Kyle Fleming has had a passion for music since he was a child — a passion that he now uses to help those facing trauma.
Fleming learned about music therapy as a junior in high school, and his decision to come to Wartburg was based around the music therapy program here. After graduating, he honed his craft working with adolescents at the Cunningham Children’s Home in Urbana, Ill.
After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Fleming noticed the increasing mental health needs of those around him, especially for children of overburdened frontline medical professionals. He began his private practice, Fleming Music Therapy, with a focus on child and adolescent mental health treatment but also including broader community mental health and arts programming. Fleming has worked with organizations from at-risk youth programs to public libraries to promote creative self-expression.
Fleming focuses less on coming up with a specific diagnosis, preferring to address the root problems a patient is having through listening to and performing music. As an assistant professor of music therapy at Wartburg, Fleming promotes the ideas of trauma-informed framework and anti-oppressive practice.
“Kyle models integrity and authenticity in every decision he makes and in the ways that he engages with colleagues, students, friends, and family members, in person and online,” wrote Jennifer Hicks ’96, one of Kyle’s nominators.
Fleming is dedicated to sharing best practices in his field, presenting regularly at conferences and authoring articles and a book about music therapy. He is serving as an assembly delegate to the American Music Therapy Association and previously sat on the Champaign County Board of Health in Illinois.
“Kyle has risen as a leader in the field,” wrote Hicks. “He is always willing to share what he has been learning, to ask for and receive feedback from his peers, and to problem solve with others when they ask for feedback as well.
For blending his technical skill with creativity and compassion, the Wartburg College Alumni Board is pleased to present a 2026 Young Alumni Award to Kyle Fleming ’12.
Waverly, Iowa
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