Music Therapist Specialists

Key Responsibilities

• Supervise staff, volunteers, practicum students, or interns engaged in music therapy activities.
• Communicate with clients to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to musical experiences.
• Collaborate with others to design or implement interdisciplinary treatment programs.
• Integrate behavioral, developmental, improvisational, medical, or neurological approaches into music therapy treatments.
• Customize treatment programs for specific areas of music therapy, such as intellectual or developmental disabilities, educational settings, geriatrics, medical settings, mental health, physical disabilities, or wellness.
• Communicate client assessment findings and recommendations in oral, written, audio, video, or other forms.
• Document evaluations, treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups.
• Engage clients in music experiences to identify client responses to different styles of music, types of musical experiences, such as improvising or listening, or elements of music, such as tempo or harmony.
• Assess client functioning levels, strengths, and areas of need in terms of perceptual, sensory, affective, communicative, musical, physical, cognitive, social, spiritual, or other abilities.
• Conduct, or assist in the conduct of, music therapy research.
• Design or provide music therapy experiences to address client needs, such as using music for self-care, adjusting to life changes, improving cognitive functioning, raising self-esteem, communicating, or controlling impulses.
• Gather diagnostic data from sources such as case documentation, observations of clients, or interviews with clients or family members.
• Design music therapy experiences, using various musical elements to meet client's goals or objectives.
• Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to music therapy.
• Improvise instrumentally, vocally, or physically to meet client's therapeutic needs.
• Confer with professionals on client's treatment team to develop, coordinate, or integrate treatment plans.
• Analyze or synthesize client data to draw conclusions or make recommendations for therapy.
• Compose, arrange, or adapt music for music therapy treatments.
• Adapt existing or develop new music therapy assessment instruments or procedures to meet an individual client's needs.
• Sing or play musical instruments, such as keyboard, guitar, or percussion instruments.
• Participate in continuing education.
• Plan or structure music therapy sessions to achieve appropriate transitions, pacing, sequencing, energy level, or intensity in accordance with treatment plans.
• Identify and respond to emergency physical or mental health situations.
• Conduct information sharing sessions, such as in-service workshops for other professionals, potential client groups, or the general community.
• Establish client goals or objectives for music therapy treatment, considering client needs, capabilities, interests, overall therapeutic program, coordination of treatment, or length of treatment.
• Apply selected research findings to practice.
• Apply current technology to music therapy practices.
• Assess the risks and benefits of treatment termination for clients.
• Select or adapt musical instruments, musical equipment, or non-musical materials, such as adaptive devices or visual aids, to meet treatment objectives.
• Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of specific treatments or therapy approaches.