What is Music Therapy?

According to the American Music Therapy Association, Music Therapy is “the clinical & evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. Music therapy interventions can address a variety of healthcare & educational goals:

-Promote Wellness

-Manage Stress

-Alleviate Pain

-Express Feelings

-Enhance Memory

-Improve Communication

-Promote Physical Rehabilitation and more”

What is a Board Certified Music Therapist?

-Music therapists attend an accredited university and obtain a bachelors level or higher

-The degree is four or more years in length and includes 1200 hours of clinical training, which is a combination of fieldwork experience embedded in music therapy courses and an internship after the completion of all coursework [1]

-Upon completion of the bachelor's degree, music therapists are eligible to sit for the national board certification exam to obtain the credential MT-BC (Music Therapist - Board Certified) which is necessary for professional practice [2]

[1] https://www.musictherapy.org/careers/employment/#EDUCATION

[2] https://www.musictherapy.org/about/requirements/

Music therapists work in many settings including:

-Schools

-Hospitals

-Assisted living facilities and nursing homes

-Mental health & substance abuse treatment centers

-Correctional facilites