Throughout history, music has been used therapeutically to support and improve well-being, and facilitate positive change. Today, music therapy is an established psychological clinical intervention, delivered by Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered music therapists, to help people of all ages, who lives have been affected by injury, illness or disability through supporting their psychological, emotional, cognitive, physical, communicative and social needs.
In the UK, music therapy centres on an improvisational model, where the music is spontaneously co-created by both the client and therapist. Influenced by many approaches, the practice of music therapy in the UK is diverse, rich, and supported by a robust and growing evidence base.
Training as a music therapist is open to practising musicians who wish to draw together their skills (both musical and non-musical) to develop a career where passions and professional interests can be combined to support others. Applications to train are welcome from all those who can demonstrate an on-going relationship with music, and applicants often have qualifications and experience from related sectors such as education, health and social care. Information about work experience / placements pre-training can be found here.
There are currently eight training courses offered across the UK. The training is at Masters level and is offered both full and part-time (over two or three years) depending on the training course. Please see our list of MT Courses for full details. In order to practise as a music therapist in the UK, it is mandatory to complete a MA training course validated by the HCPC and obtain state registration with the HCPC.
Working life as a music therapist can be diverse and fulfilling. Music therapists have the ability and flexibility to work in a range of settings; public, private and third sector, with people of all ages with a wide range of needs. Partnership working is often key to life as a music therapist; working within teams to sustain and develop new approaches to practice. The employment portfolio of a music therapist is varied; many combine being a music therapist with a related musical role, such as teacher or performer, others choose to work as self-employed practitioners enabling them to work across a range of clinical settings. Other practitioners choose to develop their knowledge and understanding of music therapy by pursuing a more research focused approach through further training at MPhil or PhD level.