Music Therapy as a career. 

In this essay I will be delving into the career of a music therapist, trying to ascertain what a career in this field looks like, how to get to it and ultimately if I think it would be a suitable career for me. 

I will begin by discussing the academic and professional qualifications and/or experience required to enter the profession. 

To become a music therapist requires a rather strict progression, usually beginning at undergraduate level. According to the British association for music therapy, (the professional body for music therapy in the UK), to become a registered music therapist, you must attain a master’s degree in music therapy from one of eight registered music therapy master’s courses. (BAMT – British Association of Music Therapy, no date)  

This would involve a 2-year course that would ‘develop students’ musicianship and personal potential and equip them with the knowledge and skills to work as a registered music therapist.’ (Guildhall School of Music & Drama, n.d.) 

 They list them as follows:  

Anglia Ruskin University 

Guildhall School of Music & Drama 

Nordoff Robbins – course validated by Goldsmiths, University of London 

Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh 

University of Derby 

University of Roehampton 

University of South Wales 

University of the West of England, Bristol 

Following the trail back I next looked into these courses to find the entry requirements. They varied only slightly and shared the majority of their requirements. I will use the University of West England’s course requirements as an example as they list the key points of the others in a more condensed format. (courses.uwe.ac.uk, n.d.) 

They state: 

• a good undergraduate degree with professional music skills 

• a high level of practical performance in any musical tradition, including digital technologies and a particular interest in live improvisation 

• sufficient skills to be able to provide harmonic support 

• experience of working in relevant areas such as Health or Education (including voluntary work) 

• personal skills suited to working as a therapist 

• wide reading on the subject of music therapy 

• the ability and strong commitment to follow a personally demanding course  

Some of this experience is expanded upon by prospects’ music therapy job profile. (Prospects.ac.uk, 2024) It states, ‘you will need to have substantial voluntary or paid experience with adults or children who have additional needs in areas such as health, education or social care.’  

It seems then that before entering a master’s degree course you must first have both an undergraduate degree in music and relevant voluntary experience in relevant fields such as dementia care, hospice care or mental health support, as well as a professional standard of performance in your principle study instrument, and then grade 5 level in your secondary instrument with the ability to provide harmony on an instrument such as a guitar or piano. (Guildhall School of Music & Drama, n.d.) 

I will now move on to discussing the Skills, personal qualities and attributes needed for success in the profession.  

Working as a music therapist in the UK it is likely that you will either begin your career working for the NHS or as a self-employed practitioner, (Planitplus.net, 2023), and therefore I did some research into NHS health careers, which outline the key skills necessary for success in the profession. (NHS, 2015)  They list them as follows:  

• a high level of musicianship including improvisation skills 

• excellent communication skills 

• creativity, intuition and imagination 

• an ability to relate to people from all backgrounds and to provide a safe environment 

• flexibility, adaptability and openness 

• resourcefulness 

• a non-judgmental approach 

• emotional strength and resilience 

• sensitivity and maturity and to be able to reflect on their own emotions 

I will now discuss the duties and responsibilities of the profession as outlined by (Planitplus.net, 2023).  

• listening to and discussing problems with your clients 

• using music to stimulate or relax clients 

• helping clients who have addiction problems, challenging behaviour, eating disorders, emotional and behavioral difficulties or mental health problems 

• encouraging your client to use musical instruments, for example percussion instruments, to sing, compose, improvise, move to music or listen to music 

• supporting clients as they listen to or play music, which may release distressing feelings, to help them understand their problems, develop greater self-awareness and move on positively 

• supporting clients to build their confidence and enhance their self-esteem 

• working with other healthcare, social services or education professionals, to help diagnose emotional or psychological disorders, identify problems and work out treatment plans. 

The overarching conclusion I can draw from these findings however is that music therapists have a responsibility to utilise music to improve clients social, mental and physical health. 

