How to become a Music Therapist 2024

Music Therapist Plan, organize, direct, or assess clinical and evidenced-based music therapy interventions to positively influence individuals' physical, psychological, cognitive, or behavioral status.

Music Therapist is Also Know as

In different settings, Music Therapist is titled as

Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC)
LCAT (Licensed Creative Arts Therapist)
Music Therapist
Neurologic Music Therapist
Public School System Music Therapist
Therapist

Education and Training of Music Therapist

Music Therapist is categorized in Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Music Therapist

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Education Required for Music Therapist

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Degrees Related to Music Therapist

Training Required for Music Therapist

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Music Therapist in different industries are

What Do Music Therapist do?

Adapt existing or develop new music therapy assessment instruments or procedures to meet an individual client's needs.
Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of specific treatments or therapy approaches.
Analyze or synthesize client data to draw conclusions or make recommendations for therapy.
Assess client functioning levels, strengths, and areas of need in terms of perceptual, sensory, affective, communicative, musical, physical, cognitive, social, spiritual, or other abilities.
Communicate client assessment findings and recommendations in oral, written, audio, video, or other forms.
Confer with professionals on client's treatment team to develop, coordinate, or integrate treatment plans.
Customize treatment programs for specific areas of music therapy, such as intellectual or developmental disabilities, educational settings, geriatrics, medical settings, mental health, physical disabilities, or wellness.
Design music therapy experiences, using various musical elements to meet client's goals or objectives.
Engage clients in music experiences to identify client responses to different styles of music, types of musical experiences, such as improvising or listening, or elements of music, such as tempo or harmony.
Establish client goals or objectives for music therapy treatment, considering client needs, capabilities, interests, overall therapeutic program, coordination of treatment, or length of treatment.
Gather diagnostic data from sources such as case documentation, observations of clients, or interviews with clients or family members.
Improvise instrumentally, vocally, or physically to meet client's therapeutic needs.
Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to music therapy.
Plan or structure music therapy sessions to achieve appropriate transitions, pacing, sequencing, energy level, or intensity in accordance with treatment plans.
Sing or play musical instruments, such as keyboard, guitar, or percussion instruments.
Design or provide music therapy experiences to address client needs, such as using music for self-care, adjusting to life changes, improving cognitive functioning, raising self-esteem, communicating, or controlling impulses.
Select or adapt musical instruments, musical equipment, or non-musical materials, such as adaptive devices or visual aids, to meet treatment objectives.
Communicate with clients to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to musical experiences.
Document evaluations, treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups.
Assess the risks and benefits of treatment termination for clients.
Compose, arrange, or adapt music for music therapy treatments.
Conduct information sharing sessions, such as in-service workshops for other professionals, potential client groups, or the general community.
Conduct, or assist in the conduct of, music therapy research.
Identify and respond to emergency physical or mental health situations.
Integrate behavioral, developmental, improvisational, medical, or neurological approaches into music therapy treatments.
Apply selected research findings to practice.
Supervise staff, volunteers, practicum students, or interns engaged in music therapy activities.
Apply current technology to music therapy practices.
Collaborate with others to design or implement interdisciplinary treatment programs.
Participate in continuing education.

Qualities of Good Music Therapist

Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.

Tools Used by Music Therapist

Acoustic guitars
Autoharps
Automatic blood pressure cuffs
Bass drums
Cellos
Compact disk CD players
Computer laser printers
Digital audio recorders
Digital video cameras
Electronic keyboards
Electronic organs
Handbells
Handheld microphones
Heart rate monitors
Laptop computers
Metallophones
MP3 players
Music video games
Musical flutes
Orchestral cymbals
Personal computers
Pianos
Rhythm instruments
Snare drums
Tablet computers
Timpani
Video game consoles
Violins

Technology Skills required for Music Therapist

Avid Technology Pro Tools
Electronic health record EHR software
Email software
Microsoft Office software
Musical instrument digital interface MIDI software
Virtual instrument software
Web browser software

US Universities

How to become Music Therapist in 2024