Shannon K. de l'Etoile, Ph.D., MT-BC

Shannon K. de l’Etoile, Ph.D., MT-BC is Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Professor of Music Therapy at the University of Miami Frost School of Music.  A board-certified music therapist and member of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), she is also recognized as a Fellow of the Robert F. Unkefer Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy.  

Her research explores infant-directed singing, including examination of the acoustic parameters of mothers’ singing as well as infant’s self-regulatory responses. Her teaching focuses on music therapy research methods as well as the scientific mechanisms that underlie clinical approaches for movement and communication disorders.  Dr. de l’Etoile’s research is published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and presented regularly at professional conferences at the regional, national, and international level.  

Her clinical background includes treating adults with mental illness, children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders, as well as adults and children with developmental disabilities.  Dr. de l’Etoile’s most recent clinical experience involved adults with neurologic disorders, such as stroke, Parkinson disease, and traumatic brain injury. 

Dean de l’Etoile directed the Frost School music therapy program from 2001 to 2012 and has served as Associate Dean of Graduate Studies since 2012. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music therapy from Colorado State University and her doctorate in music education with an emphasis on music therapy from the University of Kansas.