Gaston E(verett) Thayer

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Gaston E(verett) Thayer

Gaston E(verett) Thayer, American music educator and music therapist; b. Woodward, Okla., July 4, 1901; d. Springfield, Mo., June 3, 1970. He took pre-med courses at Sterling (Kans.) Coll. (B.A., 1923), then studied music there (B.M., 1936) and at the Univ. of Kans. (M.A. in music education, 1938; Ph.D. in educational psychology, 1940). He was a prominent figure in the fields of music education and music therapy in the U.S.; was founder of the National Assn. for Music Therapy, serving as its president (1952–53). He prepared the Gaston Test of Musicality (1941; 4th ed., 1957) and ed. the textbook Music in Therapy (1968).

Bibliography

R. Johnson, E. T. G.: Contributions to Music Therapy and Music Education (diss., Univ. of Mich., 1973).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire