B.M. in Music Therapy with Minor in Psychology

Introduction

The music therapy program provides students with the opportunity to develop comprehensive musicianship as well as clinical knowledge and skills within a rich musical, scholarly and communicative environment. Music therapy majors must demonstrate musical proficiency, either vocally or instrumentally, and must acquire musical competency on guitar, piano, voice and percussion.

Graduates of this program are prepared for careers as professional music therapists in a variety of health care and educational settings. Furthermore, graduates are eligible to take the Board Certification Exam in music therapy, leading to the credential, Music Therapist Board Certified (MT-BC). The music therapy curriculum is approved by the American Music Therapy Association, and is based on the clinical and research paradigm known as Neurologic Music Therapy.

To remain in the Music Therapy program, students must earn a minimum 2.5 GPA each semester. Additionally, music therapy core courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher. All internship applications must include a written letter of recommendation from a music therapy faculty member.

Educational Objectives

The music therapy program is designed to address three primary objectives:

• Comprehensive musicianship:  through intensive music study and performance experiences, students will articulate knowledge of music structure and style, produce aesthetically pleasing musical performances, and modify music for specific contexts.
• Knowledge of human behavior:  by studying both theory and scientific evidence, students will develop an in-depth understanding of the systems of the human body, the intricacies of human behavior, as well as developmental norms and deviations in each domain of functioning.
• Knowledge of Music Therapy:  students will engage in rigorous exploration of the theories and scientific evidence that support the use of music in a therapeutic context. Following the neurologic music therapy approach, all techniques learned in this program are based on scientific evidence regarding music perception and behavior. Furthermore, students have ample opportunity to establish and refine their therapeutic skills through five semesters of clinical practica in addition to a six-month, full-time clinical internship. Internship applications must include a written letter of recommendation from music therapy faculty member.

The Music Therapy Equivalency Program

The equivalency program is designed for the individual who has already completed a bachelor’s degree in a related discipline, including the following courses:

Music Theory I, II, III and IV; Music History I and II; Conducting, Arranging, Applied Lessons (6 semesters), Performing Ensembles (6 semesters), Piano Competency (2 semesters of either lessons or group piano) and Introduction to Psychology.

Beyond these courses, the program consists of 50 credit hours that can be completed in two years, followed by a six-month clinical internship. All internship applications must include a written letter of recommendation from a music therapy faculty member. Please contact the Music Therapy Program Director for a listing of the 50 credit hours.

If any of the prerequisite courses have not yet been completed, they can be taken at the University of Miami. Taking these additional courses, however, may lengthen the amount of time required to complete the equivalency program. In certain situations, alternate courses from other universities can substitute for the required courses. Depending on the nature of the course, this decision will be made by the undergraduate dean, in consultation with the Music Therapy Program Director.

In order to determine exactly how many credits are required to complete the equivalency program, the student should obtain official transcripts for their previous degree and meet with the music therapy program director. Following completion of the course and internship, students are then eligible to sit for the music therapy board certification exam and can become professional members of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). For students wishing to pursue graduate studies in music therapy, the equivalency program can be combined with the master’s degree in music therapy.

Curriculum Requirements

¹

EMC  and MED courses require a grade of “C” or higher.  Lessons require a grade of "B-" or higher.

²

 Students enrolling in MED 560 Music Therapy Internship II  are considered full-time. Health insurance is mandatory. International students must apply for CPT (Curricula Practical Training). This course confers full-time status for undergraduate students and fulfills a degree requirement for the Bachelor of Music Therapy degree program.

Advanced Writing and Communication Skills

Courses

All students are required to successfully complete 3 Advanced Writing and Communication Skills (AWC) courses. Student degree requirements will include courses that meet the desired communication outcomes in evaluated and revised writing, speaking, stage presence, and audience engagement.

All Music Therapy students will successfully complete:

1. MCY 141 Musical Trends and Traditions, which will include substantial evaluated and revised writing components.
2. MED 363 Senior Practicum, which will include evaluated communication skills in attracting an audience, engaging an audience during performance, and preparing program notes or similar media as appropriate to the medium/venue.
3. MED 551 Music Therapy Research Methods, which will include discipline specific communication skills.

Assessment

There will be at least 2 specific assessments in each Advanced Communications Skills course for communications or writing equivalent to 4000 words, evaluated and revised.

Suggested Plan of Study

¹

Students enrolling in MED 560 Music Therapy Internship II are considered full-time. Health insurance is mandatory but can be waived depending on visa status. International students must apply for CPT (Curricula Practical Training). This course confers full-time status for undergraduate students and fulfills a degree requirement for the Bachelor of Music Therapy degree program.

Mission

The mission of the Bachelor of Music degree program in Music Therapy at the Frost School of Music is to prepare students to develop: a) advanced and functional musicianship, b) music therapy clinical knowledge, and c) music therapy clinical skill. The preparation of students’ academic, professional, and interpersonal therapeutic abilities will satisfy the required standards of practice of an entry level practitioner as required by the American Music Therapy Association. The Frost program seeks to recruit and retain highly qualified students to study and gain entry-level clinical skill for music therapy practice and employment and to prepare them for graduate study.

Goals

The music therapy program is designed to address three primary objectives:

• Comprehensive musicianship:  through intensive music study and performance experiences, students will articulate knowledge of music structure and style, produce aesthetically pleasing musical performances, and modify music for specific contexts.
• Knowledge of human behavior:  by studying both theory and scientific evidence, students will develop an in-depth understanding of the systems of the human body, the intricacies of human behavior, as well as developmental norms and deviations in each domain of functioning.
• Knowledge of Music Therapy:  students will engage in rigorous exploration of the theories and scientific evidence that support the use of music in a therapeutic context. Following the neurologic music therapy approach, all techniques learned in this program are based on scientific evidence regarding music perception and behavior. Furthermore, students have ample opportunity to establish and refine their therapeutic skills through five semesters of clinical practica in addition to a six-month, full-time clinical internship. Internship applications must include a written letter of recommendation from music therapy faculty member.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Students will demonstrate functional music skills for clinical practice.
• Students will demonstrate effective treatment planning to include assessment of various diagnoses, setting of goals and objectives, designing therapeutic music experiences, accurate data collection of behavior, and ability to articulate client progress through both verbal and written means.
• Students will demonstrate effective clinical practice skills including the ability to facilitate client response through appropriate music interventions.