Otis Cantrell is a board-certified music therapist and active musician in Bloomington, IN. Originally from Anderson, IN, Otis began playing drums at the age of 11 and eventually expanded his interests to include guitar, bass and piano. From the age of 13 until he arrived at Indiana University, he was virtually self-taught on what became his primary instrument in college, the guitar, as well as any other instruments he could get his hands on. In addition to playing music, recording music has flourished from interest to passion over the years. From tinkering with a 4-track cassette tape recorder to today's use of DAW's, Otis has been exploring the use of recording equipment since he began playing the guitar.

Otis began teaching privately in 2009 at Downham Music in his hometown of Anderson while studying sociology at IUPUI and living in Indianapolis. In 2010 Otis worked alongside staff from Downham Music to open up a new location called The Slick Music Studio. He taught there until the fall of 2010 when he moved to Bloomington to pursue a major in jazz guitar. In his time at IU he studied with world-renowned guitarists Corey Christiansen and Dave Stryker. He also worked with and studied under directors Michael Spiro and Dr. Wayne Wallace as a guitarist in the IU Latin Jazz Collective as well as countless other incredible professors, teaching assistants, and visiting lecturers. In the fall of 2013 Otis began teaching privately at Vance Music Center, and he graduated with a BM in Jazz Studies (Guitar) in the spring of 2014. Otis taught at Melody Music Shop from 2015 to 2016 and has been teaching at Stafford Music Academy since 2017.

As a music therapy student, Otis gained experience at Dynamic Music Services in Indianapolis, IN when in practicum. He completed additional pre-internship work through Frontera Music Therapy based in El Paso, TX, and he finished his remaining practicum and internship hours at the Great Lakes Music Company in Northwest Indiana. Upon successful completion of his educational requirements and passing the CBMT’s board-certification exam, Otis earned the credential MT-BC in 2021.

Otis's professional endeavors have shifted toward music therapy and teaching in recent years; however, performing and recording music will always be passions of his whenever time allows. Otis’s unique performance and recording experiences as a player, engineer, and producer provide insight into his music lessons and music therapy practice.