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What is music therapy? *
               Music therapy is an interpersonal process in which the therapist uses music and all of its facets-physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritual-to help clients to improve or maintain their health. In some instances, the client's needs are addressed directly through music; in others they are addressed through the relationships that develop between the client and therapist.

 

With whom is music therapy used? *
               Music therapy is used with individuals of all ages and with a variety of conditions, including: psychiatric disorders, medical problems, physical handicaps, sensory impairments, developmental disabilities, substance abuse, communication disorders, interpersonal problems, and aging. It is also used to: improve learning, build self-esteem, reduce stress, support physical exercise, and facilitate a host of other health-related activities.

 

Where do music therapists work? *
               Music therapists work in general hospitals, psychiatric facilities, schools, prisons, community centers, training institutes, private practices, and universities.

 

What do the clients do in music therapy? *
               What makes music therapy different from every other form of therapy is its reliance on music. Thus, every session involves the client in a musical experience of some kind. The main ones are improvising, re-creating, composing, and listening to music.
               In those sessions which involve improvising, the client makes up his or her own music extemporaneously, singing or playing whatever arises in the moment. The client may improvise freely, responding spontaneously to the sounds as they emerge, or the client may improvise according to the specific musical directions given by the therapist. Often the client is asked to improvise sound portraits of feelings, events, persons, or situations that are being explored in therapy. The client may improvise with the therapist, with other clients, or alone, depending on the therapeutic objective.
               In those sessions which involve re-creating music, the client sings or plays precomposed music. This kind of music experience may include: learning how to produce vocal or instrumental sounds, imitating musical phrases, learning to sing by rote, using musical notation, participating in sing-alongs, practicing, taking music lessons, performing a piece from memory, working out the musical interpretation of a composition, participating in a musical show or drama, and so forth.
               In those sessions which involve composing, the therapist helps the client to write songs, lyrics, or instrumental pieces, or to create any kind of musical product, such as music videos or audiotape programs. Usually the therapist simplifies the process by engaging the client in easier aspects of the task (e.g., generating a melody, or writing the lyrics of a song), and by taking responsibility for more technical aspects (e.g., harmonization, notation).
               In those sessions which involve listening, the client takes in and reacts to live or recorded music. The listening experience may focus on physical, emotional, intellectual, aesthetic, or spiritual aspects of the music, and the client may respond through activities such as: relaxation or meditation, structured or free movement, perceptual tasks, free-association, story-telling, imaging, reminiscing, drawing, and so forth. The music used for such experiences may be live or recorded improvisations, performances or compositions by the client or therapist, or commercial recordings of music literature in various styles (e.g., classical, popular, rock, jazz, country, spiritual, new age).
               In addition to these musical types of experiences, music therapists often engage clients in verbal discussions. Clients may be encouraged to talk about the music, their reactions to it, or any thoughts, images, or feelings that were evoked during the experience. Clients may also be encouraged to express themselves through the other arts, such as drawing, painting, dance, drama or poetry. Music therapy sessions for children often include various games or play activities which involve music.

 

Do the clients have to be musicians? *
               No, clients do not have to be musicians to participate in or benefit from music therapy. In fact, because most clients have not had previous musical training, music therapy sessions are always designed to take advantage of the innate tendencies of all human beings to make and appreciate music at their own developmental levels.
               Music therapists believe that all individuals, regardless of age or musical background, have a basic capacity for musical expression and appreciation. This basic capacity does not require the special talents or extensive training that highly accomplished musicians have, but rather stems from general learning and achievements that occur during the normal process of human development. Put another way, the process of human development prepares everyone to be a music-maker and music-lover-at a basic, but not necessarily professional, level. This basic or normal capacity for music includes the potential for learning to: sing, play simple instruments, move to music, react to the elements of music, perceive relationships between sounds, remember music, image to music, and ascribe meaning to musical experience.
               Of course, in clinical situations, music therapists often encounter clients who have physical or mental impairments that interfere with these basic musical potentials. In fact, much can be learned about the nature of the client's impairment by assessing which of the basic musical potentials are missing or inadequately developed. For example, a client with a communication disorder may be unable to: sing, articulate lyrics, reproduce rhythms or melodies, order sound sequences, or participate in a musical ensemble-depending upon the specific nature of the disorder.
               Care is always taken to adapt music therapy experiences to the capabilities of the client and to avoid anything that might cause harm or unnecessary pain of any kind. Music therapists also screen clients who may have adverse psychological or psychophysiological reactions to musical participation. Another important concern is the client's preferences with regard to types of musical activities, style of music, and medium of expression.

