A Music Therapist is an Allied Health Professional who works with service users to use the power of music as a medium to help them express and process difficult thoughts and feelings.
Music Therapy is closely related to psychotherapy and can help service users express themselves and communicate after experiencing trauma where they are unable to put their feelings into words.
Working life
Working as a Music Therapist will mean that you’ll take part in a variety of different tasks during your working day. These can include:
- Creating a safe environment for each service user
- Using music to help the service user achieve their goals
- Support the service user to build their self-awareness and self-confidence
- Support the service user to process their feelings in a non-verbal way
- Use music-based mediums such as instruments, voice and improvisation to support a service user to process their feelings
- Supporting service users to experiment with different thoughts, feelings and behaviours
Music Therapists work with people of all ages and support those who are experiencing:
- Emotional, behavioural or mental health challenges
- Learning disabilities
- Life-limiting conditions
- Neurological conditions
- Physical illness
- Trauma
Music Therapists work in a variety of settings including:
- The NHS
- Social Care settings
- Social Services
- Educational Establishments (primary schools, secondary schools, further and special education settings)
- Prison Services
- Private Practice
Music Therapists can work with service users on a one to one basis, in small groups or in larger groups depending on the client’s specific need.
Music Therapists work alongside other Allied Health Professionals, medical staff, healthcare staff, teachers, prison staff and probation staff to support the wellbeing of a service user and help them overcome barriers.
Requirements
Becoming a Music Therapist requires an undergraduate degree in music or another relevant subject before undertaking an approved full or part-time Masters degree in Music Therapy which allows full registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Applicants to Masters degree Music Therapy programmes are usually those who have had previous experience of working in mental health services, education, special needs or social services before applying and may have previously worked in roles such as nursing assistant, music worker with people with special needs or support worker in mental health.
Applicants for the Masters degree programme will be required to demonstrate practical experience in a music environment as evidence of eligibility.
Working as a Music Therapist will provide further opportunities to develop your career through apprenticeships and internal training in the future.
Degree apprenticeship route
For those interested in becoming a Music Therapist through an apprenticeship route, there is a level 7 apprenticeship programme available for Music Therapists.
Opportunities to access these apprenticeships are currently limited and you will need to apply for an apprentice post at a healthcare employer willing to support the programme initially.
Personal characteristics
To work successfully as a Music Therapist, you need to consider your own personal characteristics. You would need to have the following attributes or similar:
- Be resilient and open to new ways of working
- Be supportive of service users who have experienced trauma
- Be able to reflect on your own emotions
- Be able to demonstrate theatre skills
- Be able to improvise
- Have a non-judgemental attitude
- Be able to show maturity
- Be able to work with a variety of different people from differing backgrounds and experiences
- Be creative and resourceful
Skills required
To work successfully as a Music Therapist, you need to consider the skills that you have. You would need to demonstrate the following:
- Be well organised and able to plan your time
- Be able to communicate with a variety of people using different methods
- Be artistic and creative and able to work with different types of music
- Be highly skilled in musicianship including improvisation
Training and development opportunities
Once qualified and registered as an Allied Health Professional Music Therapist, you can continue to develop your career over time.
You could specialise in working with a particular client group such as child development, neuro-disability, mental health, the elderly or offenders or you could specialise in a particular health issue such as dementia, mental health or palliative care. New areas of work for Music Therapists also include working with children pre-operatively or in special care baby units.
You may consider becoming self-employed and build up your own private practice. You can also do this alongside employed work.
Other development opportunities within Music Therapy include becoming a senior or consultant Music Therapist who manages the work of a team of therapists. Or you could become the head of a Music Therapist department and would be coordinating the work of therapists from other disciplines such as art or drama therapists.
Some Music Therapists complete further training to specialise in areas such as working with families or people with a diagnosis of mental health or personality disorders. There are also opportunities for further training in psychotherapy or in evidence-based interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Once you are qualified you are also eligible to enrol with the British Association of Music Therapists (BAMT) who offer further development opportunities, email updates and networking opportunities so that you are able to continue to learn from others who work in the same role as you.
Pay and benefits
Music Therapists in the NHS usually work part-time hours anywhere between 9 am and 5 pm however depending on the setting and the service users, you could be required to work evenings and weekends on occasion.
Music Therapists are paid using the Agenda for Change (AfC) system and will typically start their career on AfC band 6 but with experience, further training and additional qualifications, can progress further up the pay scale.
Music Therapists working for Social Care settings will be paid according to the employer they work for and the remuneration for the role should always be shown on their job advert.
Other benefits of working as a Music Therapist include access to a pension scheme, health service discounts such as a Blue Light Card and 27 days of annual leave in addition to bank holidays.