The work of music therapy: Helping others reach their full potential through music

Music therapy isn't a one-size-fits-all profession. Music therapists are skilled not only in finding creative and unique ways to help clients express themselves, but also in fostering a sense of well-being in their clients. As dealing with human emotions is so complex, music therapists must be thoroughly trained to understand and respond to those complexities. This requires years of schooling and training.  

Music therapists require specialized training

Music therapists are highly trained, board-certified practitioners who work with a wide variety of individuals to address their unique needs in physical, emotional, cognitive, and social domains. Their patients can include those with developmental disorders, mental health disorders, neurological conditions, trauma, and other medical needs. A music therapist works in many different settings: hospitals; individual clinics; group therapy settings; classrooms; and more.  

Because of the wide variety of settings and clients that music therapists work with, they need comprehensive and diverse training. Before becoming a board-certified music therapist, a person has to get a bachelor’s degree in music therapy. The curriculum for a bachelor's degree in music therapy is designed to provide basic education in three main areas: musical foundations; clinical foundations; and music therapy foundations and principles as outlined in the American Music Therapy Association Professional Competencies.

What education do music therapists need?

Education in music therapy includes a few different tracks. A student engaging in this education would learn music theory and music history, receive training in playing instruments (you will play a main instrument like guitar, for example, and then undergo introductory training on many others), and practice performing in front of audiences. Depending on the music therapy program, this training will come in the form of testing, formal performances, one-on-one instruction, and practicum.  

While music therapists cannot make formal clinical diagnoses, they do need to have an in-depth understanding of mental health conditions. As you’ve read here, assessment is a very important part of a music therapist’s job. Whether a client already has a formal mental health diagnosis, or they are exhibiting symptoms of a mental health condition, a music therapist has to understand what tools can be used to best treat the client. Because of this, people training to be music therapists receive plenty of education in the clinical foundations of mental health and psychology.  

Standards of conduct and best practices for music therapists

Music therapists adhere to specific standards for clinical interventions and ethical conduct in professional practice, which are defined by several AMTA documents. These include the Scope of Music Therapy Practice, Music Therapists' Standards of Clinical Practice, Music Therapists’ Code of Ethics and the AMTA Professional Competencies, which define the current entry-level skills of a music therapist who has completed either a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in music therapy. As part of their training and in their professional lives, music therapists become very familiar with these principles.

After all of the educational training with the clinical training and internship, aspiring music therapists go on to take the national board certification exam to get the credential MT-BC (Music Therapist - Board Certified), which is required for professional practice.