Music

  • Production still from SERSE
  • french horns
  • choir and orchestra
  • pianist, clarinetist, and violinist
  • violin section of orchestra
  • wind orchestra
  • Jazz Band on stage

Ronald M. Borczon

Ronald M. Borczon
Professor of Music Therapy and Classical Guitar
Email:
Phone:
(818) 677-3174
Office location:
CY 208

Biography

Ronald M. Borczon, MT-BC, founded the Music Therapy Department at California State University, Northridge in 1984. After more than 25 years, he remains director of the program, one of only two in the State of California. He also instructs classical guitar at the university. Mr. Borczon holds a M.M. degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, a B.M. in Music Therapy and a B.A. in Music with an emphasis on performance, from Florida State University. He also is an alumnus from the Aspen School of Music. His teachers include Bruce Holzman, Oscar Ghiglia, Eliot Fisk, and Robert Guthrie.

He is past president of the National Association of Music Therapy, Western Region. His clinical experience in music therapy spanning 40 years and encompassing numerous populations including psychiatric, intellectual and developmental disability, autism, posttraumatic stress syndrome and substance abuse.  Ron Borczon has presented numerous papers at national and regional conferences, as well as given many public service presentations. In 1994, he received the Presidential Award from the President of the National Association for Music Therapy. This prestigious honor was given in recognition of Music Therapy work done following the 1994 Northridge Earthquake where he developed innovative music experiences to help school age children in the Northridge community deal with the earthquake trauma. In 1995, Borczon conducted a special workshop on Music Therapy and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder for therapists in Oklahoma City after the Oklahoma City bombing. While in Oklahoma, Borczon worked not only with the therapists who were treating family members and survivors, but he also worked directly with a survivor from the bombing. In 1998, he was awarded a grant from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to investigate the effectiveness of two different approaches of music therapy on expressive communication with autistic children, and in 1999, Borczon was awarded the "Betty Isern Howery Award," the highest distinction given in the Western Region Association for contributions to the field of Music Therapy.  He was asked to help in the planning of music therapy interventions for the students of Columbine High School in the aftermath of the Columbine tragedy and the Santee High School shootings. In 2006 He was awarded the “Award of Merit” from the American Music Therapy Association at the National Conference in Kansas City, Missouri.  This award is the one of the highest forms of recognition given by the national office for contributions to the field of music therapy.  In 2007 he was  awarded the “Outstanding Faculty Award” from California State University, Northridge. He has presented numerous workshops on the effectiveness of music therapy in the wake of a mass disaster.

In 1996 he created the CSUN Music Therapy Wellness clinic that serves the Los Angeles community.  The clinic currently enjoys three music therapists who work with clients of all ages and disabilities.  In 2006 the clinic merged forces with internationally acclaimed Nordoff-Robbins music therapy bringing the title of “Nordoff-Robbins West” to the clinic.

Ron Borczon has been interviewed many times for periodicals and venues such as LA Times, LA Daily News, Reader’s Digest, KNBC Channel 4 Los Angeles, and the Australian television show “What’s Good for You.”  He appears on the Paul McCartney documentary DVD “The Space Within US” and has also been seen as the music therapist for Danny Bonaducci in the VH1 show, “Breaking Bonaducci.” He has been consulted for many projects that appear in television and film.

He has two compact disc recordings on Centaur Records. His instructional video, Guitar Today, is available in Spanish and English through Valiant Industries. In 1998 his book "Music Therapy, Group Vignettes" was published by Barcelona Publishing. In 2004 his second book "Music Therapy: A Fieldwork Primer" was also published by Barcelona Publishing.

He is still active as a clinician working in the Music Therapy Wellness clinic at CSUN.