Music Therapist Interview Questions And Answers

I had a gentleman who I saw for the length of his stay at the hospital. When I first arrived, his GCS was fairly low with little responses made, but music seemed to spark something in him. I continued to see him and also worked with his wife and soon learned a lot about his life. His treatments and conditions at the hospital were touch and go, but his sessions with music created something different and extremely special between himself and his wife, as if they weren't in a hospital room, and were reliving some of their fondest memories through the music. Over time, he eventually got well enough that he was able to be discharged around the same time I was finishing my internship.

What have you done in the past year to better yourself as a Music Therapist?

My sessions usually start with a “hello” song. I use this song to connect with my client and work on greetings and other therapeutic goals. I then use specific songs and activities that are tailored to the individual strengths and needs of my client. Although I always go in with a plan, I keep myself open to following my client’s lead. This improvisational form of music therapy can open unexpected doors to development and progress. It can also strengthen the therapeutic relationship, which is the foundation of all my work.

After finishing my bachelor’s degree in Psychology, I started looking into graduate programs and discovered the filed of music therapy. I knew it was the perfect fit since it combined my passion for music, psychology and helping children.

The traditional goals include speech/communication, gross motor, fine motor, academic, social and behavioural development. Although I focus on these goals, I also use music therapy to build a child's self-esteem, confidence and spirit.

It all depends on the child. Music therapists will try different styles and tempos of music with a client to assess their preference.

Well, many of us work for contracting companies. The company where I am, we have a few main contracts. One is with the nursing home. Another is with the County Board of Mental Retardation Development, and they have a huge caseload of children. We do in-home services for them. We have a few consulting contracts in schools, through which we teach the teachers techniques to help them integrate music into what they are doing. We also have a contract with a clinical psychologist, and we take referrals from his office.

Continuous weekly sessions between 30 and 60 minutes long work well. Most of my clients continue to need therapy so it is not uncommon for me to see a client for years. At a minimum, I would want to see a child once a week for 4 months.

A child is ready for music therapy as soon as she or he shows a positive response to music. I once worked with an 8-month-old girl who had global developmental delays and I would play the guitar to encourage her to make sounds. When she started making sounds, I figured out what pitch she was producing, adapted the key I was in to match this pitch and used it in a song. It led to an increase in her vocal development which was one of her therapeutic goals.

There are music therapists working with many different populations. A few examples people with special needs, seniors in nursing homes, people in the hospital setting and individuals recovering from strokes and other brain injuries. If someone has a therapeutic goal, then chances are that they qualify and would benefit from music therapy.

Music Therapy is a research based health care profession that uses music to help clients reach their therapeutic goals. These goals are accomplished within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed either a bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree in music therapy.

Let’s dig a bit deeper into this definition.

☛ “Researched based” points to the fact that empirical research on the effectiveness of music therapy is being done at many universities throughout the world.
☛ “Health care profession” means that music therapy is akin to such fields as physical therapy, speech therapy, or occupational therapy.
☛ “Uses music to help clients reach their therapeutic goals” means that music therapists are helping clients work on traditional therapeutic goals that might typically be found on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or an Individualized Transition Plan (ITP). For example, a music therapist working with a child with Down syndrome might be addressing a speech therapy goal of improved articulation. The music therapist can use custom written songs that have many of the words or sounds that the child is struggling with. The child then gets to have fun singing the song and practicing that sound or word many times. With music therapy, you can get the repetition without the monotony!

Well, often for older folks that have trouble breathing, we do a lot of singing to help their respiration. We do that a lot especially with pneumonia patients, because it helps keep the infection out of their lungs. If it settles to their lungs, it can kill them.

As soon as the child is diagnosed, music therapy can begin. This can be as young as 2 1/2 years old.

I feel honored to be considered a “pioneer,” but I’m just humbly following in the footsteps of those who came before me, like Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins. I feel privileged to have access to the technology to make this information accessible worldwide. One of the coolest things is to get an email from someone in a county like Iran, saying how much they appreciate this info.

The answer to this question will illuminate the candidate’s multitasking and organizational skills.

Listen carefully. The candidate needs to convince you of their musical aptitude.

Psychiatry in a hospital.

There isn't much I can do except provide materials for them to continue making music.

What do you do when a patient is reluctant to participate in music therapy sessions?

What have you done in the past year to better yourself as a Music Therapist?

I wish I was the one to develop those techniques! I’m just synthesizing what I have learned from many of the talented therapists that I have been lucky enough to work with. My teachers and mentors have been music therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, play therapists, etc. There are so many incredible professionals in the special needs field and connecting with and learning from each other helps enrich all of our work.

I do have certain chords and progressions that I frequently use. I love easy-to-play, open chord shapes that can be played up the neck of the guitar. I like chords that fall easily under my fingers so that I can keep my attention and focus on my client. I will be sharing my method through an on-line, self-study “Guitar Skills for Music Therapists” course that will launch in mid-September on MusicTherapyEd.com. This course is all about using easy chords and shapes up the neck of the guitar in order to create great sounding progressions that break the mold from the I IV V progressions that we all get sucked into. It also gives participants lots of fresh strum and fingerpicking patterns to work with.

Music therapists will assess a clients interest in different instruments by introducing them to various instruments and see what they are more drawn to and motivated by. Typically, a music therapist will use piano, voice, guitar and various percussive instruments like tambourines, maracas, drums, cabassas, rhythm sticks, etc.

I work with them in their own homes once a week. Some of these kids have been abused, some have bipolar disorder, some have schizophrenia, quite a few have ADHD, some are autistic, cerebral palsy - all different kinds.

The approach that I take is very improvisational. For example, a couple weeks ago I went to see one of my clients, he's a 12-year old boy with mental retardation and schizophrenia. I actually see him in his school. This particular day he had had a very frustrating day in school. We started by singing the "hello" song we always sing, in which I kind of ask him how he's doing. He said that he was very upset.

We had a piano in the room so we moved to that. I just provided rhythmic support in my part for his melodic improvisation. He doesn't have any piano background, but he was just expressing himself. Then he asked for my drum - I always have a bag of instruments with me - and he played the drum while I played piano. He was very angry, so he was playing hard, fast, and in erratic rhythms. I supported that style, but slowly brought him away from that by playing a little more calmly and softly than he was. Gradually, his drumming calmed, and became a steady, controlled rhythm. At that point, he began to smile for the first time since I'd arrived.

Nursing has given me many skills which I believe are transferable to this masters. Although its a different profession, I have gained skills in communicating with people. Not just patients/clients but also with working as part of a team. I have skills is being professional at all times. I understand and have been involved in safeguarding, confidentiality, sensitive situations. Educationally I enjoyed writing my dissertation and achieved an A.