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Music Therapist

A Music Therapist works in a medical setting. They do the planning, the organizing, and the directing of music programs that have been medically approved for treating patients. These patients are of all ages and suffer from mental, emotional, or physical illness.

A Music Therapist utilizes techniques like behavior modification, physical activity, and counseling to reach their therapeutic goals. The music helps the patients to relieve their stress levels and to be more receptive to positive input. There is a lot of psychology involved with Music Therapy.

A good Music Therapist needs to have patience, be empathetic, and be creative. They need to give their patients simple and easy instructions and be able to play several musical instruments. They most often work in a team environment in these areas:

1. Neuroscience
2. Occupational Therapy
3. Speech
4. Hospital Rehabilitation
5. Physical Therapy

The whole process of Musical Therapy deals with using music for a mental, emotional, social, aesthetic, and spiritual approach to improving health. It is an interpersonal process that is valuable in treating things like self-esteem, substance abuse, sensory impairments, aging, psychiatric disorders, and more.

Work Environment And Educational Requirements

You can find Music Therapists working in hospitals, prisons, training institutes, psychiatric facilities, private practices, schools, and universities.

The belief of Music Therapists is that all human beings no matter what their background may be have a basic common capacity to appreciate music and for musical expression. Part of the job of the Music Therapist is to choose the type of music being used for meeting the therapeutic goals and needs of their clients.

The rest of their job is to prepare, conduct, evaluate, and then document their sessions with their clients. They assess a clients needs and their strengths. They gather information about what the client will respond to and build a program set around music for achieving the goals of the treatment.

Joining the ranks of Music Therapists requires the completion of an undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in Music Therapy. It has to come from an accredited school with an internship of around 1,000 clinical hours of supervision. You then have to pass the national exam given by the CBMT (Certification Board for Music Therapist).

The equivalency programs exist for students already holding their bachelors degree in another area and not Music Therapy. They must complete all the Music Therapy core courses from the undergraduate level along with making up of any deficiencies within supportive areas like psychology, music, or anatomy.

The masters degree will most usually require 30 semester hours beyond your undergraduate program. Here is where you’ll take advanced courses and perform a final project or thesis. This is a 2 year undertaking.

How You Can Become A Music Therapist

Today with so many people tied down at home who are unable to pull up stakes and go back to college there is online distance education. You can enroll in an online university and get your career training from the comfort of home without interrupting your current job or schedule.

After earning your online degree at the bachelor’s level you can continue with your online courses to earn an online master’s degree. The first step to becoming a music therapist is to get enrolled at one of the really great online colleges or universities available today.