 

What determines how the music will be used? *
               Music therapy sessions are designed with several factors in mind. First and foremost, the therapist has to select the types of music experience to be used according to the goals of therapy and the needs of the client. Each of the music experiences described above requires something different from the client, and has a potentially different effect. For example, improvising and composing are both creative, but one is done extemporaneously and the other is not. Moreover, the improviser produces his/her own music, while the composer relies upon a performer. Continuing in this comparison, creating one's own music is quite different from re-creating or performing music already composed by someone else. A performer has to faithfully convey the musical ideas of another person, while an improviser or composer deals only with his or her own ideas. Finally, listening is quite different from the other types of music experience because it involves taking in and receiving the music, without being actively involved in its creation or production. The listener is active in a different way from the improviser, composer, and performer.
               The therapeutic implications of these differences are myriad. For example, improvisation is most appropriate for clients who need to develop spontaneity, creativity, freedom of expression, communication, and interpersonal skills-as these are the basic requirements of improvising. Many different clients manifest these needs, from emotionally disturbed children to acting out adolescents, and from developmentally delayed children to adults with psychiatric disorders. Improvising enables these clients to communicate and share feelings with others, while also helping them to organize their thoughts and ideas in a meaningful way.
               Re-creative experiences are most appropriate for clients who need to: develop sensorimotor skills, learn adaptive behaviors, maintain reality orientation, master different role behaviors, identify with the feelings and ideas of others, or work cooperatively towards common goals-as these are basic requirements of singing or playing pre-composed music. For example, individual singing lessons can help individuals who have speech impairments to help improve their articulation or fluency. In contrast, group singing can build reality orientation in elderly individuals, or help mentally retarded people develop adaptive behavior, or build cohesiveness in a dysfunctional family or group.
               Playing instruments can help physically disabled clients to develop gross and fine motor coordination. When combined with reading notation, playing instruments can help learning disabled children to develop auditory-motor or visual-motor integration. With emotionally disturbed children, instrumental ensembles can be used to overcome behavior problems and to control impulsivity. Instruments can also help mentally retarded individuals to better understand the world of objects.
               Activities involving composing music are used with clients who need to learn how to make decisions and commitments, and to find ways of working economically and within certain limitations. Often the idea expressed in a composition is a thought or feeling which is important to the person's life. Perhaps the best example is song-writing. With hospitalized children, writing songs can be a means of expressing and understanding their fears, and then leaving them there on the paper! Song-writing can also provide adults dying of cancer with a container for expressing their feelings-about life and death-while also serving as a parting gift to loved ones. Clients with drug or alcohol addictions often find group song-writing to be an excellent vehicle for examining irrational beliefs and fears, and for documenting their intention to change.
               Music listening experiences are used with clients who need to be activated or soothed physically, emotionally, intellectually or spiritually-as these are the kinds of responses that music listening elicits. For example, hospitalized patients find music listening helpful in relaxing, reducing stress, managing pain, and regulating body functions such as heart rate, breathing. It can also be arousing, energizing, and reassuring. With psychiatric patients, listening to songs invariably accesses ideas and thoughts that need to be examined and discussed, while also bringing to the surface feelings that need to be expressed and shared. With individuals in psychotherapy, music listening can be used to stimulate images, fantasies, associations, and memories, all of which contribute immeasurably to the process. And with elderly individuals, listening to music can facilitate structured reminiscence or a review of their lives.
               With learning disabled and mentally retarded children, perceptual listening tasks can be used to build auditory processing skills. Listening to songs and following the lyrics can also help these children to learn and memorize colors, numbers, vocabulary, behavior sequences and a host of other academic subjects. Finally, with all client populations music listening is of inimitable value in bringing about spiritual highs or peak experiences. Such experiences instill hope and courage, while reaffirming the beauty of life.
               The subtle and wonderful thing about music therapy is that, in actuality, every musical experience can be adapted to meet a broad spectrum of client needs. For example consider how: improvising can be adapted to explore experiences of structure as well as freedom: re-creating music can be adapted to encourage free self-expression as well as compliance with the score; composing can be adapted to require spontaneity as well as planned decision-making; and listening can be adapted to be active as well as passive, or physical as well as intellectual.

