View this Press Release on Melrose Patch and in the Melrose Free Press.

Melrose, Massachusetts October 6, 2011 – Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, the leading national not-for-profit provider of resources, business education, and community support for women entrepreneurs, has named Meredith Roman Pizzi of Malden as one of 44 Pitch Winners selected in the latest Make Mine a Million $ Business event, M3 1000, which was held Monday, September 26, 2011 in Philadelphia, PA.

M3 1000 is the largest business pitch competition for women in the United States. The Philadelphia event featured more than 300 women entrepreneurs from across the nation pitching their businesses, participating in business growth education sessions, and building business opportunities with each other.

Described as a cross between “The Apprentice” and “American Idol,” the M3 1000 pitch competition invites women business owners with at least $85,000 in annual business revenues that have been in business for two years or more to present their business in a two minute “elevator pitch” to a panel of small business experts and judges. Pitch Winners came away with a $1000 American Express gift card, an introductory cycle of professional coaching from The Coach Connection (TCC), and a chance to participate in the next round of competition to win a coveted spot in the renowned Make Mine a Million $ Business program, along with a business development package that includes additional cycles of coaching, national PR, and financing assistance to help their businesses grow into million-dollar enterprises. A complete list of M3 1000 Philadelphia pitch winners can be found at http://makemineamillion.org/features/M3-1000-Philadelphia.

Meredith Roman Pizzi of Malden, MA is the local winner of the M3 1000 competition. After hearing Meredith’s two minute pitch, Nell Merlino, the founder of Count Me In, said, “You have a very important business and there are many people who need you!” She has been a Board Certified Music Therapist for 7 years. A graduate of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, Pizzi has always been passionate about music and chose to pursue music therapy to help others using music. Beginning originally with the trumpet in fifth grade, Meredith continued studying piano, guitar, and voice in her music therapy training. In addition to her musical background, Pizzi also has an affinity for business. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Roman Music Therapy Services, a music therapy agency providing music therapy services for young children, children and adults with disabilities, and the elderly. Meredith also developed Sprouting Melodies, an early childhood program focused on development and growth through participation in music. Sprouting Melodies is looking to sprout up soon in other Boston communities. Meredith’s passion for music therapy and serving others has been the driving force behind the growth of Roman Music Therapy Services. She resides in Malden with her husband, Felix, and their three children.

Launched in 2005 by Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence and founding partner American Express OPEN, the Make Mine a Million $ Business program was created to help post-start up, women-owned businesses grow to one million dollars in annual revenue. Since its inception, the program has hosted over 20 competitions in cities around the country with thousands of women entrepreneurs participating, and grown into a nationwide movement. To date more than 28% of Make Mine a Million $ Business program participants have surpassed the $1 million mark in annual revenues versus the 2.6% national average for women business owners. A year-to-date investment of $12 million in the program has yielded $160 million in revenues for Make Mine a Million $ Business Awardees. The ultimate goal of the program is to elevate one million women businesses to over $1M in annual revenue generating $1 trillion in revenues and creating over 4 million jobs by 2020.

“We are thrilled by the eagerness of women across the country to grow their businesses, create jobs in their communities, and create stability for their families and the national economy,” said Nell Merlino, Founder and President of Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence.”

About Count Me In and Roman Music Therapy Services

Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence is the leading national not-for-profit provider of resources, business education, and community support for women entrepreneurs seeking to grow their businesses to million dollar enterprises. Count Me In launched the Make Mine a Million $ Business Competition to inspire one million women entrepreneurs scale their businesses to a million dollars in business revenues in the next decade by providing tools, skills, and the support of a nation-wide community of peers.

Roman Music Therapy Services was founded in 2006 by Meredith Roman Pizzi, MT-BC as a private practice. Today with a team of four Board Certified music therapists, Roman Music Therapy Services is making huge strides and asserting itself as Massachusetts’ premier music therapy agency. In addition to their community work, Roman Music Therapy Services a childhood program, “Sprouting Melodies,” and individual and group clinical sessions at their center on Main Street in Melrose. Our music therapists use the power of music to motivate and engage clients to meet their full potential. Roman Music Therapy Services plans to scale the business by increasing their services to daycares and preschool programs, special education programs and nursing homes and assisted living communities in the Greater Boston and Eastern Massachusetts area. There are also plans to expand Sprouting Melodies to other communities in the South Shore and Metrowest areas.

Mozart Effect: Does Listening To Classical Music Really Make Us Smarter?
Oliver Sacks, MD, Author, Neurologist

WATCH (Sacks’ discussion of music can be found between the 0:46 and 3:41 marks):

Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/29/mozart-effect_n_886398.html August 3, 2011

What Is Music Therapy?
Ronna Kaplan, MA, President of American Music Therapy Association

This article shares wonderful descriptions of Music Therapy in answer to the common question, “What is Music Therapy?” Read her words here.

“Music therapy uses music prescriptively to provide opportunities for individuals to establish or strengthen connections, achieve transformations, build and expand upon foundations and reach aspirations.”

Read full article here

Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ronna-kaplan-ma/music-therapy_b_869439.html, August 3, 2011

The idea of music as a therapeutic tool has been increasingly present in the media and is currently a prime topic of scientific research.  Music has been proven to assist in childbirth, aid in the healing of stroke victims, and increase memory recall in Alzheimer’s patients.  In her book, The Power of Music, Elena Mannes explains the affect music has on different groups of people and its role in modern day health care.  Read an excerpt from Mannes’ book here.

This is from the Family Caregivers Unite! Website:

Laura Rutherford and Meredith Pizzi are linked by music therapy. Laura is the mother of Kate, who has multiple developmental and physical disabilities and who inspired Kate’s Voice, a non-profit group that grants music therapy programs to special-needs classrooms. Meredith, a professional music therapist, is the Founder and Director of Roman Music Therapy Services, a music therapy agency which serves children and adults with social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, physical, and educational needs. They talk about their work in and for music therapy and how they came to be involved. They explain the ways in which music therapy helps children with special needs. They describe their success stories. They offer advice to family caregivers who are wondering if music therapy will help their special-needs children, and to family caregivers just starting down the road travelled by Laura, Kate and the family. And then they say how they would like to see music therapy programs develop.

Click HERE to visit the Voice of America website.

Roman Music Therapy Services is excited to have worked on a project with Ablevision of Malden to create a television segment about music therapy. As their website says:

Ablevision is a show produced entirely by people with disabilities. We are a group of video producers dedicated to educating and promoting awareness of the disabled community.

We are really excited to share the work of Roman Music Therapy Services with this great organization and the 44 communities in Massachusetts that receive their television program.

Ablevision was recorded in Roman Music Therapy Services’ first studio located in Malden, as well as on site at Charlestown High School during a class music therapy session and at the Melrose Public Library in March. Thank you to all of those who participated and were interviewed for this special music therapy feature.

The taping was completed in April of 2009 and the show aired in late summer of 2009. To learn more about this great organization, check out their website at www.ablevision.org. They also have a youtube channel at www.youtube.com/ablevision. Please check it out!