music education and music therapy, taught in the Boston Public School system, and worked several summers at Tanglewood, for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Brown earned a master’s degree and doctorate in Systematic Musicology, with a focus on the Psychology of Music, from the University of Washington.
Dr. Brown is currently a Professor and former chair of the Music Department at Seattle Pacific University. She is a Board-Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC) and director of the SPU Music Therapy Program, the first music therapy program in the state of Washington. Dr. Brown is also serving as a consultant for the development of a master’s degree music therapy program at the National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu City, Taiwan.
Her clinical and research interests are in the use of music for the management of pain. In addition to teaching core courses in music therapy, such as The Psychology of Music, and Music and Medicine, Dr. Brown teaches the first-year curriculum of music theory. She has been honored and recognized twice by the University for her teaching and received the 2018 Professional Practice Award, Western Region Chapter, American Music Therapy Association. She is an organist for St. Brendan’s Parish in Bothell, Washington.
Selected Publications
- Brown, C.J. (2017, September). The use of music in pain management: Clinical applications. Paper presented at the International Symposium of Rural Health and Innovative Long-Term Care Services. Puli Christian Hospital, Puli, Taiwan.
- Brown, C.J. (2017, September). Cross cultural perspectives of music therapy. National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu City, Taiwan.
- Brown, C.J. (2017, September). Why music? It’s role in health care. National Taiwan University College of Medicine and Hospital. Taipei, Taiwan.
- Brown, C.J. (2017). A Cool Job: Music Therapy. Voice of Washington Music Educators, Jan. 62 (2), 41-44
Please view Dr. Brown's CV (PDF) for more publications.