 

What do music therapists actually do? *
               Working as a music therapist essentially involves preparing, conducting, evaluating and documenting sessions with clients. Working with a client usually begins before the first session. The first step is to collect the necessary background information by reviewing any written records or referrals that may be available. Then in the first session, the music therapist usually conducts an assessment to determine the client's strengths and therapeutic needs. In a music therapy assessment, information on how the client makes, responds to, and relates to music is collected and analyzed, and then related to other aspects of the client's life. Based on the assessment findings, the music therapist formulates goals, sometimes with input from the client, the client's family, other professionals, or an interdisciplinary team of clinicians. Care is taken that the goals are realistic enough to be accomplished within the time frame set for therapy. Once goals have been set, the music therapist makes a treatment plan outlining possible strategies and music experiences that might be helpful in meeting the client's needs. In institutional settings, a meeting is usually held to coordinate treatment efforts and to formulate a program plan. As a result, the client is placed in individual, family, or group sessions, and the treatment phase of music therapy begins. Then after working with the client for a sufficient time, the music therapist conducts periodic evaluations to determine whether the methods of treatment are effective and whether the client is making any progress in reaching the prescribed goals, When necessary, adjustments are made in the goals or methods. Finally, when the time comes for ending therapy, the music therapist prepares the client for leaving and helps to bring some kind of closure to the process.
               In addition to these clinical procedures, music therapists may have other responsibilities, depending upon the work setting, the client populations, and the therapist's job requirements. In hospital settings, music therapists may develop listening programs to meet various patient needs, produce shows or various kinds of musical events involving patients, arrange for patients to attend concerts in the community, or direct various kinds of recreational or therapeutic activities. In schools, music therapists may consult with classroom teachers or develop group music programs for special students. In the community, music therapists may consult with psychologists or psychiatrists, or provide musical instruction to special children. Music therapists working in institutions also have other duties such as ordering necessary equipment and supplies, and maintaining them. As will be discussed later, music therapists may also have positions which require administration, supervision, consultation, or teaching.

 

What qualities should a music therapist have? *
               Individuals who go into music therapy are typically musicians who have a sincere desire to use their love and talents for music to help others. Often there is an equal interest in music and psychology or medicine.
               Musicianship is an essential quality. Being a music therapist requires an in-depth understanding of the power of music, and the ability to reach others through singing and playing instruments. Music therapy students can major in any performance medium, however most training programs place additional emphasis on piano, guitar and voice, as these media are used most frequently in the clinical setting. Music therapists also have to have a breadth of musical knowledge and ability. They are frequently called upon to know about or perform classical music as well as country, rock, jazz and popular styles.
               The successful music therapist is in good physical and mental health and has the motivation, stamina, and maturity necessary for working with exceptional individuals in a therapeutic way. It goes without saying that a therapist has to be a sensitive and caring person who can accept differences in others. Just as important, a therapist should also have the self-awareness and emotional stability needed to enter a helping relationship with individuals who have problems. The best therapists are those who have healed themselves! This is why therapy is often recommended as an essential experience for therapists, both during training and at various times during their clinical career. Music therapists should receive music therapy themselves!

 

