So, When Is the Right Time??

The most recent controversy in the music therapy world has come in the form of two position papers submitted to the AMTA Assembly of Delegates by the Education and Training Advisory Board. In the interest of full disclosure here, I am a member of the Education and Training Advisory Board (or, ETAB, as we refer to it using an acronym - whole other story) and was actively involved in writing both of the position papers, so please take my comments with all of the bias that is present from being actively involved in this situation...

ANYWAY,

These papers, available on the AMTA website at the following addresses:

Master's Level Entry: Core Considerations
http://www.musictherapy.org/assets/1/7/Masters_Level_Entry_Core_Considerations.pdf

Master's Level Entry: Moving Forward
http://www.musictherapy.org/assets/1/7/Masters_Entry-Moving_Forward.pdf

...have been the topic of Town Hall Meetings and discussions around the music therapy regions of the United States this spring. It has been interesting to be a part of this discussion in one region, and I will be preparing to travel to a conference in my home region next weekend to continue the discussion.

One of the comments that has been offered on these papers is that "this is not the time" for a shift in our educational practices.

This comment has stayed with me and is challenging my thoughts on the proposed changes. Now, for the record, I am in favor of starting this change at this time. The comment posed above, though, has made me stop for a moment.

Now, I understand that change is often scary and that this change is a biggie, but what I want to know is, if the time is not now, then when we will know that it is time?

I am a person who enjoys structure, guidelines, rules, task analyses, and criteria. (This does have something to do with my points above, I promise!) I am seeking specific events or criteria that will indicate to us as a profession when the time has arrived to start this process. If you do not feel that the time is now, then when will you know that the time has arrived??

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