Music has long been said to soothe the soul, but many people are now using it as a part of actual therapy. Music therapy can help people with social, emotional, and physical needs. Thanks to the increasing use of this therapy, becoming a music therapist is now a practical and popular career option.
If you love music and have some talent, you might consider a career in music therapy. It can be a rewarding way to keep music in your life while sharing the power of it with others.
Why Music Therapy Is Valuable
Music has been used as therapy for hundreds of years, and there is evidence of this therapy beginning as early as the late 18th century. According to the American Music Therapy Association, music therapists today work in many different settings, including rehabilitation centres, nursing homes, schools, psychiatric hospitals, and community mental health agencies.
The American Music Therapy Association explains that this unique form of therapy is suitable for both adults and children — and even dogs too. Music therapy can help improve mental health, including conditions like psychological disorders, developmental disabilities, cognitive disabilities, speech and hearing impairments, physical disabilities, and more. Music therapists assess and evaluate the strengths and needs of each client and then tailor a treatment that may consist of singing, listening, or moving to music. In some cases, the therapist may engage the clients in creating the music too.
Music therapy is effective for many different reasons. As clients get involved with music and develop their strengths, such as improving their listening capabilities, they can apply their learnings and discoveries to other areas of their lives. For clients who have a difficult time communicating, music itself can serve as a type of communication.
How Music Therapy Is Used
Music therapy has countless potential applications. Duquesne University’s assistant professor Noah Potvin researched the connection between music and healthcare. Potvin’s 2013 study revealed that patients with coronary heart disease physically benefitted from music. The patients experienced positive effects on their systolic blood pressure, quality of sleep, pain, and heart and respiratory rates.
Music has also been proven to have valuable effects on developing minds. When children engage with tunes, lyrics, and instruments as part of a home-study program their brains change. Children almost always experience improved academic performance when they learn a musical instrument. Research has revealed that children’s neural processing skills — skills such as comprehension, memory, and organization — improve with learning an instrument.
Much like applied behaviour analysis (ABA), music therapy can also be used to improve a person’s behaviour while providing them with useful skills. ABA is often used for people with autism, and it can help patients learn new behaviours, acquire new skills, transfer their learned behaviours, and reduce interfering behaviours. Music therapy can achieve similar results.
Becoming a Musical Therapist
If you think that you’d like to become a music therapist, you’ll be in for a challenging yet rewarding career. If you have a genuine interest in helping others and are creative, empathetic, open to new ideas, patient, and have an active imagination, you are an ideal candidate.
You will also need some musical skill. Many therapists play the guitar, piano, or percussion instruments, and music therapists may also sing. Therapists need to be versatile so that they can use different instruments in therapy sessions. During your training, you will probably pick one focus instrument but also may learn how to play many others.
You can pursue a number of paths to become a music therapist. Your undergraduate college degree will encompass the study of music therapy, psychology, music, disabilities, and more. Students must complete an American Music Therapy Association-approved academic training and internship, then must pass a certification exam that is administered by the Certification Board for Music Therapists. Once you pass that exam, you will be certified.
If you’ve already earned your bachelor’s degree in a different area, you can complete a music therapy degree equivalency program. In the equivalency program, you will only have to complete required coursework without having to earn an entire second bachelor’s degree. You can also choose to pursue a master’s degree in music therapy to further expand your knowledge and experience.
Building a Successful Music Therapy Career
Earning your music therapy credentials is just the first step in your career. If you decide to look for a staff position, you can find opportunities in pain and stress management clinics, oncology treatment centers, correctional settings, hospice care, and more. Music therapists can also be consultants to teachers in the music and special education fields. Alternatively, music therapists themselves may be the ones to work directly with students with disabilities.
You may find full-time and part-time employee positions available, but many people also freelance as music therapists. You should insure your business to protect yourself in terms of liability; you can purchase professional liability insurance once you’re a member of the American Music Therapy Association or go through a private company.
While becoming a music therapist takes time and dedication, it might be the ideal career for you.
Courtesy of Indiana Lee
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