How do I become a music therapist? *
               To become a music therapist, one has to complete an undergraduate degree in music therapy (or it equivalence) at an accredited college or university, do an approved internship of approximately 1040 supervised clinical hours, and then obtain certification by passing a national examination given by the Certification Board for Music Therapist (CBMT).
               Approximately 70 colleges and universities in the USA offer bachelor's degrees and equivalency programs in music therapy. The bachelor's degree usually requires about 130 semester hours or credits plus the internship. This usually takes 4 1/2 years to complete. The curriculum is divided into three main subjects: 1) Music (Theory, History, Performance, Composition, Conducting, Ensembles, and Functional Piano, Guitar and Voice); 2) Music Therapy (Foundations, Methods and Materials, Practicum, Research, etc.); and 3) General Studies (English, Math, Languages, Psychology, Physical Sciences, Humanities, Arts, etc.). In the internship, the student works in a clinical agency under the direct supervision of music therapists, and learns to assume the full range of responsibilities of a professional.
               Equivalency programs are for students who already have a bachelor's degree in an area other than music therapy. These programs usually require the student to take all core music therapy courses at the undergraduate level and to make up any deficiencies the student may have in supportive areas such as anatomy, psychology, music, etc. Essentially, equivalency students have to complete all courses required in the undergraduate music therapy degree program which they have not already taken. Those who already have a degree in music performance or music education can usually complete an equivalency program and the internship in about two years; students who do not have a music degree may take significantly longer. Many students work on a master's degree while completing equivalency requirements.
               Several colleges and universities offer a master's degree in music therapy. It usually requires 30 semester hours or credits beyond the undergraduate or equivalency program. The curriculum consists of advanced courses in music therapy, music, and supportive areas. A thesis or final project and a comprehensive examination are also required. Typically, a master's degree takes two years to complete.
               A few universities offer doctoral degrees in music therapy. Typically, these are housed in the music or music education department.

 

What are certification requirements? *
               Certification in music therapy is granted by the Certification Board for Music Therapists: upon completion of a degree or equivalency program in music therapy at a college or university approved by the American Music Therapy Association, and upon satisfactory completion of a nationally standardized examination on music therapy. Once certified, every music therapist is also required to maintain and update their knowledge and skills through continuing education.

 

What organizations represent music therapy? *
               There are two organizations in the USA representing the profession and professionals of music therapy:

The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA)
8455 Colesville Rd, .Suite 930
Silver Spring MD 20910
Tel: 301-589-3300
Fax: 301-589-5175
http://www.musictherapy.org

The Certification Board for Music Therapist (CBMT)
589 Southlake Blvd.
Richmond VA 23236-3093
800-765-2268 or 804-379-9497

               AMTA membership numbers approximately 4,000 professionals and students. Working in tandem, these associations serve the profession and healthy community at-large by (1) establishing standards for professional competence, ethical conduct, clinical services, and education and training: (2) implementing these standards through individual certification and institutional approval functions; (3) promoting and disseminating research through publications; (4) familiarizing the health, education, and legislative communities with the applications of music therapy; and (5) developing employment opportunities.

 

What is Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy? **
               The Nordoff-Robbins approach to creative music therapy is based upon the belief that there is an inborn musicality residing in every human being that can be activated in the service of personal growth and development. This self-actualizing potential is most effectively awakened through the use of improvisational music in which the individual's innate creativity is used to overcome emotional, physical, and cognitive difficulties. In this form of co-creative endeavor, clients take an active role in creating music together with their therapists on a variety of standard and specialized instruments. Because instruments can be chosen which are expressively gratifying yet do not require special skills to play, no prior experience or training in music is required of clients.
               Nordoff-Robbins therapists work worldwide with a broad range of people, including disabled children, individuals under psychiatric care, self-referred adults seeking a creative approach to emotional difficulties or personal development, and individuals with medical problems and in geriatric care. In all of its applications this work emphasizes the potency of individualized musical experiences as a means of developing relationship and the inner resources of clients. Spontaneous, clinically directed musicianship is combined with a humanistic concern for the needs and growth potential of the individual in overcoming the barriers to a more gratifying life imposed by disability, disease and trauma. Music and musical experience are the primary areas in which the therapist intervenes and in which the client's development takes place.
               First developed by Dr. Paul Nordoff and Dr. Clive Robbins, this approach is now practiced by hundreds of therapists internationally. Facilities dedicated to its application exist in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, and Scotland and an organization devoted to its study exists in Japan. In all of its forms, the practice is both artistic and scientific: artistic in the creativity and aesthetic sensitivity with which therapists create music to meet individual client needs; scientific in the thoroughness with which the tape recording of each session is studied and documented to effect ongoing assessment and treatment planning.

 

Who are Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapists? **
               Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapists have completed a 2 year post-graduate advanced clinical training in Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy which includes clinical practice, weekly supervision, and coursework:

1. Clinical Practice
                  Candidates participate in the following clinical and related activities: individual and group music therapy with experiences as primary therapist and co-therapist; video/audio documentation (indexing) and analysis of therapy sessions; conferences with parents of child clients; communication with professionals involved in clients' treatment; report writing; development of video technique in filming and producing clinical oriented video recordings of therapy sessions; compilation of video excerpts and/or research studies of music therapy processes; presentation of one case study of individual therapy including video examples and spoken commentary.

