If you read “Music Therapy: Making a Difference One Note at a Time” and you have been following the press releases about the role of music in Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ recovery from traumatic brain injury, you may be wondering if you should enter this profession.  If so, how would you go about selecting a music therapy program?

I have several suggestions for you!

Read, Read, Read
The website of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) is a great place to start. Then you can move on to numerous books and articles concerning music therapy. Reading will continue to inform you, through case example and theoretical explanation, what the work is really all about. Reading also forms a basis for intelligent questions when you meet with faculty interviewing you for their programs.

Observe Music Therapy
Contact AMTA for regional information where you can find music therapists to observe. Seeing is believing, and you may even want to volunteer with a music therapist for a period of time to decide if this is truly the profession for you. That was what I did many years ago.

Consider These Criteria:

Location
Proximity to clinical facilities is particularly important during training in a music therapy program. You do not want to be in the middle of nowhere no matter how beautiful it is.

Strength of Music School
Training as a musician is integral to your role as a music therapist. The strength of the music school in terms of faculty, students, ensemble offerings, and curriculum is key, no pun intended.

Strength of Academic Offerings
Music therapy is truly an interdisciplinary art and science. You want to be at a school with a strong general education component, opportunities for developing your writing ability, and connections with a strong psychology department.

Accredited Music Therapy Program
Accredited academic programs in music therapy are indicated on the AMTA website. Don’t let an institution advise you that you can become a music major and a psychology minor and go on to practice music therapy! Music therapy has been an independent academic training program since 1950.

Faculty
Look for programs where there is diversity of faculty:  at least two full-time faculty, preferably supplemented with adjunct faculty, with varying areas of expertise and clinical experience.

Clinical Training Opportunity
Ask specific questions about how much clinical training opportunity each program provides and if you will receive both on-site and faculty supervision.

Class Size
Music therapy is an intensive and demanding curriculum that requires a smaller class size, ideally no larger than 20.

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Bio:
Karen D. Goodman, Professor, Music Therapy at Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey was educated at University of Wisconsin-Madison, City University of New York-Hunter College, Montclair State University and New York University.

Professor Goodman is a seasoned educator, clinician, supervisor, administrator and author. Her recent publications include Music Therapy Group Work with Special Needs Children: The Evolving Process (2007) and Music Therapy Education and Training: From Theory to Practice (2011), both published by Charles C Thomas.

7 Comments

Sara Joy Kuhlen

Greg, in order to be eligible to practice as a music therapist (and earn the credential of Music Therpist – Board Certified), you need to graduate from an approved music therapy program, either at the bachelor or master’s level. Music Therapy graduate programs differ in their required pre-requisites, so this could mean the difference between a 2-year Master’s program or a combined BA/MA program which could take longer. I am currently a graduate student at Drexel University in Philadelphia and some of my classmates have a BA in Music Ed. They did not need to do any additional coursework prior to starting the program. One advantage that you will have after completing a music therapy degree program is that some school systems will only hire music therapists that are certified to teach as well. I hope this helps answer your question!

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BW

Great question! According to Jane Creagan, Director of Professional Programs at the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), proficiency in voice, guitar and piano are all required and are all taught in AMTA-approved music therapy programs. Many music therapists will use flute and other instruments in their work, but they are not substitutes for the requirements.

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BW

I suggest you start by looking at the schools with music therapy programs that have pages on MajoringInMusic.com – Berklee College of Music, Colorado State University Dept. of Music, Theatre & Dance, Duquesne University Mary Pappert School of Music, Temple University Boyer College of Music & Dance, and University of Miami Frost School of Music. Contact each of the programs with any of your specific questions. Visit the AMTA website for more information. And be sure to read some of the other articles on MajoringInMusic.com about what it takes to find the right “fit” school for yourself. Note that according to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), undergraduate music therapy programs offer training across a wide spectrum of music therapy settings. The master’s degree level is where you are more likely to specialize in areas such as hospital-based music therapy applications.

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