Music Therapists

• 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.
• Sing or play musical instruments, such as keyboard, guitar, or percussion instruments.
• Assess client functioning levels, strengths, and areas of need in terms of perceptual, sensory, affective, communicative, musical, physical, cognitive, social, spiritual, or other abilities.
• Design music therapy experiences, using various musical elements to meet client's goals or objectives.
• Communicate with clients to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to musical experiences.
• Document evaluations, treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups.
• 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.
• 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.
• Establish client goals or objectives for music therapy treatment, considering client needs, capabilities, interests, overall therapeutic program, coordination of treatment, or length of treatment.
• Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to music therapy.
• Plan or structure music therapy sessions to achieve appropriate transitions, pacing, sequencing, energy level, or intensity in accordance with treatment plans.
• Improvise instrumentally, vocally, or physically to meet client's therapeutic needs.
• 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.
• Communicate client assessment findings and recommendations in oral, written, audio, video, or other forms.
• Select or adapt musical instruments, musical equipment, or non-musical materials, such as adaptive devices or visual aids, to meet treatment objectives.
• Participate in continuing education.
• Analyze or synthesize client data to draw conclusions or make recommendations for therapy.
• Compose, arrange, or adapt music for music therapy treatments.
• Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of specific treatments or therapy approaches.
• Collaborate with others to design or implement interdisciplinary treatment programs.
• Identify and respond to emergency physical or mental health situations.
• Supervise staff, volunteers, practicum students, or interns engaged in music therapy activities.
• Assess the risks and benefits of treatment termination for clients.
• Gather diagnostic data from sources such as case documentation, observations of clients, or interviews with clients or family members.
• Conduct or assist in the conduct of music therapy research.
• Conduct information sharing sessions, such as in-service workshops for other professionals, potential client groups, or the general community.
• 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.
• Apply selected research findings to practice.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Music Therapists.

• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Active Listening - 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.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Music Therapists.