Music Therapy
Music therapy students receive supervised clinical training and education in the applied use of musical, clinical and interpersonal skills to address healthcare needs of people in diverse individual and group settings each semester starting the second semester of their program. Students get practical applied experience in the types of facilities in which graduates are often hired: schools, pediatric hospitals, long term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, behavioral health facilities, Hospice, etc. Students also learn skills that prepare them to work as creative professionals within interprofessional collaborative settings.
B.S. in Music Therapy Program Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate all learning outcomes required for the B.A. in Music.
- Demonstrate functional clinical music skills in guitar, piano, voice, and percussion.
- Develop professional competency in areas of music foundations, clinical foundations, and music therapy knowledge.
Proficiency Examinations
Music therapy students (campus and online) must demonstrate competent music skills as outlined in the American Music Therapy Association Professional Competencies in voice, piano, guitar and percussion. In addition, degree seeking students must pass all components of piano proficiency outlined in the catalog and student handbooks. All music therapy students must pass Competency Examinations in the areas of Guitar, Voice and Piano.
Clinical Training and Academic Requirements
Students must complete at least 1,200 clock hours of music therapy clinical training. A minimum of 180 pre-internship hours are accrued in field/practicum experiences (in conjunction with Practicum course sequence).
A minimum of 900 hours are accrued during internship. Successful completion of the internship is a degree requirement. Admission to the internship requires: a cumulative GPA of 2.0; an average of 2.5 in all music courses; a “B-” or better in all music therapy courses; and a recommendation from the Program Coordinator and/or Director of Music Therapy. Study of the applied instrument and ensemble participation are required each semester except during the internship. Requirements are specified in the Individual Training Plan which is presented to students at the commencement of their first practicum by their academic advisor, and reviewed each academic year until completion of the program. Degree-seeking music therapy majors must take MU-200 (American Music: From Jamestown to James Brown and Beyond) to fulfill the Woods Core “Fine Arts” requirement.
Successful completion of academic and clinical requirements, including meeting the Professional Characteristics and Disposition requirements leads to eligibility to take the music therapy board examination administered by the Certification Board for Music Therapists. (Further information about the Individual Training Plan and the Professional Characteristics and Disposition Student Assessment can be found in the Undergraduate Music Therapy Student Handbook or MTED handbook). Passing the music therapy national board examination leads to the professional credential MT-BC (Music Therapist - Board Certified).
The music therapy programs at SMWC are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and are approved by the American Music Therapy Association.
Transfer Credit
In the case of transfer, second degree or equivalency students, music therapy faculty approval is needed to accept credit for comparable courses which have been completed elsewhere.