A typical day could vary depending on a number of factors, including whether or not you work full time, part time or self-employed or in which field you have decided to specialise in.  For instance, an individual working in prisons could have a different schedule to one working in schools. However, they would share some key features. For the purpose of this essay, I will be looking specifically at working within school settings as that is the direction I am most interested in pursuing. A normal day will consist of multiple sessions with different students ranging in needs from learning difficulties to social anxiety to communication problems. You would work with each individual and allow them to try and express themselves through creative exploration of music while you support them with whatever they need. This could be accompanying the student with an instrument, letting them teach you something they have worked on or exploring their emotions through composition amongst other things. (Manson, 2024)   

As rewarding as this profession can be, it is clear that financial issues can have a significant mental impact on practitioners. Due to the high level of qualification required for a career in music therapy, individuals can end up with a large amount of student debt to pay off. On top of this the high workload and level of responsibility can seem disproportionate to the pay, especially for those new to the profession. (Turner and Denton, 2023) 

The NHS claims the starting pay for a music therapist is usually in band 6 of their agenda for change pay rates and this is around 37 thousand pounds per year. (National Health Service, 2023) This number can vary depending on experience and whether or not you are self-employed. 

In terms of the promotional aspects of this profession, it would seem that having a good website is crucial, especially if you are self-employed. On top of this, a social media presence could be useful with videos sharing educational content and success stories to promote your practice. And of course, word of mouth is crucial in a profession targeted towards individuals. Furthermore, participating in relevant workshops and conferences can be an extremely effective way of marketing yourself as you can both meet potential clients and network with other service providers. (Moore, 2015) Professor Kimberly Sena Moore writes in her blog that offering free workshops and presentations is one of the best ways to attract new clients, simply putting together a presentation about your work and offering a ‘taster’ session can attract many clients.  

I will now discuss some of the intellectual and personal challenges presented by the profession and how these might be dealt with. Working in any form of therapy can be mentally taxing and many can suffer from burnout. (Kotoe, 2020) ascertains that burnout in music therapists can be caused by a variety of reasons including lack of support, overwork and social underestimation of their work.    

Finally, and perhaps the most unsettling reason personally for me that (Kotoe, 2020) argues causes burnout is ‘the lack of connection and engagement to their own creative medium’. It seems that by neglecting one’s own creativity and musicality, their motivation and passion for the profession can wane significantly. They suggest that ‘Staying connected to their roots as artists and habitually engaging in their personal artistic medium are vital for creative arts therapists to survive and thrive in their careers.’ It is clear then that maintaining your love for music, most likely the reason you first entered the profession, is vital for your career’s longevity and quality of personnel life. Suzuki goes on to asertain that this can be done by engaging in recreational musical activities such as playing in bands, composing your own music or just setting aside time each day to play for yourself, not to aid others.  

Another intellectual challenge that could be faced by music therapists is the fact that ‘therapy has no conclusive models,’ (Oedegaard et al., 2022), and therefore there can be vast variation in approaches between practitioners. This can both be a positive and a challenge due to the ‘variation of therapeutic quality.’ However, studies have also shown that the more personalised approach of music therapy can be very effective, especially in clients who have a ‘low motivation for (traditional) therapy’ as the less ‘experienced’ approach can seem like a more manageable solution. (Oedegaard et al., 2022) 

Finally, I will spend the remainder of this essay outlining the career progression/ development opportunities available within the profession. Gov.uk’s national careers service, (nationalcareers.service.gov.uk, n.d.) states that there are four main opportunities for progression within this field and they list them as follows.  

• become self-employed and build up your own practice 

This can offer benefits such as increased flexibility of hours, choice of clients and the ability to increase your financial income. However, some challenges could be less security and the administrative responsibilities of managing bills, scheduling, marketing and legal issues. 

• move into teaching music therapy 

This path could offer stability and a stable income as well as the satisfaction of shaping future music therapists. 

