FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Won't it just be quicker if I e-mail you with my question?
No. Kathleen and Betsey have both found that their schedules don't permit them to answer individual inquiries. Fortunately, 99% of the questions we've received in the past are answered on this page!
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What is Music Therapy?
Music Therapy is the prescribed use, by a qualified music therapist, of (1) music, (2) music-related activities, and (3) the relationships that develop through shared musical experiences to support positive changes in a person's physical, cognitive, communication, social, or emotional state. Music therapists work in various settings, including medicine, rehabilitation, psychiatric care, special education, correctional facilities, state schools, community-based health care, and private practice.
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How can I train to be a music therapist?
To practice music therapy, you need to have (1) completed an undergraduate degree in music therapy from a college or university approved by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA); (2) completed a supervised internship (several months, usually full-time) at a clinical site approved by AMTA; and (3) passed a national board certification exam and then maintained your certification through re-taking the exam or completion of continuing education. NOTE: If you have an undergraduate degree in another discipline, you can work with many university music therapy programs to obtain an “equivalency” certificate. This requires you to obtain music therapy competencies by taking any coursework missing from your undergraduate degree and completing clinical hours as part of your coursework and through an internship.
Music therapists are skilled musicians who predominately use live music in their sessions so that they can respond to a client, moment-to-moment. They also have skills in assessment, treatment planning, and documentation. The degree programs are rigorous, and each university’s program director can help students plan how best to organize their time.
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For more detailed information on the education and training of music therapists, visit the website of the American Music Therapy Association (musictherapy.org) and for information about board-certification, visit the Certification Board for Music Therapists (cbmt.org). If you want to know what to expect from a qualified music therapist, click here.
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What about Music Practitioners? Are they music therapists?
Music practitioners are not music therapists; they are trained specifically to create a healing environment by playing music at patients' bedsides. Training takes a year with the student attending 5 weekend workshops and doing independent study. The internship period is 45 hours (as compared to the 900+ hours required to become a board-certified music therapist). Visit Music for Healing & Transition Program for more information.
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How much do music therapists make? Are there jobs?
Music therapy is an expanding field and music therapists find work both as employees and as private contractors. Employment opportunities and salaries/hourly rates differ depending on the geographic location of the work and the type of clients served. AMTA keeps statistics on a variety of topics, including (1) salaries; (2) places currently employing music therapists; and (3) populations served by music therapy. For more information, please contact the American Music Therapy Association (301-589-3300).
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How can I find a music therapist near me?
You can search for a MT-BC here. We recommend MT-BCs who are also members of AMTA. AMTA (musictherapy.org) has a database of its member therapists at its website. University music therapy programs near you may also be able to help you. These are also listed at the American Music Therapy Association website or at (301-589-3300).
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Are you telling me I should visit the American Music Therapy Association website?
Yes! They have all kinds of information; from fact sheets on how music therapy is used in various settings, to announcements about upcoming conferences, to lists of schools that offer music therapy degrees. Take the time to explore!
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Is there research to support the use of music therapy?
Yes. Not only is there extensive research in the pages of the two AMTA peer-reviewed journals, Journal of Music Therapy, and Music Therapy Perspectives, but there are international journals of music therapy and music medicine - and research in these fields regularly appears in journals from other professions. Music therapy research in neuroscience, neonatal intensive care, and Alzheimer's disease is going on at major medical centers throughout the country.
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Are Tomatis and other therapies involving music and headphones considered music therapy?
These methods might be more appropriately referred to as "acoustic therapy," because they focus on the listening experience exclusively, and often involve the masking or emphasis on certain frequencies. The primary distinction from music therapy is that music therapy always involves an ongoing interpersonal relationship between therapist and client, and an emphasis on live music.
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How do I find out about music and [insert area of interest]?
The American Music Therapy Association has many free resources that provide a broad overview of different areas of music therapy practice. For more specifics, Google Scholar (scholar.google.com) is a place to find journal articles covering the effect of music on humans with various needs. Some articles can be found with “music” and other specific musical terms while for other articles you will want to use quotation marks and search for “music therapy” (n addition to words associated with your particular interest).
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