2. Supervision
                  Candidates have a clinical supervisor with whom they meet for a minimum of one hour of individual supervision each week. At times, the trainee and supervisor will conduct clinical work as a team. Supervision is used to facilitate the candidate's integration of the various experiences in Nordoff-Robbins coursework and clinical work. Support is offered in a variety of areas: musical skill-building and enhanced listening ability through review of audio/video recordings; addressing clinical issues emerging from sessions; and, processing personal reactions and their emergence in music.

3. Coursework
                  The Nordoff-Robbins training program is unique in its comprehensive focus on the clinical application of music, and the development of musical resources. In addition to clinical work, candidates are required to take courses:
   • Clinical Improvisation
   • Clinical Musicianship
   • Practice and Theory of Group Music Therapy
   • Certification Seminar
   • Clinical Improvisation Workshop

Clinical Improvisation focuses on developing musical resources and practical skills, studying various musical styles, idioms and forms. Goals include increasing responsiveness and learning to improvise with a sense of compositional form and clinical intention. Individual reactions to music, as well as students' personal musical styles, will be explored. Clinical Musicianship offers lectures that articulate the philosophical foundations of this work and illuminate empirically the process of music therapy through detailed analysis of individual therapy case presentations. Whenever possible, ideas from the lectures are worked on practically on piano or guitar. Practice and Theory of Group Music Therapy covers a variety of topics through practice and direct application: Clinical considerations including goals, stages of development of the individual & group, the place of improvisation and composition in group process; leadership styles; Techniques involved in improvising songs and developing instrumental improvisations; Techniques involved in both leading and playing composed or arranged songs and instrumental pieces; Composing vocal and instrumental pieces based on the needs of specific clients; Selection, care and use of a large number of specially-designed and general instruments. Certification Seminar provides participants with an opportunity to share excerpts of their ongoing work and receive practical feedback on their clinical-musical interventions. It will also be a place to follow up in more depth on some of the philosophical foundations addressed in the class on Clinical Musicianship. Clinical Improvisation Workshop is a forum to explore and further develop musical resources for specific clinical situations. The focus is on practical, clinical techniques and role-playing specific situations that arise in trainees' clinical practice.

 

What is Analytical Music Therapy?
               Analytical Music Therapy (AMT) is an approach to music therapy developed by Mary Priestley in the early 1970's in England. Priestley characterizes AMT as the analytically-informed symbolic use of improvised music by the therapist and client. Music is used as a creative tool with which to explore the client's inner life, so as to provide the way for greater self-knowledge and growth.
               AMT is influenced by the theories of Sigmund Freud and Melanie Klein. In the AMT approach, the relationship between therapist and client is an integral part of the therapeutic process. Aspects of the relationship, such as transference, counter-transference, and resistance are identified to foster client insight and client growth. Music plays the primary role in establishing the therapeutic relationship. Both the music therapist and the music are used in therapy to facilitate the client's exploration of fundamental relationships, situations, life patterns, as well as specific current issues. Therefore, musical and verbal processes are equally important in evoking the client's thoughts, feelings and memories. In addition, since the therapeutic medium is music, children or verbally limited clients can also benefit from AMT by working on a preverbal level without much verbal processing. Children's musical playing is healing, in itself. Especially for children, their imagination expressed through music easily accesses the conscious and unconscious mind.
                AMT goals are to identify issues underlying the difficulties that bring the client to therapy, to therapeutically work through dysfunctional patterns of the past, to strengthen the client's ego, and to reconstruct new patterns of interaction of the client. The aim is to bring about harmony of mind, body and spirit, as well as to reconnect the client his/her creativity. Specifically, in each session, the therapist and client identify specific therapy themes and goals, play music - either improvised or pre-composed music - and/or listen to music and/or discuss music. The therapist facilitates the client's playing by simultaneously creating music around the client's musical responses. At times, the therapist closely listens to the music that the client is making; the therapist and client identify and analyze the verbal and musical processes. Several techniques are used for probing the conscious, accessing the unconscious, and for ego-strengthening, such as emotional investigation, dream work, reality rehearsals, and exploring relationships. (Audio-taping or video-taping can be used to analyze the sessions.)
                AMT is inclusive in its nature. It is a most effective tool for individuals who wish to gain personal insight, as well as those who wish to improve interpersonal relationships and enhance identity development. For both adults and children, AMT expresses the individual self, one's culture, and one's life as whole.

