Music Therapy Degree

Do You Want a Music Therapy Degree?

More people are choosing the music therapy degree path than ever before because of its ability to help people in a therapeutic setting. Not only will you be able to work with people from different backgrounds, but you will also be able to help in a variety of therapy situations. By taking the time to learn more about how to pursue your music therapy degree, you will be able to make the decision as to whether this field is something that’s right for you.

A music therapy degree is a multi-faceted study. Not only will you learn how to listen to music in order to use it for therapeutic purposes, but you will also be learning how to use singing, writing lyrics, and dancing as a part of your sessions with patients. With so many applications, music therapy allows you to custom fit the therapy to the patient, no matter what their obstacles or mental concerns.

But a music therapy degree isn’t for everyone. Because you need to interact in a personal way with patients, you need to have excellent communication skills as well as patience. You need to be willing to work with a patient at a speed that works for them. While you might create a plan of action for the patient, you need to be ready and willing to change the plan if the patient is unable to make the goals you have both set.

It takes a special person to finish a music therapy degree. You must love to work with people and you might also have a genuine love and appreciation for music of all kinds. Since different patients are going to respond to different kinds of music, you will need to know various types of music intimately to help choose the right songs or sounds for your particular patient.

You can find music therapy degree programs at many local universities and colleges. Simply look at the psychology department to see if they offer a specific program in this therapy. If not, you might be able to take a course or two in the practice of music therapy and utilize it within a traditional therapy degree.

There are many opportunities for those with a music therapy degree, including private and group practice as well as nursing homes and rehabilitation services. The diversity of your employers allows you to choose the setting that works best for you and for the clients you hope to help.

By majoring in music therapy, you are getting into a growing field of professionals who want to harness the power of the mind to change the life of a patient. While not everyone responds immediately to any therapeutic practice, you can know that you are doing your part to help someone in need of help.

What is Music Therapy?

When you ask the question, “What is music therapy?” you’re bound to get a number of answers.  Many of these answers vary depending on the experience of the person who you are asking.  From patients to therapists, each answer may be different, but they all reveal the power of music therapy to help others.  Here are some of the ways, “What is music therapy?” can be answered.

If you were to ask a patient, “What is music therapy?” you might hear that it is something they are using to help overcome a number of problems.  From psychological to physical, music therapy can help soothe the nerves of a patient and make them more receptive to therapeutic suggestions and advice.  They might describe a typical session as including themselves, a therapist and a CD player or mp3 player.  In this session, they might listen to music in the background or they might be encouraged to bring their own music to share.  In listening to the music, they might feel more relaxed and able to share their feelings through the lyrics or the tone of the songs themselves.

Other patients might answer “What is music therapy?” by talking about writing lyrics or dancing to the music in their therapist’s office.  Each client and each goal is going to yield a different form of the music therapy and practice.  While one patient might simply like soothing music in the background as they talk – others might like angry music to stir up the feelings of anger they want to work through.

Those who are not in therapy might think that the answer to “What is music therapy?” is actually something they’ve learned on their own.  When they are upset or stressed, they might turn on a favorite song to help them work through these feelings.  Or if they are having a hard workout, they might turn on faster paced music to help them get through the tough parts.  If you were having a hard time in your relationship, you might listen to the music from your wedding to help you recall the loving feelings you have about your spouse.  It’s all music therapy.

For therapists who get asked, “What is music therapy?” a lot, they might answer that it is a tool that can be used to help clients reveal more of themselves in a session or that it is a way that a therapist and a patient can communicate without talking.  In playing a certain song, for example, a patient can show the therapist which lyrics feel like they are feeling right then and then the therapist can work with this information.

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