Music Therapy

Music Therapy Makes a Difference

Music therapy is a rapidly developing field that bridges the arts, sciences and humanities. Music therapists work in a broad range of healthcare and educational settings, providing music therapy to infants, children and adults, delivering music experiences that improve a person’s health, support their development, and bring meaning to their lives.

At Shenandoah, you will be immersed in a state-of-the-art curriculum that provides you with a rich clinical and musical preparation for professional life. This can include clinical simulations with standardized patients, working alongside nursing, physical therapy, and occupational therapy students in Shenandoah’s Interprofessional Education Program, completing a clinical placement at Winchester Medical Center, and attending the World Congress of Music Therapy as part of an academic course! All our music therapy programs are approved by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) and affirmed by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

In addition to your academic coursework, you have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of experiences that include music therapy conferences, NW Works Chimers, Music Therapy Colloquium, Interprofessional Education (IPE), and workshops with guest presenters. SUMTA, our student music therapy association, works actively to schedule special events and socials each semester to build community and connections between students.

All these experiences prepare you to work professionally as a music therapist. Our pass rate for the CBMT board certification exam is well above the national average, and our students are very successful finding jobs in the field after graduation.

Our faculty bring together more than 40 years of clinical and teaching experience, and continue to work in clinical and community settings. This keeps our teaching strongly connected to clinical practice, and strengthens your experiences preparing for internship and professional life.

Bachelor of Music Therapy

Shenandoah’s Bachelor of Music Therapy program prepares you to work professionally as a Board Certified Music Therapist with clients in a broad range of settings. Our program offers classical and jazz tracks and students can elect to complete a performance certificate to complement their music therapy studies. While being immersed in the creativity and energy of the conservatory, students can elect to complete minors in fields related to music therapy (e.g., psychology) while engaging in community placements and learning experiences specific to the music therapy program.

Music Therapy Equivalency Program

Shenandoah’s Professional Studies Program for Music Therapy Certification Eligibility is a graduate equivalency program that prepares students with an undergraduate degree in music or a related field (e.g., music education, psychology, liberal studies, etc.) to become Board Certified Music Therapists (MT-BC). Classes are held on campus two days a week and students work in small cohorts throughout their studies. The graduate equivalency program is completed in two years, including internship.

Master of Music Therapy

Shenandoah’s Master of Music Therapy degree provides advanced theoretical, clinical and musical knowledge and skills for those who already have the MT-BC credential and wish to advance their clinical practice knowledge. With an emphasis on psychological processes and depth-oriented clinical work, students can also complete coursework as part of Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) requirements in Virginia. As a distance learning program, students travel to campus two weekends each semester for intensive study, completing additional work through distance learning formats.

Master of Arts in Music Therapy & Professional Counseling

Shenandoah’s Master of Arts in Music Therapy and Professional Counseling integrates clinical mental health counseling and music therapy coursework to provide a comprehensive education emphasizing ethical and culturally responsive treatment strategies. This degree fulfills the academic requirements to become a nationally board certified Music Therapist (MT-BC) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia. This interdisciplinary degree offers core theoretical and clinical classes in both music therapy and clinical mental health counseling, preparing students to deliver evidence-based individual and group therapy in a broad range of clinical settings.

The Marion Sung Music Therapy Center

The Sung Music Therapy Center, located in rooms 213 and 215 of Ruebush Hall, is designed as a music therapy clinic space to provide students with opportunities to simulate, observe and experience music therapy sessions. Equipped with a broad range of instruments commonly utilized in music therapy sessions, the Sung Music Therapy Center also utilizes video recording technologies that allow students to record and analyze their sessions. In this collaborative environment, undergraduate and graduate students learn from each other in a supportive, dynamic learning space. Students also work in small supervision groups under the guidance of faculty, moving in and out of didactic and music learning spaces while doing so.

The Marian Sung Music Therapy Center is named after Professor Emeritus Marion Sung, B.A., M.M.Ed., who founded the music therapy program at Shenandoah University in 1974.