Check out some free career-related materials for professionals, interns, and students -valuable resources proven to impact careers of music therapists and related professionals over the past decades. ALSO – a chance win a free professional study course.

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Job-Related Resources for Music Therapists
March, 2009

Given the uncertainty about the future and concern about jobs for music therapists, the partners at Music Works Publications are making their career-related resources more readily available to their colleagues. When making plans to revise and print the fourth edition their popular book, Music Works: A Handbook of Job Skills for Music Therapists, the partners chose not to reprint. Instead, they made the updated content of the book available in a series of four free mini-courses on their website: http://www.MusicWorksPublications.com. All four courses include a pdf workbook and easy-to-access audio discussions. The courses are free and accessible to students, interns, professionals, and anyone who visits the website. See brief overviews of content of each course below.

Weathering a Storm
This free on-line course is designed specifically to assist current and future music therapists in two areas: (1) recognizing the scope of circumstances that can interrupt their career and (2) arming themselves with a customized, effective contingency plan for surviving and thriving the ups and downs of their career. The Weathering a Storm professional study course guides therapists through (1) submitting counter-proposals for retaining job positions or contracts, (2) numerous strategies for increasing professional value, and (3) field-tested tips for exploring new markets and income-producing projects.

Maximizing Your Career
Maximizing Your Career provides a wealth of guidelines and strategies to guide music therapists in successful and rewarding careers. The self-study course sheds light on issues such as job descriptions, professional standards and responsibilities, insurance, documentation, time management, quality services, ethics, conflict resolution, stress management, and others. The workbook includes guidelines for developing work-related forms such as referrals, assessments, progress notes, legal forms, and reports.

Securing Employment
The professional self-study course, Securing Employment, is designed specifically to help current and future music therapists develop a systematic marketing plan for securing and keeping a job in music therapy. Topics include (1) effective marketing of music therapy and self, (2) job interviews, (3) professional presentations, and (4) contracts and employment agreements. The course also includes a detailed discussion of salaries, contract fees, and other professional financial issues.

Exploring Career Options
This self-study course assists current and future music therapists as they contemplate an extensive array of factors as they consider their career options in the vast field of music therapy. Exercises help individuals explore their personal and professional profile, priorities, interests, mission, and job options.

All four of these free career-related professional self-study courses are available without obligation for students, interns, and seasoned professionals at http://www.MusicWorksPublications.com. Just click on and start learning.

More career-related resources

In addition to providing free career-related self-study courses, Music Works Publications is donating free copies of You’re the Boss and Job Impact to AMTA to be given away to members to help people move forward in spite of the national economic climate. Winners will be drawn by AMTA from the hat filled with names of individuals who submit comments to AMTA’s new member input tool:  [email protected], Send a brief comment about the current status your job and your long-term career outlook. Take a minute to update your colleagues on the status and prognosis of your job. Whether you are in the midst of good times or trying times in your career, help AMTA and members learn about the state of music therapy careers around the country given the challenging financial issues. Your information will also give YOUR professional organization, (AMTA), an opportunity to monitor the jobs situation across the country. The “door prizes” are described below.

YOU’RE THE BOSS: Self-Employment Strategies for Music Therapists (2007). Over the past decade, music therapists around the country have used You’re the Boss to guide them through each step of establishing and maintaining full-time or part-time contractual services, consultative services, private practice, and therapy clinics.

JOB IMPACT: Professional Skills for Music Therapists (2005). This professional study course, first published in 1991, is a comprehensive guide chock-full of practical strategies for anyone wanting to map a successful career path and to maximize the results of their professional efforts and clinical work.

All music therapy students, interns, and professionals are encouraged to send a brief update to [email protected] about their own career path given the challenging economic climate. Everyone who submits an e-mail message is entered in the “door prize” drawing for these resources from Music Works Publications.

Free Gift to Educators and Intern Supervisors

Now, more than ever, new music therapists must be well-armed to explore all employment possibilities and to develop solid, workable plans as they begin their music therapy careers. In an effort to enhance the education and training related to the business of music therapy, Music Works Publications is donating a copy of the You’re the Boss professional study course to every university program and every clinical internship program. Educators and clinical training directors will receive an e-mail from AMTA with instructions for accessing this valuable resource.

Conclusion

AMTA is committed to assisting its members should they encounter situations – whether economic downturns, natural disasters, family issues, or other circumstances – that challenge their jobs or their long-term careers. These resources donated by Music Works Publications are just some of the tools AMTA is making available to members in an effort to accomplish its mission to advance public awareness of the benefits of music therapy and increase access to quality music therapy services in a rapidly changing world.

© 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.