Career Overview
Plan, organize, direct, or assess clinical and evidenced-based music therapy interventions to positively influence individuals' physical, psychological, cognitive, or behavioral status.
Also Known As
- Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC)
- LCAT (Licensed Creative Arts Therapist)
- Music Therapist
- Neurologic Music Therapist
Alternate Job Titles
- Activity Therapist
- Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC)
- Certified Music Therapist
- Community Music Therapist
- Creative Arts Music Therapist
- Creative Music Therapist
- Expressive Music Therapist
- Home Care Music Therapist
- Hospice Music Therapist
- LCAT (Licensed Creative Arts Therapist)
- Music Art Therapist
- Music Dance Therapist
- Music Rehabilitation Therapist
- Music Therapist
- Music Therapy Specialist
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- 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.
- Document evaluations, treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Psychology
- Therapy and Counseling
- Fine Arts
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Education and Training
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Social Perceptiveness
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Service Orientation
- Learning Strategies
- Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Oral Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Oral Comprehension
- Deductive Reasoning
- Speech Recognition
- Written Comprehension
- Inductive Reasoning
- Speech Clarity
- Written Expression
- Information Ordering
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Empathy
- Cooperation
- Optimism
- Sincerity
- Social Orientation
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Relationships
- Achievement
- Independence
- Working Conditions
- Recognition
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Bachelor's Degree
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month
Education Details: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Experience Required: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Microsoft Office software
Tools & Equipment
- Acoustic guitars
- Autoharps
- Automatic blood pressure cuffs
- Bass drums
- Cellos
- Compact disk CD players
- Computer laser printers
- Digital audio recorders
- Digital video cameras
- Electronic keyboards
- Electronic organs
- Handbells
- Handheld microphones
- Heart rate monitors
- Laptop computers
Work Environment
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Contact With Others
- Freedom to Make Decisions
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
Salary & Job Market
Wages reported for the broader Therapists, All Other occupational group (BLS 2024), which includes Music Therapists.
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $38,840 |
| Median | $65,010 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $120,050 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 19,320
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Art Therapists
Education: Master's Degree
Median Salary: $65,010
Recreational Therapists
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $60,280
Occupational Therapists
Education: Master's Degree
Median Salary: $98,340
Speech-Language Pathologists
Education: Master's Degree
Median Salary: $95,410
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Median Salary: $95,830
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.