 

Who are Analytical Music Therapists?
               Analytical Music Therapy requires the therapist to go through a systematic program of advanced clinical training. It is a selective postmaster's program, usually spanning two years. It entails clinical training in techniques and strategies, the conduct of actual therapy, case studies, individual and group supervision, the study of psychology, as well as the experience of going through an Analytical Music Therapy, oneself. The ultimate goal is to experience the integration of "musical, verbal, relational, aesthetic, intellectual, emotional, psychological and spiritual content into [the analytical music therapist's] being, and hence, into the clinical work."

Stage 1: Initial Experience of Analytical Music Therapy
               The trainee undergoes individual and group music therapy sessions, conducted by the analytical music therapy supervisor. The duration of this stage will depend upon the student therapist's understanding of himself and the therapeutic process.

Stage 2: Intertherapy
               The student therapist is paired with another student therapist for a minimum of 12 sessions. They each take the role of the therapist and the client. The sessions are observed, critiqued, and analyzed by the analytical music therapy supervisor. The student therapists are required to meet personal, technical, artistic, and theoretical competencies. At the end of the stage, the student therapist is required to write what he/she has learned from this process/experience about AMT and himself/herself.

Stage 3: Individual and Group Supervision
               The student therapist undergoes weekly supervision. Cases are discussed and analyzed. Counter-transference is identified, and worked-though musically and verbally. Supervision is initially individual, and then proceeds to a group format. Group supervision consists of 4-5 supervisees. They are encouraged to share their work, and exchange constructive feedback. The supervisor critiques the work, makes suggestions, and uses the actual cases as opportunities to teach further techniques. At the end of this stage, the trainee writes an evaluation of himself and the other trainees. The supervisor evaluates each trainee individually.

               After all requirements are completed, the music therapist receives a certificate as an Analytical Music Therapist. Further, following the completion of AMT Training, the AMT Therapist is encouraged to get weekly supervision as an ongoing process.

 

What is Guided Imagery and Music (GIM)?
               The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music, created by music therapist Helen Bonny, is a therapy process in which the client images freely to recorded, classical music while dialoguing with a trained guide. The imagery can include any kind of imagination experience, such as sensations, feelings, memories, and fantasies. Throughout the process, the guide supports and encourages the client's development through careful selections of music, skillful intervention, and a caring presence.
               Through the Bonny Method, clients access and work through various barriers to greater inner wholeness. Typical goals include improved mood, deepened personal insight, healed emotional wounds, increased self-esteem, greater clarity in one's sense of life meaning and/or purpose, and spiritual development. Persons who most typically benefit from this method include those with depression, anxiety (including post-traumatic stress and childhood trauma), medical conditions (such as cancer, in various stages), chemical dependency, relationship issues, and grief from personal loss. Persons without specific therapeutic issues may also participate in the Bonny Method, to attain even greater personal integration and self-actualization.
               At the Rebecca Center, Bonny Method guides are advanced-level music therapists with either master's or doctoral degrees, who have undergone the rigorous training required to practice the method (including several years of intensive workshop attendance and supervised practice sessions).

 

Does music therapy exist in other countries?
               Yes, one can find music therapists and music therapy organizations in many other countries. In fact, there is a world federation of music therapy associations and world congresses are held every three years. To find out more, write to the AMTA for an international directory.

 

How do I learn more about music therapy?
               First, go to the library and read! There are hundreds of books and articles on music therapy and its myriad applications, and most public and university libraries have a basic collection on the topic. There are also three professional journals in the USA. Their titles are: The Journal of Music Therapy, Music Therapy Perspectives, and Music Therapy: Journal of the American Association for Music Therapy. Once you have an overview of the field, contact the AMTA, and find out if there are any agencies near you that employ music therapists, and ask for a list of colleges and universities that offer music therapy programs. If possible, try to observe a music therapist at work, or visit a music therapy class at a nearby college, or attend one of the association conferences. These experiences will deepen your understanding of the field significantly.

