Music Therapists
Overview
Salary
Demand
Core Tasks
Technology Skills
Tools Used
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Top 10 Skills
Top 10 Abilities
Top 10 Work Activities
Detailed Work Activities
Work Context
Education
Majors
Interests
Top 10 Work Styles
Work Values
Overview
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Experience
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Education
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Examples
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include real estate brokers, sales managers, database administrators, graphic designers, chemists, art directors, and cost estimators.
Plan, organize, direct, or assess clinical and evidenced-based music therapy interventions to positively influence individuals' physical, psychological, cognitive, or behavioral status.
Salary Salary
Salary at 10th Percentile: $34K
Salary at 25th Percentile: $43K
Median Salary: $57K
Salary at 75th Percentile: $76K
Salary at 90th Percentile: $96K
Demand
Core Tasks
Design or provide music therapy experiences to address client needs, such as using music for self-care, adjusting to life changes, improving cognitive functioning, raising self-esteem, communicating, or controlling impulses.
Design music therapy experiences, using various musical elements to meet client's goals or objectives.
Sing or play musical instruments, such as keyboard, guitar, or percussion instruments.
Communicate with clients to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to musical experiences.
Customize treatment programs for specific areas of music therapy, such as intellectual or developmental disabilities, educational settings, geriatrics, medical settings, mental health, physical disabilities, or wellness.
Establish client goals or objectives for music therapy treatment, considering client needs, capabilities, interests, overall therapeutic program, coordination of treatment, or length of treatment.
Document evaluations, treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups.
Assess client functioning levels, strengths, and areas of need in terms of perceptual, sensory, affective, communicative, musical, physical, cognitive, social, spiritual, or other abilities.
Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to music therapy.
Improvise instrumentally, vocally, or physically to meet client's therapeutic needs.
Gather diagnostic data from sources such as case documentation, observations of clients, or interviews with clients or family members.
Plan or structure music therapy sessions to achieve appropriate transitions, pacing, sequencing, energy level, or intensity in accordance with treatment plans.
Engage clients in music experiences to identify client responses to different styles of music, types of musical experiences, such as improvising or listening, or elements of music, such as tempo or harmony.
Participate in continuing education.
Communicate client assessment findings and recommendations in oral, written, audio, video, or other forms.
Confer with professionals on client's treatment team to develop, coordinate, or integrate treatment plans.
Integrate behavioral, developmental, improvisational, medical, or neurological approaches into music therapy treatments.
Select or adapt musical instruments, musical equipment, or non-musical materials, such as adaptive devices or visual aids, to meet treatment objectives.
Compose, arrange, or adapt music for music therapy treatments.
Identify and respond to emergency physical or mental health situations.
Analyze or synthesize client data to draw conclusions or make recommendations for therapy.
Collaborate with others to design or implement interdisciplinary treatment programs.
Conduct information sharing sessions, such as in-service workshops for other professionals, potential client groups, or the general community.
Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of specific treatments or therapy approaches.
Apply selected research findings to practice.
Assess the risks and benefits of treatment termination for clients.
Supervise staff, volunteers, practicum students, or interns engaged in music therapy activities.
Adapt existing or develop new music therapy assessment instruments or procedures to meet an individual client's needs.
Apply current technology to music therapy practices.
Conduct, or assist in the conduct of, music therapy research.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Psychology
98%
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Therapy and Counseling
98%
Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Fine Arts
97%
Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
English Language
83%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Customer and Personal Service
79%
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Sociology and Anthropology
79%
Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
Education and Training
77%
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Computers and Electronics
60%
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Clerical
59%
Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Medicine and Dentistry
59%
Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Top 10 Skills
Social Perceptiveness
85%
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Active Listening
83%
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking
80%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension
80%
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Service Orientation
80%
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Speaking
80%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Judgment and Decision Making
75%
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Learning Strategies
75%
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Monitoring
75%
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active Learning
65%
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Top 10 Abilities
Oral Expression
83%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity
83%
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Oral Comprehension
80%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Deductive Reasoning
78%
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning
78%
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Speech Clarity
78%
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition
78%
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written Comprehension
78%
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression
78%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Fluency of Ideas
75%
The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Top 10 Work Activities
Thinking Creatively
100%
Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
Assisting and Caring for Others
96%
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
96%
Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Documenting/Recording Information
87%
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Developing Objectives and Strategies
86%
Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
83%
Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Getting Information
82%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
81%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
79%
Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
78%
Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Detailed Work Activities
Develop health assessment methods or programs.
Analyze quantitative data to determine effectiveness of treatments or therapies.
Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
Evaluate patient functioning, capabilities, or health.
Communicate test or assessment results to medical professionals.
Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
Develop medical treatment plans.
Develop treatment plans that use non-medical therapies.
Treat patients using psychological therapies.
Establish treatment goals.
Gather medical information from patient histories.
Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals.
Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
Record patient medical histories.
Adjust tuning or functioning of musical instruments.
Interact with patients to build rapport or provide emotional support.
Prepare reports summarizing patient diagnostic or care activities.
Evaluate treatment options to guide medical decisions.
Communicate health and wellness information to the public.
Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues.
Treat medical emergencies.
Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
Supervise patient care personnel.
Inform medical professionals regarding patient conditions and care.
Work Context
Face-to-Face Discussions
How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Electronic Mail
How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
Freedom to Make Decisions
How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
Exposed to Disease or Infections
How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections?
Structured versus Unstructured Work
To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
Physical Proximity
To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?
Work With Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Deal With External Customers
How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
Education
Majors based on the broader career Therapists, All Other
Major
Interests
Artistic
91%
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Social
91%
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Investigative
62%
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Conventional
29%
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Enterprising
24%
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Realistic
19%
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Top 10 Work Styles
Concern for Others
100%
Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Self Control
97%
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Integrity
96%
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Adaptability/Flexibility
94%
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Dependability
92%
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Cooperation
91%
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Stress Tolerance
88%
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Initiative
87%
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Persistence
87%
Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Innovation
86%
Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Work Values
Relationships
100%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Achievement
86%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Independence
81%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Recognition
67%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Working Conditions
67%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Support
48%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
