What is Music Therapy?

MTAs work in many different settings including but not limited to:

• hospitals

• health care facilities

• long term care

• substance abuse and addictions centres

• schools

• private practice

• community care

• corporate venues

• correctional facilities

• hospices

• mental health contexts

…and many more!

Music therapists use music in a variety of ways and offer different styles of musical engagement for clients of all ages and abilities. No specific musical background is required to participate in music therapy, and no training is needed to benefit from the healing power of this modality of healthcare. Within a session, a music therapist may offer any of the following:

• Improvisation: the spontaneous creation of music using voice or instruments which may provide a creative outlet and can be a powerful source of emotional expression. When used in group contexts, improvisation can provide a cohesive and immersive experience for participants within which to express themselves, and when used individually, it can be tailored to specific goals such as gross and fine motor coordination, neurological development, and a tool for communication.

• Song-writing/composition: the creation of original songs or the adaptation of previously composed songs to provide a venue for creative self-expression. Original or adapted songs can be used in real-time, can be recorded, shared, performed, or kept as a personal memento or source of affirmation and motivation. Songs may also be gifted to family members and friends. Original compositions are often created as “legacy” pieces, most especially when a client is at the end of life and creates a song with a music therapist as a modality of expressing themselves.

• Playing: engaging with instruments and/or voice in a structured or unstructured way for expression, aesthetic enjoyment and exploration, communication, a creative outlet, and as a source of empowerment and motivation. Often, clients may have a background in music that they may seek to explore for a variety of reasons.

• Music listening: Intentional, focused, and goal-driven music listening with the guidance of a music therapist can have a multitude of benefits including but not limited to total-body relaxation, pain and symptom management, the opportunity for reminiscence and reflection, guided meditation, and more.

There are numerous ways in which clients can explore the power and potential of music to support health-based goals. As with any of the aforementioned styles of music therapy, the incredible health outcomes often happen within the context of the therapeutic relationship between the client and the therapist. Music therapists are trained to work closely with their clients and colleagues to create personalized goals that are tailored to each individual’s/group’s need(s).

In order to become a certified music therapist in Canada (MTA), a Bachelor or Graduate Certificate or Master’s degree in music therapy must be completed, in addition to a 1000 hour supervised clinical internship. There are a number of university training programs in Canada including:

Acadia University (Nova Scotia)

Canadian Mennonite University (Manitoba)

Capilano University (British Colombia)

Concordia University (Quebec)

Wilfrid Laurier University (Ontario)

For more information on music therapy in Canada, please visit: www.musictherapy.ca

For local chapters and provincial associations, please visit: https://www.musictherapy.ca/about-camt-music-therapy/provincial-associations/

For more information on music therapy in different countries and on different continents, please visit:

American Music Therapy Association: http://www.musictherapy.org/

Australian Music Therapy Association: http://www.austmta.org.au/

British Music Therapy Association: http://www.bamt.org/

Chinese Professional Music Therapy Organization: http://www.chinamusictherapy.org/

World Federation of Music Therapy: http://www.wfmt.info/

Music therapy is an evidence based field which encompasses clinical work, research, knowledge translation and dissemination, and education. Research is critical to the ongoing evolution of the profession, and so much research has been and continues to be done!

For a look at some of the new and exciting research being done in the field, please visit:

The Canadian Journal of Music Therapy:

https://cjmt-rcm.musictherapy.ca/index.php/cjmt-rcm

Voices: A world forum for music therapy:

www.voices.no

Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy:

http://approaches.gr/

Barcelona Publishers:

https://www.barcelonapublishers.com

Jessica Kingsley Publishers:

https://us.jkp.com/collections/music-therapy-arts-therapies-pid-1007