Cara McBurney, Krysta Davis, Klayci Peck, Lydia Pratt, and Paul Todd, music therapy students at West Texas A&M University, chat informally about the future of music therapy as a career.

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MT StudentSpeak – March 27, 2009
Cara McBurney, Krysta Davis, Klayci Peck, Lydia Pratt, and Paul Todd

Am I going to have a job when I graduate?

Krysta open the discussion a question about job availability. With tighter budgets and more competition, she wonders if there will be funding for services. She also wonders if other professions are encountering similar challenges. Klayci says that she has noticed not everyone seems to know about music therapy and about the reputation and impact of our profession. If it is the newest service, will it be the first to go? Cara questions how music therapists might be able to market their services. She expresses concern that students might choose majors other than music therapy because of the unanswered questions about the job market. And, if enrollment drops, will that put college programs in jeopardy? Lydia shares some ideas about the strengths of music therapy, saying that music therapy works well in a group setting, making it more cost-effective. And she points out that music therapists are flexible and adaptable – able to use a variety of techniques to address a wide range of skills, including motor, cognitive, social, emotional, learning, behavioral, and general life skills. Paul mentions that music therapy is an emerging profession with five or six thousand active music therapists. He sees music therapy as a good service for agencies because it is portable and because music therapists don’t require tons of expensive equipment in order to make a difference in the lives of people.

What are some things we can do now in school and internship to make sure we are most likely to get a job when we graduate?

The group of students talking in this podcast include a freshman, junior, two seniors, and a student in the midst of her internship. The group discusses ways to make themselves more marketable. First they look at all the skills they must learn while undergraduates. Required music skills include playing a variety of instruments and styles as well as theory, composition, and improvisation. In addition to all those music skills, music therapy students need to know about research in music therapy and related fields, how to apply music therapy strategies and interventions in different settings with different populations, and different approaches to therapy. While in college, students must learn about different disabilities – symptoms, prognosis, neurological factors, and effective treatment. A good music therapist must know the impact of various conditions on the person’s life and community, motor functioning, social interaction, and self-help skills. Now that she is an intern, Cara realizes the urgency for undergraduates to learn all of that information while at the same time sharpening therapy skills such as assessments, behavior management, documentation, reports, group therapy facilitation as well as one-to-one therapy, and the ability to develop effective treatment plans and interventions for one session and for the long term. The group also discusses the importance of knowing business skills – how to get a job and keep a job, write proposals, develop a resume, market music therapy and yourself, keep a job, develop new jobs, and locate funding for services. So, what can college students do to prepare for successful careers? The students in the discussion group conclude that they need to learn as much as they can in school – being intense learners instead of just trying to survive a class. They also talk about the importance of staying active in their music therapy club and regional and national professional organization so they could network, get to know others, and learn as much as possible at conferences and through publications and websites. If they do all these things, they will be more prepared for success in their future careers as music therapists.

Closing Thoughts

Each student shares thoughts about plans for their upcoming careers in music therapy. Cara closes the podcast by saying, “Thanks for listening, guys. We would love to hear from other students. Send an e-mail to [email protected] to give us your ideas. Send a message now!”

© Copyright 2009 by the American Music Therapy Association, Inc.. All Rights Reserved. Content herein is for personal use only. No part may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without express written permission from the American Music Therapy Association.Neither the American Music Therapy Association nor its Board of Directors is responsible for the conclusions reached or the opinions expressed in any of the AMTA.Pro symposiums.