“To participate in music is to participate in feeling. To let children, sing and play forte or piano; sharp or flat; allegro or lento is granting them permission to express their full selves in all its richness – something worth holding onto indeed.”
Michael Tate is a clinical psychologist, musician, and educator. He is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology in the child school/clinical PsyD program. He is also a staff psychologist at The Manhattan School of Music, an active music teacher and composer, and the founder of CrescendoNY - an organization that aims to deliver high-quality equitable music education to all students.
Dr. Tate completed his clinical training at The City College of New York (CCNY) in the Clinical Psychology PhD Program. During his tenure at CCNY, he received a diverse array of clinical training experiences-- including being a therapist in residence at The Psychological Center in Harlem/Washington Heights, Manhattan School of Music, and Queens College Health and Wellness Center, and completing his Internship at Lenox Hill Hospital. Additionally, Dr. Tate has received training in asylum work during his residency at The Psychological Center. Dr. Tate’s therapeutic orientation is best described as integrative with a strong psychodynamic foundation. He has worked with adults, adolescents, and children, with particular interest in childhood, emerging adulthood, and musician/artist populations. He incorporates elements of visualization, creativity, insight, ethnic/cultural awareness, and interpersonal processing into his clinical practice.
Dr. Tate also is the founder of the Child Adolescent Neurodevelopment and Environmental Enrichment Lab (CANDEE Lab). The CANDEE Lab explores the interconnectedness of child neurodevelopment, emotions, identity formation, and the environment. The lab aims to provide research and tangible initiatives that ultimately encourages holistic growth of the child and offset the deleterious impact of social and economic disparity. Currently, we are continuing the exploration of the impact of music training on child/adolescent emotion and neurodevelopment.
Prior to his career in psychology, Dr. Tate completed his Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Ithaca College and a Master of Arts in Psychology at Long Island University Brooklyn. He worked for several years in the New York public/charter school system, as a private music instructor, and co-developed and taught the Psychology of Music course at CCNY.