• become a senior music therapist and manage a team of therapists or music therapy unit 

• move into academic research 

On top of this, many music therapists choose to combine their career with other professions such as teaching and performing, (Prospects.ac.uk, 2024), two things I personally am very keen to maintain as part of my career, especially after reading Suzuki’s dissertation on burnout and staying connected to your own musicality I think combing these career options would maximise my ability and enjoyment as a music therapist.  

To conclude, a career in music therapy requires extensive training with a strict and difficult progression plan that could incur a large amount of student debt along with taking up many years of your life with study. However, once you have completed your master’s degree and joined the British association for music therapy, you can begin work that is both challenging but highly rewarding and with clear career progression opportunities such as setting up your own practice. Despite some financial and personal challenges you may face as a music therapist such as burnout and student debt 

Bibliography 

www.bamt.org. (n.d.). British Association for Music Therapy :: Music Therapy Courses (HCPC Approved). [online] Available at: https://www.bamt.org/training/music-therapy-courses-hcpc-approved [Accessed 5 Jan. 2025]. 

Guildhall School of Music & Drama. (n.d.). MA in Music Therapy. [online] Available at: https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/study-with-guildhall/ma-in-music-therapy [Accessed 5 Jan. 2025]. 

courses.uwe.ac.uk. (n.d.). Music Therapy – MA – UWE Bristol: Courses. [online] Available at: https://courses.uwe.ac.uk/B99942/music-therapy [Accessed 5 Jan. 2025]. 

Prospects.ac.uk. (2024). Music therapist job profile | Prospects.ac.uk. [online] Available at: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/music-therapist#work-experience [Accessed 5 Jan. 2025]. 

Guildhall School of Music & Drama. (n.d.). Music Therapy Auditions. [online] Available at: https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/study-with-guildhall/music/music-auditions-interviews/music-therapy-auditions [Accessed 5 Jan. 2025]. 

Planitplus.net. (2023). Planit : Job Profiles : Music Therapist Therapists. [online] Available at: https://www.planitplus.net/JobProfiles/View/537/73 [Accessed 6 Jan. 2025]. 

NHS (2015). Music therapist. [online] Health Careers. Available at: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/allied-health-professionals/roles-allied-health-professions/music-therapist [Accessed 6 Jan. 2025]. 

Manson, A. (2024). What does a music therapist do in a day? – Nordoff and Robbins. [online] Nordoff and Robbins. Available at: https://www.nordoff-robbins.org.uk/what-does-a-music-therapist-do-in-a-day/?utm_source=paid-google&utm_campaign=6476187747&utm_adgroup=77389209763&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAm-67BhBlEiwAEVftNhmNPVKVjx5rm2-8TTRBWJ8U-UDqpEVDo4YYRcwc95wiV33o9X3zmhoCOdgQAvD_BwE [Accessed 6 Jan. 2025]. 

Turner, S. and Denton, B. (2023). A PHENOMENOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF BEING A MUSIC THERAPIST. 

National Health Service (2023). Agenda for change – pay rates. [online] Health Careers. Available at: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/working-health/working-nhs/nhs-pay-and-benefits/agenda-change-pay-rates [Accessed 6 Jan. 2025]. 

Moore, K.S. (2015). Guest Post: How Do You Advertise Your Music Therapy Services? [online] Musictherapymaven.com. Available at: http://www.musictherapymaven.com/how-to-advertise-music-therapy-services/ [Accessed 7 Jan. 2025]. 

Kotoe, S. (2020). Lived Experience of Music Therapists as Musician-Therapists. pp.13–14. 

Oedegaard, C.H., Engebretsen, I.M.S., Veseth, M., Blindheim, A. and Stige, B. (2022). Health Care Workers’ Perspectives on the Challenges and Possibilities of Music Therapy within medication-free Treatment Services. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, p.253. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/08098131.2022.2115530. 

nationalcareers.service.gov.uk. (n.d.). Music therapist | Explore careers | National Careers Service. [online] Available at: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/music-therapist [Accessed 7 Jan. 2025].