What is Music Therapy?

Music Therapy is the clinical and 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 (American Music Therapy Association, 2018.)

How Does It Work?

Engaging in a music activity stimulates many parts of the brain!

​​​Who Can Benefit?

Children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly with mental health needs, developmental and learning disabilities, Alzheimer's disease and other aging related conditions, brain injuries, physical disabilities, and acute and chronic pain.

​What Can Music Therapy Do?​

• Promote Wellness
• Enhance Memory
• Improve Communication​​​
  

• Promote Self-Expression
• Encourage Socialization​
• Enhance Quality of Life
  

• Promote Physical Rehabilitation
• Improve Motor-Skills
• Manage Stress
  

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​Where Can Music Therapy Take Place?

Medical hospitals, outpatient clinics, day care treatment centers, agencies serving developmentally disabled persons, senior centers, nursing homes, schools, and private residences.

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Some Examples of Music Interventions

• Singing
• Playing instruments
• ​Drumming
• Performing
• Lyric Analysis
  

• Improvising
• Composing
• Songwriting
• Listening to Music
  
• Music & Relaxation
  

• Music & Movement
• Music & Visual Art
• Music & Drama
• Musical Games​

Some Examples of Goals*

• ​Psychological - increase emotional expression, improve coping skills 
• Cognitive - increase attention span, improve academic skills
• Communicative - increase verbal communication, improve receptive communication
• Social - increase interactions with others, increase eye contact, improve impulse control, decrease inappropriate behaviors
• Physiological ​- improve grasp, increase use of limbs, maintain range of motion

*Music Therapy is not a replacement for Counseling, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, or other types of therapy, but music therapists can collaborate with other members of your healthcare team in order to promote desired outcomes. Likewise, music therapy can also provide opportunities to support IEP and other treatment plan goals.

​​What Are the Requirements Of A Music Therapist? 

Bachelor's degree or higher in music therapy​ which includes:

• 1200 hours of clinical training
• Entry-level competencies in musical and clinical foundations and music therapy foundations and principles

National board certification (MT-BC)*

• ​Supervised internship required
• Necessary for professional practice
  

​*The credential MT-BC is granted by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT), to identify music therapists who have demonstrated the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to practice at the current level of the profession. The purpose of board certification in music therapy is to provide an objective national standard that can be used as a measure of professionalism by interested agencies, groups, and individuals.


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"(Music therapy) can make the difference between withdrawal and awareness, between isolation and interaction, between chronic pain and comfort - between demoralization and dignity."

- Barbara Crowe (National Association for Music Therapy)



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