Brea Murakami, MM, MT-BC

Areas I Teach
Music Therapy (BMT)

Education
MM in Music Therapy, University of Miami, Miami, FL
BM in Music Therapy, Chapman University, Orange, CA
BA in Psychology, Chapman University, Orange, CA

About

Brea Murakami is a board-certified music therapist and the Interim Director of music therapy at Pacific University. Her responsibilities include overseeing the music therapy program, teaching undergraduate classes in music therapy, and providing supervision for music therapy students of all levels. Prior to her position at Pacific University, Brea completed her master’s degree in music therapy at the University of Miami where she served as a teaching and research assistant.

Ms. Murakami’s clinical work has recently focused on older adult care and neurorehabilitation, but her career has included work with diverse populations in early childhood settings, behavioral health, and medical settings. She has completed advanced training in Neurologic Music Therapy as well as the Allied Team Training for Parkinson’s disease.

With an interest in translating research into clinical practice, she has spoken at numerous international, national, and regional conferences regarding her research and scholarship. Ms. Murakami’s research interests revolve around the potential for harm in clinical settings, cognitive rehabilitation, and the ties between music and identity. Her professional affiliations include the American Music Therapy Association, the Society for Music Perception and Cognition, and the Oregon Association for Music Therapy.

Publications
Lesiuk, T., Bugos, J. A., & Murakami, B. (2018). A rationale for music training to enhance executive functions in Parkinson’s disease: An overview of the problem. Healthcare, 6(2), 35.