Source: Karen Goodman, Professor Emerita, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey ( ) Further, as the World Federation of Music Therapy can attest, music therapy is increasing in more and more countries. Another variable in music therapy will be the possibility of insurance reimbursement, particularly for private practitioners, which, at this time, is extremely limited.Īs the field continues to grow, it is anticipated that there will be more master’s level programs for advanced clinical practice and possibly more doctoral programs for those aspiring to become music therapy College Professors. One contributing factor to the growth of jobs and salaries may be the aging of the population, as elderly patients tend to have more health challenges that could benefit from music therapy. While the academic literature in music therapy continues to grow and the number of board-certified Music Therapists is relatively high (9,000), it is not clear what the career outlook for music therapy is. Rebecca Vaudreuil, Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network.Miya Adout, Founder & Executive Director of Miya Music Therapy.Kalani Das, Director of Golden State Music Therapy.To learn more about how to become a Music Therapist, we talked to music therapy professionals: They partner with Nurses, Doctors, Counselors, Physical Therapists, Speech Therapists, Voice Therapists and other professionals to help the client reach their goals. They work in a range of settings, from addiction recovery centers to hospices to adult schools to special education programs. So, what is music therapy? Trained Music Therapists use musical performance, lessons, songwriting, and music listening as part of an integrative course of therapy to improve the individual client’s social, emotional, physical, and/or cognitive abilities. Becoming a Music Therapist will require a mix of instrumental and vocal music skills, plus a knowledge of the hard and soft sciences (e.g., biology, neuroscience, psychology, social sciences), good interpersonal skills, the ability to work as part of a team, and maybe most importantly, compassion and caring for people with a variety of challenges. As a music careerist, it’s possible to do several different jobs simultaneously, though that doesn’t take away from the fact that learning any profession takes an incredible amount of dedication, patience, and hard work. Some Music Therapists also teach, just as there are also performers who teach. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t Music Therapists who also have performing careers. This is very different from performing on stage for an audience, as the Music Therapist must work directly with individuals and groups with the primary goal being to help the patient make progress with their treatment. Music Therapists are primarily engaged with using music and music-related activities as a tool for healing. It’s important to understand that music therapy is not a performing career. Clinical practice in music therapy is recognized as a viable treatment method for a wide range of diseases and disorders. Music as a source of healing has been used for centuries, but in Western countries, it is a relatively new phenomenon that has grown in use and application since the 1950s.Īs an academic discipline, music therapy has become more and more popular, especially in the US, where numerous colleges and universities offer undergraduate and graduate programs that allow the student completing the academic program and internship the opportunity to sit for the board certification exam (MT-BC) as a Music Therapist. Others work in schools and nursing homes. Some Therapists work by themselves in private practice or are subcontracted through a music therapy group, while many work in hospitals and other healthcare organizations as a member of a clinical team providing treatment to a wide array of patients. Music Therapists work with everyone from children to elderly Alzheimer’s patients, as well as clients with substance abuse problems, brain injuries, physical disabilities, mental health problems and developmental disabilities.
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