Dr. Hayoung Lim is Director of the Music Therapy Program and Clinic, and Professor of Music at Oral Roberts University. Dr. Lim is a board-certified, neurologic music therapist (NMT Fellow) and current member of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). She earned her bachelor’s degree in Cello Performance from the Catholic University of Korea, and master’s degree in both Cello Performance and Music Therapy from the Illinois State University. In 2007, she received her Ph.D. degree in music education with an emphasis on music therapy from the University of Miami. Her dissertation title was “The Effect of Developmental Speech-Language Training through Music in Speech Production in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.” She completed her music therapy internship at Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, IL, and worked as a full-time music therapist at the Cleveland Music School Settlement in Cleveland, OH. Dr. Lim also worked as the music therapy director at Children’s Health & Education Management, Miami, FL and specialized in music therapy for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Dr. Lim joined ORU in 2014 and prior to her current appointment, worked as Director of Graduate Studies in Music Therapy at Sam Houston State University in Texas. In addition, Dr. Lim has worked as a concert cellist, performing numerous solo recitals and chamber music concerts (as a member of K-Piano Trio) in Seoul, Korea and the U.S.
Dr. Lim has clinical music therapy experience with all major clinical populations. Examples include work in neurologic rehabilitation, geriatrics, psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, special education and developmental disabilities, neonatal and pediatric medicine, intensive care, hospice, and medical settings. Dr. Lim is an active researcher with specialized training in the Rational Scientific Mediating Model for research in music therapy. Dr. Lim’s research focuses on the effect of music on children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, the effect of musical experiences on cognition, speech/language and physical rehabilitation, and music therapy training in higher education. A number of her manuscripts have been published in peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of Music Therapy, Psychology of Music, Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, Approaches, and Music Therapy Perspectives. In 2011, Dr. Lim’s book titled “Developmental Speech-language Training through Music for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders” was published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London, UK. She also published a book chapter “Communication and Language Development: Implications for Music Therapy and Autism Spectrum Disorders” in Early Childhood Music Therapy and Autism Spectrum Disorders (Kern & Humpal Eds., 2018). Dr. Lim has been appointed as the General Editor for The Journal of Scholarship of Teaching & Learning for Christians in Higher Education since 2016.
Dr. Lim has been selected for Scholar of the Year in 2018 and has won 2016 ORU President Research grant award and two Sam Houston State University faculty research grant awards. Dr. Lim frequently presented her original research in national and international conferences and workshops. In March 2014, Dr. Lim was invited as a keynote speaker to the International Conference on Developmental Disability at the University of Calcutta, India. In 2015, Dr. Lim accepted a research reviewer position for a European Marie-Curie Fellowship program in autism and intellectual disabilities called ASSISTID (www.assistid.eu). She is currently Director of Science at Sing&Speak4Kids (www.iQsonics.come), which is a digitally presented music incorporated language training program for children with developmental disorders and speech & language impairment on various aspects of speech production in children with ASD, ID, and Limited English Proficiency. Dr. Lim has been active throughout her clinical and teaching endeavors in promoting and educating the community regarding the benefits of music therapy, and has served as artistic director of the ORU Music Therapy Healing Concert Series.
