The Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Therapy is designed to help students acquire basic clinical competencies. Upon completion of coursework, students enter a six-month, full-time clinical internship. When the internship requirement has been met, candidates can take the board certification examination in music therapy and begin practice as a clinician.

The curriculum for the Bachelor of Music degree in Music Therapy is built upon the clinical and research paradigm known as Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT). This model utilizes scientific evidence regarding human perception and production of music to treat disorders of the human nervous system, such as autism, mental illness, or Parkinson’s Disease. The NMT approach is becoming increasingly recognized and accepted by the medical community and is currently only available at seven universities nation-wide.

Courses for this degree program are drawn from four main categories:

         MUSIC: Being a competent music therapist requires a solid foundation in all areas of music. Consequently,
         roughly half of the total credit hours required for the degree are allotted to studying music and acquiring specific
         musical skills.

         Courses in music include:

                  •  Applied instruction on principal instrument or voice
                  •  Piano skills
                  •  Music Theory
                  •  Music History and Literature
                  •  Conducting
                  •  Arranging/Orchestration
                  •  Music Technology
                  •  Functional Music Skills (percussion, voice, guitar, autoharp, recorder, piano and improvisation)
                  •  Performing Ensembles

         MUSIC THERAPY: Using music effectively as a therapeutic tool is based on knowing how the human brain and
         body utilize musical information. Through these interactive and experiential courses, students learn about the
         theory and research that supports the use of music in therapy. In addition, students have multiple opportunities
         to practice and refine their therapeutic skills. Before leaving campus to complete the internship, students take six
         semesters of practicum, which involves working with different clinical populations in the community. All clinical
         experiences are carefully supervised by board-certified music therapists.

         Content areas for music therapy coursework include:

                  •  Overview and History of the Music Therapy Profession
                  •  Music and Development
                  •  Music in Rehabilitation
                  •  Psychology of Music
                  •  Music in Psychotherapy

         BEHAVIORAL AND NATURAL SCIENCES: To work successfully with clients, music therapists rely on an in-depth
         understanding of the human body and the intricacies of human behavior. Students take several psychology
         courses, including child and adolescent development, statistics and abnormal psychology. Additional courses
         include human biology and psychobiology.

         GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: To achieve a well-rounded education, students also complete
         requirements in college algebra, English composition and the social sciences.

The curriculum for the Bachelor of Music degree in Music Therapy is approved by the American Music Therapy Association, the National Association for Schools of Music and the University of Miami.

For more information on this degree program, please contact:
Shannon K. de l’Etoile, Ph.D., MT-BC
Program Director, Music Therapy
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
305.284.3943