Penny Roberts

Visiting Assistant Professor of
Music Therapy & Interim Program Director

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Biography

Dr. Penny Roberts is a board-certified music therapist, Visiting Assistant Professor, and Interim Director of Music Therapy at the LSU School of Music. She brings over two decades of experience in clinical practice, research, and higher education, with a focus on aging, mental health, and community-based care.

Dr. Roberts holds a PhD in Aging from Tulane University School of Medicine, a Master of Music in Music Therapy from Florida State University, and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Pedagogy from Loyola University New Orleans.

Her clinical work spans a wide range of populations, including individuals with dementia, oncology patients, hospice and palliative care patients, and children and adolescents with special needs. She has also addressed mental health conditions such as chronic pain, anxiety, and depression, and has partnered with the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic to provide therapeutic services to local creatives and community members.

Dr. Roberts is co-author of the Individualized Music Therapy Assessment Profile (IMTAP), a widely used tool in clinical practice, with a revised edition scheduled for release in 2025. Her scholarly work has been published in Alternative and Complementary Therapies, Journal of Holistic Nursing, and the Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, and she is a frequent presenter at national and international music therapy conferences.

Prior to her appointment at LSU, Dr. Roberts chaired the Department of Music Therapy at Loyola University New Orleans, where she taught at both undergraduate and graduate levels, advised theses, and directed national internship placements. She is also affiliated with Mind the Gulf, an interdisciplinary network addressing trauma, aging, and public health initiatives throughout the Gulf South.

Dr. Roberts is passionate about advancing holistic, evidence-based care and preparing future clinicians to meet the complex needs of today’s healthcare landscape.

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Education

Ph.D., Aging Studies
Tulane University, 2016

M.M., Music Therapy
Florida State University, 2001

B.M., Piano Pedagogy
Loyola University New Orleans, 1996

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Notable Publications

• Baxter, H., Berghofer, J.A., MacEwan, L., Nelson, J., Peters, K., & Roberts, P. The individualized music therapy assessment profile, 2025. Barcelona Publishers.
• Roberts, P., Cohen, T., & Wallace, A. (2024).  Music therapy for performing artists suffering from stage fright. [Manuscript submitted for publication]
• Du, Y., & Roberts, P.  Tai Chi with music for healthy aging: A narrative review.  In process, Oxford handbook of music and aging, Oxford University Press.
• Zoghbi, S., Roberts, P., Pollock, M., & Steen, L. (2021). Activity Groups as Mental Health Interventions for Creative Arts Professionals. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 18(3), 332–348. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2021.19893
• Zoghbi, S., Roberts, P., & Pollack, M. (2019 June 28 – July 1). Community based mental health self-care for creatives.  [Poster presentation] 37th Annual Symposium of the Performing Arts Medicine Association, Hollywood, California.
• Roberts, P. (2018).  The Individualized Music Therapy Assessment Profile.  In Jacobsen, S. L., Waldon, E., & Gattino, G. (Eds.)  Music therapy assessment:  Theory, research & application. (pp. 161-175) Jessica Kingsley Publishers:  London.
• Roberts, P., Du, Y., & Xu, Q.  (2017).  The effects of Tai Chi with asynchronous music on the health of older women: A pilot study. Alternative and Complementary Therapies, 23(1). DOI: 10.1089/act.2016.29093.per
• Du, Y., Roberts, P., and Xu, Q. (2016).  The effects of Tai Chi practice with asynchronous music on compliance and fall-related risk factors in middle-aged and older women.  Journal of Holistic Nursing. DOI: 10.1177/0898010116636972.
• Du, Y., Roberts, P., & Xu, Q.  (2015 March 23 – 28). The effects of Tai Chi and asynchronous music on fall risk factors in older adults, [Poster presentation] American Society on Aging, Chicago, IL.