 

What books should I read first?
               This depends upon what your particular interests are. For overviews of different aspects of the field, any of the one listed on the next page would be helpful, but keep in mind that there are many, many more! To obtain books and materials on music therapy, contact:

MMB Music
3526 Washington Ave.
St. Louis MO 63103-1019
Tel: 800-543-3771
web: http://www.mmbmusic.com

Barcelona Publishers
4 White Brook Road
Gilsum NH 03448
Tel 800-345-6665
e-mail: pbs@top.monad.net

American Music Therapy Association (See above)

 

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Selected Bibliography on Music Therapy

Aigen, K. (1998). Paths of Development in Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy. Gilsum NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Aldridge, D. (1996). Music Therapy Research and Practice in Medicine. London: Jessica Kingsley.

Bonny, H. & Savary, L. (1973). Music and Your Mind. New York: Harper-Row.

Borczon, R. (1997). Music Therapy: Group Vignettes. Gilsum NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Boxill, E. (1985). Music Therapy for the Developmentally Disabled. Rockville MD: Aspen Systems.

Boxill, E. (1997). The Miracle of Music Therapy. Gilsum NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Bruscia, K. (1987). Improvisational Models of Music Therapy. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.

Bruscia, K. (1991). Case Studies in Music Therapy. Gilsum NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Bruscia, K. (1998). Defining Music Therapy (Second Edition). Gilsum NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Bruscia, K. (1998). The Dynamics of Music Psychotherapy. Gilsum NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Bunt, L. (1994). Music Therapy: An Art Beyond Words. New York: Routledge.

Davis, W., Gfeller, K., & Thaut, M. An Introduction to Music Therapy: Theory and Practice. Dubuque IA: William C. Brown.

Froehlich, M. (Ed.). (1996). Music Therapy with Hospitalized Children. Cherry Hill NJ: Jeffrey Books.

Furman, C. (Ed.). (1996). Effectiveness of Music Therapy Procedures: Documentation of Research and Clinical Practice. Silver Spring MD: AMTA.

Gaston, E. (1968). Music in Therapy. New York: MacMillan.

Hanser, S. (1987). Music Therapist's Handbook. St. Louis: Warren H. Green.

Heal, M., & Wigram, T. (1993). Music Therapy in Health and Education. London: Jessica Kingsley.

Hibben, J. (1999). Inside Music Therapy: Client Experiences. Gilsum NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Katsh, S., & Merle-Fishman, C. (1998). The Music Within You. Gilsum NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Lee, C. (1996). Music at the Edge. New York: Routledge.

Levin, H., & Levin, G. (1998). Learning Through Music. Gilsum NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Maranto, C. Dileo (1991). Applications of Music in Medicine. Silver Spring, MD: AMTA.

Maranto, C. Dileo (1993). Music Therapy: International Perspectives. Pipersville, PA: Jeffrey Books.

Munro, S. (1984). Music Therapy in Palliative/Hospice Care. St. Louis: MMB Music.

Nordoff, P. & Robbins, C. (1977). Creative Music Therapy. New York: John Day.

Plach, T. (1980). The Creative Use of Music in Group Therapy. Springfield IL: Charles C Thomas.

Prickett, C., & Standley, J. (Eds.) (1995). Research in Music Therapy: A Tradition of Excellence. Silver Spring MD: AMTA.

Priestley, M. (1994). Essays on Analytical Music Therapy. Gilsum NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Robbins, C., & Robbins, C. (1980). Music for the Hearing Impaired and Other Special Groups. St. Louis MO: MMB Music

Ruud, E. (1998). Music Therapy: Improvisation, Communication and Culture. Gilsum NH: Barcelona Pub.

Unkefer, R. (1990). Music Therapy in the Treatment of Adults with Mental Disorders. New York: Schirmer.

Wheeler, B. (Ed.). (1995). Music Therapy Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives. Gilsum NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Wigram, T., Saperston, B., & West, R. (Eds.) (1995). The Art and Science of Music Therapy: A Handbook. Chur, Switzerland: Harwood Academic Publishers.

Wilson, B. (1996). Models of Music Therapy Interventions in School Settings. Silver Spring MD: AMTA.

 

* Taken from the American Music Therapy (AMTA) website

 

** Taken from The Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy at New York University website