School of Music

Kelly Carlson

Dr. Kelly Carlson

Music Therapy, Director
Phone: (309) 298-1544 (School of Music Office)

Kelly Carlson, Ph.D., LPMT, MT-BC is thrilled to join Western Illinois University as Instructor of Music Therapy! Dr. Carlson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance with an emphasis in piano pedagogy from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin (2002), a Master of Arts and equivalency in Music Therapy from The University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa (2004), and a Ph.D. in Music with an emphasis in Music Therapy from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa (2025).

Dr. Carlson brings a wealth of clinical, business, teaching, and research experience. She began her music therapy career with West Music in 2005, serving as the Director of Music Therapy Services from 2007 to 2021, where she received multiple awards and accolades, including the 2013 Pearl West Award, given to one employee annually. From 2021 to 2022, Dr. Carlson served as Visiting Professor of Music Therapy at The University of Iowa where she taught both undergraduate and graduate courses. From 2022 to 2025 she was a teaching assistant for music therapy practicum, where she was recognized with the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award for her supportive mentorship, and commitment to student success.

Dr. Carlson holds a pragmatist research worldview and values objective and subjective knowledge wtih varying research methods to best answer the research question. Her research focuses on the professional well-being of music therapists, historical research that diversifies the narratives surrounding the development of the field of music therapy, and music therapists' use of intuition in clinical practice.

Over the course of her career, Dr. Carlson has worked with many different populations from birth through the end of life. These populations include children in special education, early intervention, and medical settings (e.g., neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric intensive care unit) as well as adolescents and adults with developmental, cognitive, and neurological conditions such as stroke and traumatic brain injury. Dr. Carlson also has experience working with individuals in hospice, mental health, and geriatric care. Dr. Carlson's clinical focus for the past 15 years has been in hospice and with individuals who have experienced a stroke. She especially enjoys being able to help individuals regain speech after a neurological event, or being with a patient and their loved ones at the end of their life to make meaningful memories together. Her ability to relate to and quickly build rapport has helped her succeed both in her clinical work and in the business world as well.