Music Therapy
What Is a Music Therapist?
A Music Therapist is a person specifically trained in using music to assist or motivate patients to complete goals related to their hospitalization.
Music Therapists use music to:
- Help patients cope with illness and hospitalization
- Distract patients from pain
- Provide developmental stimulation
- Provide sensory stimulation
- Promote relaxation
- Promote normalization
- Enhance the rehabilitation process
- Increase emotional expression
- Provide family/caregiver education
- Decrease stress and anxiety
Music Therapists are here to help patients make changes in mental, physical, social, emotional and communication skills.
Interested in an internship?
As a member of the treatment team, Music Therapists are trained to use interactive music-making, music and movement, improvisation, music listening, singing, song writing, lyric discussion, music and imagery, music performance and learning through music. Usually, this occurs in an individual setting and can be at the patient’s bedside, in the intensive care units or in clinic areas. Sometimes a Music Therapist will join other services (such as physical, occupational or speech therapies) and together they work towards the patient’s goals.
A Music Therapist is trained at the bachelor or master’s level in music therapy. They have also completed a 1,040-hour internship and passed a board certification exam. If you are a music therapy student and are looking for information about our music therapy internship program please see the information and an application at the following links:
If you would like more information on music therapy you can visit:
Call 504.896.9350.