{"id":88,"date":"2016-05-22T05:39:32","date_gmt":"2016-05-22T05:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/?page_id=88"},"modified":"2016-05-22T07:22:36","modified_gmt":"2016-05-22T07:22:36","slug":"what-is-music-therapy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/what-is-music-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Music Therapy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Definition<\/h2>\n

Music Therapy is the prescribed use of music, and the relationship that develops through shared musical experiences, to assist or motivate a person towards specific goals. Music therapists use their training as musicians, clinicians, and researchers to help people effect changes in cognitive, physical, communication, social, and emotional skills. Music therapists work in educational, medical, psychiatric, wellness, and elder care\u00a0facilities, as well as in specialized clinics and private practice.<\/p>\n

Qualifications<\/h2>\n

Music Therapists have undergraduate and\/or graduate degrees in music therapy from university programs approved by the American Music Therapy Association. The degree includes 1200 hours of clinical training, including a 1040 hour internship.\u00a0\u00a0Music therapists must also be board-certified by the Certification Board for Music Therapists; they become “MT-BC’s” by taking a national exam, and maintain their status through continuing education.<\/p>\n

How can I tell if it’s music therapy?<\/h2>\n

Music therapy is based in the relationship<\/strong><\/span> between the MT-BC and patient or client, and each music therapy intervention has been specifically chosen, created, or improvised for that particular person, based on an assessment<\/strong><\/span>. \u00a0Music therapy intervention changes with the patient or client, so music therapists use live music<\/strong><\/span> that can be altered by either person at any time. \u00a0Music therapists see patients\/clients in small groups or individually so that each relationship can be nurtured and each person’s individual needs<\/strong> <\/span>can be addressed. \u00a0Most importantly, music therapists are board-certified<\/strong><\/span> (and, in some states, licensed): this assures you\u00a0that a qualified music therapist\u00a0has comprehensive education and clinical training, adheres to a Scope of Practice and Code of Ethics, and has ongoing continuing education and supervision opportunities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

10 Therapeutic Characteristics of Music<\/h2>\n

Music captivates and maintains attention — it stimulates & utilizes many parts of the brain. People often can respond to music even when other aspects of cognition are impaired.<\/p>\n

Music is success-oriented — people of all ability levels can participate.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Music participation is social — it builds relationships and provides a safe place to explore communication.<\/p>\n

Music provides a meaningful, enjoyable context for repetition, which is especially important in neurorehabilitation and special education.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Live music can ebb and flow, changing moment to moment to reflect the reactions and needs of the people who are listening or participating.<\/p>\n

Music is an effective memory aid.<\/p>\n

Music supports and encourages movement; in some cases, rhythm facilitates movement via synchrony in neuromotor & auditory pathways in the central nervous system.<\/p>\n

Music taps into memories and emotions.<\/p>\n

Music, and the silences within it, provide nonverbal, immediate feedback.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Music structures time; it helps us to track certain lengths of time, and can sometimes alter our perception of its passage.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Music Therapy Organizations:<\/h2>\n

American Music Therapy Association<\/strong><\/a> (AMTA)
\nAMTA was founded in 1998. Its purpose is the progressive development of the therapeutic use of music in rehabilitation, special education, and community settings. Predecessors to the American Music Therapy Association included the National Association for Music Therapy founded in 1950 and the American Association for Music Therapy founded in 1971. AMTA is committed to the advancement of education, training, professional standards, credentials, and research in support of the music therapy profession.
\n(301) 589-3300<\/p>\n

Certification Board for Music Therapists<\/strong><\/a>
\n(800)765-CBMT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Definition Music Therapy is the prescribed use of music, and the relationship that develops through shared musical experiences, to assist or motivate a person towards specific goals. Music therapists use their training as musicians, clinicians, and researchers to help people effect changes in cognitive, physical, communication, social, and emotional skills. Music therapists work in educational, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-88","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P78syp-1q","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":95,"url":"http:\/\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/frequently-asked-questions\/","url_meta":{"origin":88,"position":0},"title":"Frequently-Asked Questions","author":"preludemusictherapy","date":"May 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Won't it just be quicker if I e-mail you with my question? No. Kathleen and Betsey have both found that their schedules don't permit them to answer individual inquiries. Fortunately, 99% of the questions we've received in the past are answered on this page! Why are you blocking comments? Two\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61,"url":"http:\/\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/what-to-expect-from-a-board-certified-music-therapist\/","url_meta":{"origin":88,"position":1},"title":"What to Expect from a Board-Certified Music Therapist","author":"preludemusictherapy","date":"May 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0A music therapist will have current credentials, indicated by the letters MT-BC. \"BC\" stands for \"board certified\": a designation which indicates that the therapist has: \u00a0graduated from a university program approved by the American Music Therapy Association, Inc.\u00a0(AMTA). \u00a0These programs include extensive music training in multiple instruments and styles, academic\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"orange_bullet0","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/orange_bullet0.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21,"url":"http:\/\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/about-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":88,"position":2},"title":"About Us","author":"preludemusictherapy","date":"January 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Kathleen Coleman, MMT, MT-BC and Betsey King, PhD, MT-BC founded Prelude Music Therapy in 1995. \u00a0Prelude Music Therapy publishes music and materials for working with people with special needs. \u00a0Kathleen and Betsey are both board-certified music therapists with over 30 years experience in the field. They are not native Texans,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":112,"url":"http:\/\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/nope-thats-not-music-therapy\/","url_meta":{"origin":88,"position":3},"title":"Nope — That’s NOT Music Therapy","author":"preludemusictherapy","date":"May 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Did you find us via Facebook or Twitter? \u00a0Are you following a link from an email or blog post? \u00a0Welcome! We love music and know that it can be a wonderful addition to healthcare and educational settings, not to mention our daily lives. \u00a0Simply listening to a favorite piece of\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52,"url":"http:\/\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/our-publications\/","url_meta":{"origin":88,"position":4},"title":"Our Publications","author":"preludemusictherapy","date":"February 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Visit our home website,\u00a0Prelude Music Therapy for a list of our songbooks, visual aid kits, and instructional books. \u00a0You'll also find: \u00a0information on the assessment and provision of music therapy in the public schools; \u00a0general information on music therapy in medical settings, hospice care, and in working with people with\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"square bullet","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/square-bullet.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/88","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/88\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111,"href":"http:\/\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/88\/revisions\/111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.preludemusictherapy.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}