Music Therapy

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Music Therapy Makes a Difference

Music therapy is a rapidly developing field that bridges the arts, sciences and humanities. At Shenandoah, this means you can have experiences as diverse as performing with the orchestra on an international tour of South America, taking classes in the virtual reality lab, working alongside nursing, pharmacy and occupational therapy students in the interprofessional education program, completing a clinical placement at INOVA hospital, and attending the World Congress of Music Therapy in Japan as part of an academic course!

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

In addition to your academic coursework, you have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of special events, including Music Therapy Colloquium, the Lunch and Learn series, Graduate Research Symposium, 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.

Our faculty bring together more than 30 years of clinical and teaching experience, and many are still working clinically. 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 school, medical, mental health, hospice and rehabilitation settings. Our program offers both a classical and jazz emphasis and you are immersed in the energy of the Conservatory, taking classes and performing alongside dance, theater and performance majors.

Master of Music Therapy

Shenandoah’s 34-credit 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, while developing skills as a researcher. As a distance learning program, students travel to campus three weekends each semester for intensive study, completing additional work through distance learning formats.

Professional Studies Certificate Program

Shenandoah’s Professional Studies Program for Music Therapy Certification Eligibility provides a comprehensive course of graduate-level study for students who have completed an undergraduate degree in music or a related field (e.g. music education, psychology, liberal studies, etc.) and wish 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 program is completed in two years, including internship.

Spotlights

Bryant ’23 Awarded First Ben-Dov Family, Luminescence Foundation Music Therapy Scholarship

Kalysta Bryant ’23 (Bachelor of Music Therapy) was awarded the first Ben-Dov Family, Luminescence Foundation Music Therapy Scholarship. In partnership with A Place to Be, Bryant will receive a $12,000 scholarship that provides tuition support and a stipend to support their internship in A Place to Be’s Medical Music Therapy Internship with INOVA Healthcare. “The […]

NW Works Chimers Celebrates Successful Annual Concert

The music therapy program hosted its annual NW Works Chimers Concert on Dec. 10, in Armstrong Concert Hall, with more than 200 people in attendance. The Chimers program is directed by Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music Therapy Musicianship Fredrica Dooley-Brown ’11, ’19, M.M.T., MT-BC., and is a Suzuki tone-chime choir composed of disabled adult musicians […]

Shenandoah University music therapy and physical therapy students work with a pediatric patient

Music Therapy, Physical Therapy Students Team Up To Provide Care To Pediatric Patients

Shenandoah University students in the music therapy and physical therapy programs have teamed up to apply skills from their respective fields to the care of two pediatric patients, showcasing the benefits of cross-disciplinary approaches in health care. Beginning in the Spring 2022 semester, students from both programs worked collaboratively to provide therapy to 14-year-old Thurston […]

Alumni Successes

Research by Byers ’20 Highlighted by Oxford University Press

Research by Cassie Byers ’20, M.M.T., MT-BC, for her master’s degree at Shenandoah University was highlighted in a compendium of articles created by Oxford University Press called “Clinical Skills: Getting Started in Your Medical Career.” Scroll down to “Preparing for Specialities” to see Byers’ article, “Professional Identity Formation in Early Career Music Therapists.”

Study Co-researched by Leone ’17 Accepted for Publication in American Journal of Critical Care

A Place To Be’s Director of Medical Music Therapy Ray Leone ’17, MT-BC, (Master of Music Therapy), critical care nurse specialist Amanda Golino MSN, RN, CCRN, and the research team at INOVA Loudoun had their latest intensive care unit (ICU) music therapy study accepted for publication in the American Journal of Critical Care. “The INOVA team, […]

Landless ’04, ’13 Earns Ph.D. in Creative Arts Therapies

Assistant Professor of Music Therapy Bronwen Landless ’04, ’13, Ph.D., MT-BC, successfully defended her dissertation “Therapeutic Songwriting with People Experiencing Homelessness: Exploring the Impact on Participants and their Surrounding Communities” at Drexel University last month as the culmination of her Ph.D. in the Creative Arts Therapies program.