Music Therapist
- Qualifications/experience required
To begin the journey into music therapy, you must first hold an undergraduate degree. This does not have to be in music but can be in another area such as psychology or education. However, you must show a high level of music skill if wanting to pursue a music therapy career but undertaking an undergraduate degree that is not a specific music degree. (BAMT, 2023)
Secondly, you’ll need to do an approved postgraduate course in music therapy and also register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC, 2022). To apply for a postgraduate course, you will need to provide evidence of one or two years of voluntary or paid work experience in a health, education or social care setting.
Another route to pursuing music therapy is completing an Arts Therapists Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship after obtaining a degree in the relevant subject. (NHS England, 2015).
Another pathway into music therapy is pursuing an apprenticeship. To do an Arts Therapists Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship, experience in art, drama or music is usually needed to apply (National Careers Service).
- Knowledge, skills and personal qualities/attributes
To succeed as a music therapist, certain skills must be held. For example, as a musician, you must have a high level of improvisation skills to be able to tailor each session to the individual you’re presented with. Having skills in composition and songwriting would be useful as this is a great way for people to express themselves and convey how they feel. Being able to invent musical ideas quickly and effectively will help respond to the client and their thoughts, feelings and emotions.
Aside from musicianship, personal attributes may include the ability to understand people from different backgrounds and upbringings without a judgemental approach. Being sensitive around cultural diversity, identities and experiences is a must as you will be faced with clients from a variety of different backgrounds and having lived many experiences.
Communication, as any therapist must be clear and comprehensive. You must be able to actively listen to each individual and read emotions and body language, as this helps gauge how the client is feeling throughout the session. (NHS Health Careers)
Confidence is another great attribute when pursuing music therapy. The confidence to lead a session not only as a therapist but as a musician too. Having the ability to guide and help develop people’s musical ability in a way that helps get the best out of their sessions.
Key knowledge for a music therapist includes understanding mental health conditions. Many conditions may be presented, for example, trauma, anxiety, depression, mood disorders. Physical conditions may also be presented in the sessions, such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke, cancer. Neurodiversity is another spectrum to cover – autism and ADHD. Having a solid understanding of these categories enables the therapist to tailor each session to the individual, helping the process of therapy progress in the right direction. (Cleveland Clinic, 2023)
- Duties and Responsibilities – What does a day’s work look like?
The duties and responsibilities of a music therapist will include assessing notes and organising plans for each of their clients, delivering music therapy sessions to the clients, evaluating the clients using musical and clinical documentation, and taking notes of any changes during their sessions, and writing reports.
Music therapists must assess clients’ needs, including their emotional, physical, social, and cognitive needs, and observe their responses to music. They must assess their engagement with rhythm, melody, lyrics, and even movement, as clients may experience a physical reaction to music. Once this has been assessed, the therapist can then determine goals in which to achieve by the end of the course of the sessions, or even a smaller goal for the end of one session.
It is music therapists’ responsibility to provide a tailored experience for their clients when providing therapy, as many people will respond to music differently. They must design and deliver sessions using composition, improvisation, vocal work, listening and discussing music, playing instruments, and physical response to music. Patients don’t need musical skills to participate. Music therapy is open to anyone regardless of skill level or background. (Cleveland Clinic, 2023)
Like any therapy, they must take that session, evaluate it, and then adapt different materials, document, and analyse the session to help the client progress. Modifying and monitoring sessions is crucial to ensuring their clients receive treatment that is personal to them and allows them to get the most out of therapy. Aside from the analysis of musical response, music therapists must use clinical observations such as recording, interpretation, patients’ physical responses, and behavioural and mental status.
- Financial and legal issues
Firstly, a financial issue may be the initial education fees. Going to university to acquire a degree can be expensive, with a rough, average cost sitting at around £68,349. With the cost of tuition being £9,535 a year, a three-year course will cost most students around £28,605 over the course of their degree. Living costs may vary due to location; however, the estimation sits at around £13,700. In addition to this, obtaining a master’s degree, which is a necessity to becoming a music therapist, may be a financial concern for some as well as the degree. (Save The Student, 2025)
Many qualified music therapists may turn to private practice, charging anywhere from £40 – £100 an hour depending on location, experience, client types, and online or in-person sessions. This means a financial issue may be when first qualifying; charging lower at first may bring in more clients but may not be enough income to create a sustainable living wage for oneself. Also, private practice can lead to inconsistent client retention and therefore an inconsistent income.
Many therapists should be aware of copyright law when using existing music, recording, and sharing session recordings. Playing copyrighted music for clients’ needs a licence, which is a legal requirement and needed to continue in the profession as existing music will be played a lot to different clients. However, a music therapist who plays music in a private room for a patient is not subject to copyright restrictions. Many music therapists are avoiding or delaying appropriate therapies due to concerns about copyright law, acting as a barrier to creating effective music therapy practices. (Amanda Reid, Alex Kresovich, 2021)
- Potential Marketing and Promotional Aspects
In all fields of the music industry, networking is a crucial means of establishing connections with others. Collaborating with healthcare providers, schools, and community centres is a significant strategy. These referrals can serve as both a marketing channel and an opportunity to attend conferences, workshops, and community events.
Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and more recently popular TikTok have become powerful tools for music therapists to build a community, provide educational resources, and foster professional growth. These platforms offer diverse opportunities for connecting with individuals based on their interests and needs. Content should be accessible while simultaneously harnessing its educational potential, demonstrating therapeutic techniques, and engaging the audience.
Offering workshops enhances public awareness of music therapy and provides an opportunity for community engagement. Presenting at healthcare conferences, hosting free workshops, and participating in health fairs or wellness events promote music therapy while simultaneously educating the public (V. Piccolo, 2025).
A study conducted in 2014 surveyed self-employed music therapists regarding their marketing strategies. Two hundred seventy-three board-certified therapists participated, with a majority being female and self-employed. While music therapists in private practices embraced the concept and value of marketing, effectively implementing regular marketing practices presented challenges due to factors such as time constraints, confidence in personal marketing skills, or financial constraints. Over half of the music therapy business owners surveyed reported working additional jobs. Business owners utilised presentation materials and business cards as primary marketing materials. (Tonkinson, S. 2014)
The Swan Song Project ‘gives people living with terminal illnesses, dealing with bereavement or planning their end stages of life the opportunity and support to write and record their own original song.’ A professional songwriter supports and guides each person through their creative, musical journey. Just like music therapy, no previous musical experience or abilities are required to take part in this. The Swan Song Project (2024). This aligns with the clinical practice, public engagement and integrity of music therapy. The Swan Song Project is a great way to be experimental, not only learning about music therapy, but engaging with it and observing its impact, giving music therapy a better visibility in the therapy world. It also helps professionals collaborate with hospices, healthcare organisations and professional musicians to help enhance its accessibility whilst appealing to funders who want to support the value of music therapy.
- Intellectual and Personal Challenges
Regular supervision is a necessity for any therapist as you are presented with individuals who have experienced trauma and grief, people who are suffering with mental illness and/or developmental challenges. Clinical supervision allows for a formal, structured process of professional support and allows for a deeper reflection and understanding of clinical and professional practice. (NHS Employers, 2024)
Music allows for a deep connection, one that the client may feel only you understand. The music used within the session may come from a place nobody else has been able to understand, creating an emotional connection, different to any other connection. This is why it is important that music therapists implement boundaries and maintain professionalism. The Health and Care Professions Council outlines standards of conduct, performance, and ethics. These standards set out how registrants are expected to behave, outline what the public should expect from their health and care professional, help make decisions about the character of professionals who apply to the HCPC register, and to raise a concern about registrants’ practice (Health and Care Professions Council, 2024). This allows for clear expectations for professional behaviour and, on the other hand, helps the client understand what they can expect when receiving music therapy, or any therapy for that matter.
Analysing behaviour is part of being a music therapist. You must be quick to manage musical responses, emotional cues, all whilst integrating psychology, music theory, and therapeutic models within the session. Ongoing CPD (Continuing Professional Development) allows therapists to continue to learn and develop throughout their careers to keep their skills and knowledge up to date and are able to practice safely and effectively. Staying up to date with the latest industry trends, regulations, and best practices allows music therapists to perform effectively and safely in their roles. (Health and Care Professions Council, 2019)
Being a music therapist, it is important that you can improvise fluently, create ideas from a perspective other than your own, and understand and adapt tempo, harmony, rhythm, and dynamics. This means it’s important to not only practice the ways of a therapist but keep in touch with the musician that is part of who they are. Regular practice is imperative to upholding a high level of musicianship. Learning and adapting to ways of improvisation helps tailor sessions to certain individuals and allows therapists to understand clients better.
- Career Progression/Opportunities
Multiple pathways are available to music therapists for professional growth. Different leadership roles, specialising in certain areas, or directing their profession towards clinical work.
Advancing to leadership roles requires experience, enabling music therapists to supervise other therapists, coordinate an entire music therapy department, or direct creative arts therapy programmes. Leadership roles usually offer a higher salary, with opportunities to shape how music therapy is delivered within organisations. Furthermore, supervisory roles are less client-facing but hold a greater responsibility for salary management, staff training, and programme development (Careers In Psychology, 2025).
Becoming self-employed is another career progression that is available for music therapists. This requires therapists to build up their own client base. Rather than a regular income, sessional payments will be made from consultations. This may have its downsides as many will rely on regular income, and if the therapist is just starting out as self-employed, their client base will be limited, meaning income will be less and irregular. This means some music therapists may choose to undertake private practice in addition to working for an employer. (Prospects, 2024)
As experience is gained, some may choose to specialise in a particular area, such as mental health, palliative care, or child development, or work in two or three areas of interest. Completing additional training is also a choice to be made if a music therapist is wanting to specialise in a specific area of work.
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