Music Therapists
Music Therapists is the O*NET name for people who plan, organize, direct, or assess clinical and evidenced-based music therapy interventions to positively influence individuals' physical, psychological, cognitive, or behavioral status. The skills rated most useful are social perceptiveness, active listening, and speaking. Expect to design or provide music therapy experiences to address client needs, such as using music for self-care, adjusting to life changes, improving cognitive functioning, raising self-esteem, communicating, or controlling impulses. On the six-type interest model it reads SAI, meaning helping, teaching or caring for people comes first, followed by creative work with room for original expression. Getting in usually takes a bachelor’s degree plus a period of work experience, a level O*NET calls considerable preparation. It tends to suit people who want helping, teaching or caring for people, and it offers little for anyone seeking hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world.
What they do
Plan, organize, direct, or assess clinical and evidenced-based music therapy interventions to positively influence individuals' physical, psychological, cognitive, or behavioral status.
Main tasks
- Design or provide music therapy experiences to address client needs, such as using music for self-care, adjusting to life changes, improving cognitive functioning, raising self-esteem, communicating, or controlling impulses.
- Design music therapy experiences, using various musical elements to meet client's goals or objectives.
- Sing or play musical instruments, such as keyboard, guitar, or percussion instruments.
- Communicate with clients to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to musical experiences.
- Customize treatment programs for specific areas of music therapy, such as intellectual or developmental disabilities, educational settings, geriatrics, medical settings, mental health, physical disabilities, or wellness.
- Establish client goals or objectives for music therapy treatment, considering client needs, capabilities, interests, overall therapeutic program, coordination of treatment, or length of treatment.
Skills
- Social Perceptiveness
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Service Orientation
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You get energy from helping other people move forward.
- You want room to make something in your own way.
- You are ready to spend around four years on a degree, then build experience.
- You are comfortable relying on social perceptiveness and active listening.
May not suit you if
- You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
- You want to work with your hands for most of the day. Realistic rates 2.4 out of 7 here.
- You want to avoid a four-year degree or its equivalent.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SAI takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.
Preparation
Considerable preparation. Most jobs here ask for a bachelor’s degree, and employers usually expect a few years of related experience as well.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Bachelor's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC)
- LCAT (Licensed Creative Arts Therapist)
- Music Therapist
- Neurologic Music Therapist
- Public School System Music Therapist
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.