Pamela Potzer, MT-BC is the owner and founder of Mountain Melodies Music Therapy Services.
Pamela graduated Colorado State University with her Bachelors of Music with a Concentration in Music Therapy August of 2021. She earned her music therapy board certification November of 2021. Six days later she started Mountain Melodies Music Therapy Services.
Pamela first became interested in the profession of music therapy when she was 15 during the summer of 2012 at Retreat and Refresh Stroke Camp. While volunteering, she met a number of incredible stroke survivors, caregivers, and various health care professionals. One of those professionals was Nancy Bell, a board-certified music therapist. Pamela watched in awe as Nancy brought the group together through drumming, song writing, and facilitated group discussions surrounding songs that reflected each individual’s experience with stroke. One of the most impactful moments for Pamela was watching Nancy interact with a man that could only say the words “yes” and “no” due to his aphasia. Through the incredible interaction music has with neural connections, this man sang every word to the song Nancy was playing with him. That moment made Pamela wonder at what music could do in a therapeutic setting, and ever since then, she had her sights set on becoming a music therapist.
Pamela continued volunteering with Stroke Camp throughout college. To this day she is thankful to the many health professionals, caregivers, and especially stroke survivors that mentored her as she grew into a professional music therapist.
While attending Colorado State’s music therapy program, Pamela volunteered her time to numerous extracurricular activities. Aside from being an officer in multiple student associations, Pamela’s interest in outdoor recreation drew her to various adaptive programs in Colorado. Pamela found herself spending a few weeks as a student volunteer at the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center working with individuals who experienced a traumatic brain injury, and at Adam’s Camp working with children with Autism. These programs utilized adaptive outdoor recreation to serve multiple individuals ranging from cognitive, physical, and emotional disabilities. Pamela loved to see how outdoor recreation could be adapted so that outdoor recreation could be accessible to all individuals.
After seeing the therapeutic benefits of outdoor recreation, Pamela decided to work as a professional river guide the summer of 2018. Since the Cache La Poudre river was only 10 minutes away from her university, Pamela had no hesitations when she signed up for guide school at Rocky Mountain Adventures. In the years to come, Pamela would earn her Swiftwater Rescue certification, her Wilderness First Responder certification, and would come to work in a leadership capacity during her employment as a river guide. After working three years on the Cache La Poudre river, Pamela expanded her expertise by working on the Bighorn Sheep’s Canyon and Royal Gorge with Echo Canyon River Expeditions.
Pamela’s interest in adaptive outdoor recreation lead her to accept a position as an adaptive ski instructor and program coordinator with the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park, CO starting in 2021. She had the opportunity to serve as the program supervisor and trainer in the 2023-2024 season where she designed a revised training program that was utilized in the reconstruction of the adaptive ski training.
Pamela received multiple scholarships to earn her Adaptive Level 2 ski instructor certification through the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA). Through on hill training and at home study, Pamela passed her all the required modules with Level 2 scores. This certification recognizes Pamela’s expert ability to teach ski students with visual impairments, cognitive disabilities, and physical disabilities requiring both stand and sit ski equipment.
One of the highlights of Pamela’s work experience was finding innovative ways to implement music therapy techniques into her adaptive ski lessons. Through her knowledge of the fundamentals and skills concept in ski instruction and her training as a music therapist, Pamela was able to use the modality of music to help her students learn the necessary skills for success in their skiing goals.
For various reasons, in 2024, Pamela made the decision to pivot careers in the skiing industry and joined the Winter Park Ski Patrol team. While in training, Pamela learned about the Responder Alliance….
At the same time she was collaborating with the Responder Alliance, Pamela formed a relationship with the Redside Foundation….
Throughout her life, Pamela’s passion for music, her passion for the beauty and thrill of outdoor recreation, and her passion for authentic relationships with diverse individuals has guided her steps throughout her professional journey. Pamela hopes that as her therapeutic practice grows she can provide more resources to individuals to not only receive quality therapeutic services, but also be empowered to try new experiences in the beautiful state of Colorado that she has always called home.
“I envision a practice where every activity is accessible to all, that every person is given the personalized tools they need to thrive, and that innovation and creativity are used to push therapeutic boundaries.”
-Pamela Potzer, MT-BC
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