Robert F. Unkefer: A music therapy mentor and pioneer

Robert F. Unkefer, MM, MT-BC, played an integral part and was a significant figure in the beginnings of music therapy as a profession. He dedicated his life's work to developing and serving the National Association for Music Therapy (NAMT), educating others about music therapy (students, colleagues, and the general public), guiding students in the Michigan State University School of Music in their college careers, and mentoring countless other students and colleagues. He was a humorous and easy-going sort of person, but when there was work to be done, he was first in line. Much of his life's work was behind-the-scenes, but helped lay a solid foundation in music therapy for decades to come. He had a profound love of music and of the underprivileged and handicapped, and especially loved his family and his friends. The relevance of his questions and ideas to current music therapy practice demonstrate that he was a man who had vision, and whose methods and theories would stand the test of time. He taught generations of students that would carry on his work ethic, scientific principles, and compassionate therapeutic techniques to the far reaches of the nation and even the world. This paper is a tribute to him, both as a teacher and as a man, and to the legacy he left behind.