What IS Music Therapy???

I've been thinking a lot recently about what really distinguishes music therapy from other uses of music in the therapeutic setting. During my internship, I have come across nurses who believe that volunteer musicians are "music therapists," chaplains who use music in their practice to facilitate spiritual comfort, and residents of nursing homes who constantly ask if I am the entertainment.

I am used to people being unfamiliar with music therapy and I have grown accustomed to having to explain what I do on a daily basis, but when I was presented with the idea of chaplains using music in the hospice setting to further facilitate a patient's spiritual comfort, I was forced to evaluate exactly what it is that I am providing that is different. What can I offer that a chaplain playing the guitar to help a patient express their spirituality cannot? What is it about what I do that cannot be done by a volunteer musician or by a recording?

Music therapy is so much more than just providing music experiences. Certified music therapists have completed a six-month clinical internship in addition to a four year degree program from an accredited university. Throughout our schooling, we take courses in psychology, counseling, abnormal psychology, anatomy and physiology, and applied music, in addition to our specialized music therapy classes. This comprehensive education provides us with the skills necessary to be more than just entertainers. We are therapists who use music as a tool to arrive at non-musical goals. We as music therapists do not "own" music, therefore, we can keep those who are not certified music therapists from claiming to be; however, we cannot prevent the use of music by other professionals. What we are trained to do that differs from what a chaplain does with their guitar when addressing spirituality specifically is assist patients in processing their feelings evoked by music, use song-writing experiences to elicit spirituality, conduct lyric analyses to engage the patient in discussion of spirituality, and allow the patient to participate in active music making in order to facilitate spiritual expression.

With music therapy making appearances in the media, awareness of the field is continuing to grow; however, we all have to do our part and advocate! Hopefully, one day, with all of our hard work, the term "music therapy" will be as well recognized  and understood as "occupational therapy" and "speech therapy."