Don't Quit Your Day Job: A Music Whaaaat??



When I was training for the Chicago Marathon, I asked my friends, family, colleagues, and YOU to support my fundraising efforts for the American Music Therapy Association.  And boy did you ever come through...to the tune of $1,728!  Pair that with my running/music therapy/fundraising partner in crime, Andrew, and we raised a total of $3,338 for music therapy!  You might have seen this video that Andrew produced to acknowledge our generous donors.  January is the 3rd Annual Social Media Advocacy Month and I thought that this would be a great time to share a little more about music therapy with you--to give you a glimpse at what your supported with your generosity. 

When people first hear about my job, they have so many questions and are often puzzled that something that sounds so "new age and hippy dippy" can be a real career based in science and research.  I will share some of those questions and my answers with you now.

What is music therapy?
According to the American Music Therapy Association music therapy is "the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program." That is the official "text book" definition, if you will, but I prefer to tell you about music therapy in my own words.  To put it simply, music therapy is the use of music to address goals that are non-musical in nature.

Where do music therapists work?
Music therapy is a wonderfully diverse field and can cover many areas—I have colleagues that work with individuals who are elderly, are recovering from strokes, who are in psychiatric facilities, who are receiving hospice care, and who are recovering from traumatic brain injuries (US Representative Gabrielle Giffords and her music therapist have made the news  recently). There is a lot of growth in the area of wellness lately as the Baby Boomers are getting older but are working to maintain their cognitive fitness.

Our Music Therapy Team--Mary, Intern Heather, Paula, and Me

Where do you work?
I work within the Special Education Department of a large suburban school district in the Dallas area. I use music to help students who have special needs work on goals that are typically non-musical in nature. We use music to help students with speech and communication skills, to work on fine and gross motor skills, to learn how to function in a group with appropriate social skills, and with general academic skills.

Special Education--I get that--but how do you fit in?
I serve these students in conjunction with speech therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, counselors, behavior specialists, and teachers. A big part of my job is teaching the teachers how to use music in their classrooms so that they can continue to utilize my strategies continuously in their learning environments. I work with students ranging in age from 3 years old to 22 years old. Many of my students have Autism, Intellectual Disabilities, Auditory/Visual Impairments, Speech Impairments, Emotional/Behavior Disturbances, and Physical Disabilities

How did you decide to become a music therapist?
You may wonder how I discovered such a unique an interesting career. I started playing the clarinet in middle school and immediately fell in love with band and music, but I knew that I did not want to teach music or be a band director. I had a strong interest in psychology and human anatomy and considered studying physical therapy—but I didn’t like the idea of “giving up” music in order to study those other fields. While attending a college night at my high school I noticed a check box on an information card…it said “music therapy.” I was pretty certain that I had found the perfect career for me and set out to find more information. I attended Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas where I received my Bachelor’s of Music in Music Therapy, then I completed a six month clinical internship at a state psychiatric facility, sat for my Board Certification exam and the rest is history! My first job was in a nursing home and I worked there for two years before coming to the school system.

What do you like best about your job?
I am so fortunate to have found a career that is more than just a "job". I am so lucky because I have been working with students when they have uttered their first word or sound. Making music can be such a motivating thing for kids so their faces usually light up when they see me come in the room with my guitar. Sometimes music is the only thing that will work for a student and the teachers and other therapists will come to me when they have tried everything that they can think of.  I get to sing and play with kids all day…who can beat that? There are very few drawbacks to my job and that is another reason that I am lucky.

What is challenging about your job?
I think that people are surprised at the level of musicianship a music therapist must possess. In order to be an effective therapist you have to be completely in the moment with your client. That means that you can’t be thinking about what lyric comes next or how to play a chord on the guitar. The music must flow so naturally from you that it is like second nature. You must have a lot of skills in your “bag of tricks.” The more instruments you can play with ease the more tools you will have when working with a client and thus more opportunities to reach them.

My coworkers and I call it the “Iceberg Theory”—a casual observer might simply see singing, music games, instruments, and fun but there is a lot going on under the surface—communication skills, motor skills, social skills, academic skills….the list is infinite! Music therapy really requires a w
wonderful mix of skills—psychology, education, human interactions, and musicianship.

Parting Thoughts...





Music therapy has grown and evolved so much in the (relatively) short time I have been associated with the field.  I encourage you to check out some of the other great posts, videos, and stories shared for Social Media Advocacy Month -- there are some really innovative, talented and creative therapists out there! You can also watch for the official hashtags #mtadvocacy and #lovemusictherapy on Twitter.  And when you see me, either virtually or on the run, be sure to ask me about my work--I love to talk about it.