Music therapists in the United States must hold at least a Bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy, get 1200 hours of clinical work during education and through a six-month internship after coursework, and pass the Certification Board for Music Therapists exam to obtain the credential MT-BC - Music Therapist - Board Certified. Classes include music classes, psychology classes, and music therapy classes that integrate these topics with research-based music therapy interventions. MT-BCs must also complete 100 hours of continuing education every five years to remain board-certified.

To become a designated provider of Neurologic Music Therapy®, a board-certified music therapist must complete an additional 38 hours of continuing education in NMT™ techniques and pass an exam to demonstrate understanding.

Nope! Music therapy can address needs for individuals of all ages. Music therapists trained in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Music Therapy (NICU-MT) work with the youngest infants, while other music therapists may work with elderly adults in nursing homes or hospice. Both children and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities can benefit from music therapy. Music therapists also frequently work with adolescents and adults with behavioral and mental health needs. Many hospitals also have or are working to create music therapy programs to support the holistic wellbeing of patients experiencing chronic or acute illnesses.

Music therapists can support you in growing through music no matter your musical skill level. In planning interventions, careful consideration is given to an individuals’ strengths and skills to create meaningful music experiences that challenge clients to learn new things while being attainable to build confidence. MT-BCs also take time to build rapport and listen to our clients so that we can create music-based interventions that match what each individual wants to do with their personal goals.

Music-based interventions or experiences are activities that use music in creative and strategic ways to connect the client and music therapist and support growth in a specific goal area. Music therapists use four types of interventions: improvisational, re-creative, compositional, and receptive.

Improvisational interventions may include playing instruments freely to work on communication or self-expression. These can also support interactions and build social skills like listening.

Re-creative interventions involve using instruments or digital music tools to replicate songs. The client(s) and therapist might sing or play instruments together to the client’s chosen song to engage in self-expression, practice speech or motor skills, or interact with others in new ways.

In compositional music therapy interventions, the music therapist guides the client(s) in creating new music. Digital tools like GarageBand can make it easy to create and record musical patterns. Client(s) can also add their own lyrics and voices to express themselves. This music-based activity can create a supportive space for trying new things and working through challenges while allowing clients to process and organize their ideas.

Finally, receptive music therapy interventions allow clients to grow through music listening and discussion without creating music themselves. Music therapists might improvise to match a client’s mood or breathing and gradually adjust the music to help them calm down. They might also use recorded music to play a client’s favorite song and discuss the lyrics and sounds that stand out.

Music therapists do assessments in different ways depending on the setting and the client, but the overall purpose of assessments is to see a holistic view of the client’s wellbeing.

At Sunflower Songs Music Therapy, you’ll first fill out a confidential form to provide some information about yourself and why you’re interested in music therapy. From there, we’ll schedule a 15-minute consultation where you can share more about yourself and learn about specific ways that music therapy can address your needs.

In an assessment music therapy session, your therapist will use music-based interventions that are designed to determine strengths and areas of need in physical, emotional, communication, and social wellness. Afterwards, the music therapist will complete documentation identifying these strengths and areas of need to determine goals for continued music therapy sessions.

If you’re considering music therapy but aren’t sure if it’s the right fit, schedule a 15-minute consultation where we’ll discuss your hopes for music therapy, likes and dislikes, and strengths. Together, we’ll come up with some ways to make music together to support your goals and schedule an assessment session so that we can both get the full picture of what music therapy can do for you!