7 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Music Therapy

After many years as a music therapist, I have started to think about what I wish I had known about being a music therapist when I was starting out. Here is that list - the top 7 things that I wish someone had told me about music therapy:

1. Sometimes you have to choose - job or location. You often can't get both. If you want a music therapy job rather than anything else, you will probably have to relocate. If you want to live in a specific place, you may not be able to find a music therapy job. If you can go anywhere, you can find a music therapy job.
2. Music theory is important. I once asked a bunch of interns for the advice they would give to almost interns. Almost unanimously, they said, "Don't sell your theory book back!" I laughed at that truth. The one thing that I use on a daily basis is music theory. There is a reason we take those courses - primarily, our clients are our reason. To become effective music therapists, we often have to use music theory to write music, to transpose music, to be musicians. Keep those books and use them!
3. There is an annual fee for Board Certification. Was anyone else surprised when the "Maintenance Fee" arrived in their mailbox that first year? I was. No one had ever mentioned that CBMT also had an annual fee. All we talked about were the fees associated with taking the test. I understand why there is a fee - CBMT does great things for us and that takes money, but I do not recall EVER getting any information about that annual payment.
4. There will be times when you do not feel that you are doing anything important, but you are. There will be times when you are referred to as "the music man/lady." There will be times when your boss can only see "happy children making happy sounds." This is an indication of the sophistication of music therapy. People on the outside of the profession will not often realize everything that you are doing in a session. Your clients will often not realize everything that you are doing in a session, but they will feel the intervention and realize that something is happening. If you are lucky, your clients will be able to tell you those things. If not, you will have to find someone who can reinforce those thoughts for you.
5. You have to be a constant advocate for music therapy. Do you know why we are asked to develop our philosophy of music therapy? Because we will have to talk to people about music therapy constantly. Think I'm kidding? I'm not. Every time you mention your job, you will have to explain it. It is important to have your idea of music therapy straight in your mind so you can explain what you do to others.
6. Your relationship with music will change. When music becomes your tool, your way of listening, making, and interacting with music changes. You may find that you don't want to listen to music outside of your therapeutic sessions. You may find that you need to listen to music that is very different from what you use in your sessions. You may find that you have a deep need to make music just to be making music - more for personal therapeutic gains than for others. Your relationship with music will deepen and probably in ways that you will not expect.
7. There will be days when nothing goes right, but there will be more days when things go as or better than planned. We are humans, so we are not perfect. There will be times when not one of your clients responds. There will be times when you can't really find that connection with your client, and that is fine. We tend to remember the bad sessions more clearly than the good or great sessions, but those not-so-good sessions are part of being in a therapeutic relationship. If you do have a lousy session, think about what made it seem so lousy. If it's clear to you where things went wrong, be proactive and change that element of the session. If it's not clear to you, talk the experience over with someone who can help you figure it out. I promise you, there will be more good or even great sessions than lousy ones.

It is my hope for you, fellow music therapist, that you will find more joy in being a music therapist than frustration, more beautiful music than not, and the opportunity to make a difference in the life of another. That, for me, has been the best thing about music therapy as a life choice.