A Perplexing Question About Who Should (and Should Not) Use Therapeutic Music Experiences

I am in the center of a dilemma.

It's one that I've been wrestling with for a while (since I started up my Teachers Pay Teachers store) about how to express to people that aren't music therapists that they cannot call what they do with my materials "music therapy" without the proper training, education, experience, etc. Interestingly, this topic came up on one of my social media feeds today, so now I am really thinking about this particular dilemma.

The unfortunate answer to this question is that I cannot control what other people say about music therapy. I cannot police the entire world for the use of the phrase "music therapy" for appropriate uses and inappropriate uses. I cannot control the people who think that playing a streaming service playlist titled, "Musical Therapy," is equivalent to hiring me to work with their clients. I cannot be that person for all other people in the world.

I CAN focus on the folks that I reach directly.

I make visual aids to post on my store site, and I often include a piece of original sheet music. I have branded myself as a music therapist on the site, and I try to include some therapeutic goals in the visual aid digital files. I've been hesitant to release my full-blown therapeutic music experience (TME) plans on Teachers Pay Teachers because I don't want just anyone to purchase one of my visuals and then start calling the times when they sing the song and use the visual "music therapy." I've toyed around with making TME collections available on that platform, but the idea of others doing music therapy experiences without knowing what I know about music and the ways that music can support or harm development keeps me from doing that thing without some sort of checks and balances in place. I've thought about linking purchases to CBMT or AMTA or other verifiable music therapy organization membership, but that kinda defeats the purpose of making things available on Teachers Pay Teachers.

At this time, I offer TMEs on my website through my own storefront and visual aids on Teachers Pay Teachers. I don't verify any type of music therapy credential or certification. I think it is time to strengthen my disclaimer on my files to express that using the TME ideas does not mean that the person leading the experience can call it or themselves music therapy or music therapist.  

Now, I have no problem with a teacher purchasing my Gonna Carve a Pumpkin file and singing the song with his students. I really don't. I believe that any exposure to music is beneficial to human beings, so I don't want to keep my songs away from people who will use them. I do, however, want to make sure that the same teacher is aware that his use of the song is significantly different than my use of that song. I don't want him thinking that he can be a music therapist simply by singing a song.

I am going to write a page for each one of my files that talks about music therapy and how we become therapists. I'll add links to AMTA, WFMT, and CBMT on that page. I'll talk about how you can certainly sing the song, but you cannot call that act "music therapy." It will be included in each of my files from now on.

I see this as both title protection and professional advocacy. I also see this as something that is important for us to remember. We are not the "music police." I am not in charge of all the music that my clients hear. I offer a small piece of their music exposure, and others use music all the time. The teachers and clinicians that I work with do not call what they do with music "music therapy." They know that what I do and what they do with the same musical piece is significantly different. They also know that I don't call drawing to music "Art Therapy" - respect goes both ways. By reminding folks of the ideas, education, clinical training, and research that is out there for us as music therapists, there may be someone out there who starts to say, "Music Therapy time," who will change it to "Music time" because of something they read on one of my files. 

And, that's a win for the entire profession.

Hey, if you are interested in some TME ideas, check out the sing about songs page on my website. I have about seven different TME collections for sale - all based on a different theme, and all written by a music therapist for music therapists. There's a summer themed freebie. Contact me for more information about that sing about summer, and I'll send it along to you. Also, get ready for a new subscription service happening soon - more details later this month! Also, check out my Teachers Pay Teachers store - there's a free file there as well! Everything else is pretty inexpensive - on purpose, dear fellow therapists - so look for new files!

Also, if you have any ideas of things that need to be included on my new page included with all future products, let me know. I will be working on that this evening and want to cover as many of the bases as I can...