A Music Therapy Education at SU: Achieving Competence through Community Partnerships

A Music Therapy Education at SU: Curriculum Profiles

violinist hands

Music Therapy is a growing career field that has wide appeal for those who wish to combine a love of music with the desire to work in a helping profession. A music therapist is both a musician and a therapist. Musical skills, interpersonal skills and clinical knowledge are combined to accomplish a wide range of therapeutic outcomes. For example, preferred music and pulse may be used to strengthen a patient's walking ability during physical rehabilitation. Sedative music may be used to reduce signs of stress or perceptions of pain related to a medical procedure. Music improvisation may foster the emergence of communication for those with limited speaking capabilities. Song writing may allow for self-expression in times of psychological distress. Song and reminiscence may help patients to maintain recent or distant memories. Music-based leisure skills may be taught to enhance a person's re-entry into the community.

Music therapists are employed in a variety of educational and health-care settings, including special education schools, mental-health agencies, general hospitals, rehabilitation centers, correctional facilities, nursing homes, state institutions and in private practice. Music therapists are not only members of an interdisciplinary team in service to individuals, but are also periodically called upon to use their musical skills in support of the overall health of agencies served. Ultimately, music therapists first identify particular needs. They then systematically design a music therapy program with outcomes intended to be of therapeutic benefit. For this reason, music therapists tend to be creative, curious, resourceful, process-oriented, personable, problem solvers and empathetic. The Shenandoah Music Therapy faculty seeks to foster these attributes as students accomplish their educational and professional goals.

Shenandoah offers the Bachelor of Music Therapy (BMT), Professional Studies Program for Music Therapy Certification Eligibility (PSPMT) and the Master of Music Therapy (MMT). The Shenandoah music therapy program is approved by the American Music Therapy Association, Inc. Shenandoah Conservatory, the school in which the music therapy program is offered, is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. Students who complete either the BMT or the PSPMT are eligible to sit for the national examination in music therapy administered by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT). Students enrolled in MMT courses may simultaneously fulfill continuing education requirements established by the CBMT.

A Music Therapy Education at SU: Program Highlights

Marian Sung Music Therapy Center
Music therapy services offered by clinical staff for children and adults from the community are located in this endowed center. Student observations are regularly scheduled. State-of-the-art technology complements classroom instruction that is also provided in this space.

Technology
Neurobiofeedback software is available in support of instruction in music therapy and stress reduction. A state-of-the-art keyboard is available for composition and use as a therapeutic tool. Ipods are available for use in field placements. Digital audio and video resources are used to document music therapy services and in support of classroom instruction.

Contractual Services
Music therapy clinical staff offers more than 75 hours of contractual services per week to educational and health-care agencies in the community, providing students with observation and mentorship opportunities.

Federal Grant Activity
As a result of federal funding from the Administration on Aging, the Adult Care Center of the Northern Shenandoah Valley Inc., has been established as a music therapy model demonstration site for persons with probable Alzheimer's disease. Field placement and internship opportunities are available for undergraduate students, as well as research opportunities for graduate students.

SUMTA
The Shenandoah University Music Therapy Association (SUMTA), the students' link to state, regional and national organizations for music therapy, provides students with service-oriented opportunities in the community (including development of leadership and advocacy skills), as well as opportunities to attend music therapy workshops and conferences in support of their education at Shenandoah. SUMTA also serves as a link to other health-care student organizations on campus for learning, service and friendship.

21st Century Skills
Beyond preparing students for full time employment opportunities with a single agency, students are required to demonstrate skills related to new employment models, including the offering of contractual and consultant services. Skills include program development, proposal and grant writing, generating contracts, presenting workshops in the community and starting a music therapy group.

A Music Therapy Education at Shenandoah
Our philosophy is guided by the terms, awareness, application, integration and competency. The focus of faculty is twofold: to guide students toward a "best-practice" that is well-linked to theoretical foundations and supported in research, and to lead students toward new directions in music therapy, including prevention and wellness for individuals and communities.

American Music Therapy Association:
www.musictherapy.org/

Certification Board for Music Therapists:
www.cbmt.org/

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