Music therapists have at least a bachelor’s degree in music therapy from an approved college and may have passed an additional exam. They work with people of all ages with emotional, social, intellectual, or psychological disorders to help them express themselves creatively through music. Music therapists develop individualized therapeutic goals and monitor their patients’ progress.
A music therapist is a person with at least a bachelor’s degree in music therapy. The degree must be from a college approved by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). Music therapists with the Music Therapist Board Certified (MT-BC) credential have passed an exam in addition to the Bachelor’s level requirement. Music therapists work with people of all ages with emotional, social, intellectual or psychological disorders to help them express themselves creatively through the power of music.
For example, some music therapists work in drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs to help drug users. This type of music therapist helps the patient to learn to play an instrument or to sing or write songs, in order to encourage a creative expression of feelings and to introduce activities that help to act as alternative choices to drug abuse. If a patient is not interested in playing a musical instrument or singing or writing songs, the therapist will likely ask the patient to explore by listening to different types of music that the person finds uplifting or comforting.
The music used in music therapy does not have to be happy. Some people find country music, like the music of Crazy by Patsy Cline, with its heartbreak lyrics, realistically comforting, while others may prefer the upbeat, energetic instrumentals of a Dixieland jazz band. We can better understand the concept of music therapy if we think of songs or types of music that we find healing in some way or that seem to comfort us when we are sad. For example, a song like The Foundation’s 1968 “Top Me Up, Buttercup” may appeal to different people for different reasons, as the melody is uplifting but the lyrics express frustrations in a romantic relationship.
Understanding what kind of music and activities would best help each patient and using that information to develop individualized therapeutic goals is a music therapist’s main concern. A music therapist should plan a music therapy course with each patient’s abilities, interests, and challenges or disorders in mind. For example, for someone with a shyness problem, the goal of music therapy might be to help the patient learn to interact with others. This can be done with the patient being part of a musical group.
It is important to realize that a music therapist is not a career coach for those interested in music careers. While music therapists understand music and certainly encourage talented patients to pursue whatever musical activities they enjoy, the main goal of music therapy is to help the patient heal emotionally or psychologically. Music therapists must monitor their patients’ progress and make the necessary adjustments to therapy programs so that patients’ health and well-being are always considered.
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