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Provides Music Therapy? |
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“Music is the art which
is most nigh to tears and memory.”
-Oscar Wilde
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A
music therapist uses music within the context of a therapeutic
relationship to elicit positive change. He or she is a
trained professional who assesses client needs, plans
and executes music therapy interventions,
evaluates and documents progress, and participates in
all aspects of the therapeutic process.
A music therapist is college-educated and board-certified
at a national level. The education of a music therapist
involves extensive training in all aspects of music, including
clinical application of music, music theory and composition,
acoustics, music history, music education, performance,
research and analysis, and conducting. Additionally, study
is required in biology, anatomy and physiology, human
development, social and behavioral sciences, abnormal
psychology, and special education.
Following graduation and successful completion of a six-month
clinical training internship, a music therapist candidate
is qualified to take the national board certification
exam, registered and certified through the Certification
Board for Music Therapists (CBMT), accredited by the National
Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Upon passing
the exam, a music therapist earns the credential MT-BC
(Music Therapist-Board Certified).
The MT-BC credential requires either completion of 100
Continuing Music Therapy Education Units or exam re-certification
every five years.
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Music
Therapists’ Pet Peeves:
Music therapists are not “MusicAL Therapists.”
(A massage therapist who plays the piano is a musicAL
therapist!)
Entertainment and therapy are entirely different
animals. Performing at a nursing home, for example,
is a wonderful thing to do, but it is not therapy.
(If an individual is not board certified, he or
she is not a music therapist!)
Aromatherapy, cinematherapy...therapy, therapy,
therapy! In today’s environment of health and
wellness, the word “therapy” seems to
be attached to anything and everything. Music therapy,
as an established healthcare profession, uses the
word “therapy” for its true meaning and
purpose of treatment to bring about positive change
and help people reach their fullest potential. (Credibility
is everything!)
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Website and logo designed
by Pertinent Arts
www.pertinentarts.com
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