“What do you do?”
“I’m a music therapist”
“That’s interesting… what is a music therapist?”
I have had this exact conversation countless times. The thing about it is, there is no real definitive answer. People define it many different ways. My own personal answer has evolved over the years. My answer today is quite different from the answer I would have given at the end of my undergraduate career and it has continued to evolve past the completion of my master’s degree. I have had to write papers about my philosophy and definition of music therapy, but my short, sweet definition of music therapy is:
“A trained therapist using music to accomplish non-musical goals within a client/therapist relationship. For example helping a child with speech production through the use of rhythmic speech experiences, or helping someone who has had a stroke work on increasing range of motion in their affected hand by playing the piano.”
We spend a lot of time discussing and tweaking the definition of what we do as music therapists, and now we would love to hear from you. “What is music therapy?”
My response is usually dependent upon the person I am talking with. A conversation with a new aquaintance might touch on using music therapy to achieve therapeutic goals such as speech production, increasing attention span, and increasing fine motor skills. If I am talking with a potential consumer of music therapy, I might talk more directly about how music therapy can help him/her. I always include something about our credential, MT-BC (Music Therapist-Board Certified) and the education and training that is required to become a music therapist (as well as continuing education).
I encounter this question pretty frequently and I’m always careful to emphasize that music is used as a treatment and give examples of clinical goals (as you mentioned). I tend to frame my explanations in terms of music and how it affects the brain – and therefore all levels of functioning. I think that also the cultural significance of music (which many people can relate to) is something that we also should remember to mention, because it’s pretty important in music therapy.
My answer is similar to the ones previously stated. I usually get the question, “So how can music be used in a nursing home?” I respond by mentioning the clinical goals and how the goals are based on the needs of the individual and then mention different musical interventions.
It’s been an interesting journey for me, too. And my personal definition is a lot like yours. For me, I work really hard to make the distinction between music experiences that are supportive and music therapy in which an assessment is completed, goals and objectives are determined, interventions designed, and progress reviewed.
The specifics of a music therapy session are, necessarily, different from client to client, but there are a few basic elements that are consistent, regardless of the setting: client, music therapist, and music.
I’d love to hear how others make the distinction between music experiences that are therapeutic and music therapy.
let’s not forget, “oh so you TEACH music” ah, “no I am NOT a music Teacher, I am a therapist who uses music to engage people with special needs.”