What are careers in music therapy?

Music therapy and counseling are careers related to music therapy. A degree in music therapy combines instruction in both music theory and psychology. Music Therapist To pursue a career as a music therapist, you must first find an accredited music therapy program. The American Music Therapy Association provides a list of approved music therapy undergraduate and graduate programs. A bachelor's or master's degree in music therapy is necessary to then begin amassing the 1,200 hours of clinical experience necessary to take the national board certification exam and apply for licensure within the state that you intend to work. Music therapists use music to help patients with mental health conditions, addictions, and physical pain. The therapy may consist of patients listening to selected music or actually participating in the creation of music through the use of a musical instrument. Counselor Because a degree in musical therapy consists of coursework related to counseling and psychology, a career in counseling is possible. Because mental health counseling is a very specialized field, it is necessary for someone with a degree in music therapy to pursue a master's degree in social work, counseling, or psychology. This, along with board certification and state licensure, will allow you to see patients in an individual or group setting and assess their condition.

How To Become A Music Therapist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a music therapist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Do you want to find a career field where you're bound to hit the right note with your clients? Then, you should look into becoming a music therapist. Music therapists understand the healing influence that music can play in both health and behavior.

By incorporating sound, music, and rhythm into therapy, they create a supportive environment that facilitates emotional, physical, and mental change. With the aid of music, these therapists use techniques like relaxation, guided imagery, and improvisation to instruct each client on how to improve their well-being.

Most individuals working in this field have a Bachelor's degree. As you would expect, music ability is required. Many of those who enter this field are experienced musicians with the ability to sing and play instruments such as a keyboard, guitar, or percussion.

Other key skills needed for this job include empathy, sensitivity, and creativity. They work in a variety of settings, including psychiatric hospitals, rehabilitative facilities, medical hospitals, outpatient clinics, schools, drug and alcohol programs, senior centers, and private practice.

ScoreMusic TherapistUS Average

Salary

4.5

Avg. Salary $57,096

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.2

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.77%

Asian 3.27%

Black or African American 6.53%

Hispanic or Latino 10.21%

Unknown 4.49%

White 74.73%

Gender

female 78.09%

male 21.91%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.3

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

8.9

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Newest jobs for Music Therapist in Columbus, OH

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Key steps to become a music therapist

Explore music therapist education requirements

Most common music therapist degrees

Bachelor's

73.9 %

Master's

18.8 %

Associate

4.2 %

Start to develop specific music therapist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	32.30%
Interdisciplinary	15.03%
Rehabilitation	9.93%
Music Therapy	5.38%
Mental Health	4.96%

Complete relevant music therapist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New music therapists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a music therapist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real music therapist resumes.

Research music therapist duties and responsibilities

Manage the entire SNF and Alzheimer's unit caseload.
Provide individual music therapy services in coordination with in-house hospice organization and participate in hospice interdisciplinary team meetings.
Provide individual music interventions for patients on sub-acute, rehabilitation to meet specific needs during short term hospital stay.
Develop and implement music therapy interventions to patients of all ages and abilities in an ever-changing behavioral health setting.

Prepare your music therapist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your music therapist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a music therapist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Music Therapist Resume templates

Build a professional Music Therapist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Music Therapist resume.

Apply for music therapist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a music therapist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do music therapists rate their job?

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Music Therapist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022

Pros

Making a difference in someone's life. Seeing positive changes.