Music therapy is a clinical health profession: you use music, built around a client's goals, to help with things like communication, movement, memory, mood and coping. In the US the path is a bachelor's degree (or higher) in music therapy from an AMTA-approved program, a 1,200-hour clinical training (coursework fieldwork plus a 6-month internship), and then the national board exam to earn the MT-BC credential. Employers nearly always want the MT-BC, so treat it as the finish line for the whole roadmap. This guide teaches you the skills in the order you will use them: musicianship, understandin
See the full roadmap free
Every stage from beginner to expert, with lessons, practice drills, projects, interview questions and free resources. Free with a Rolearch account.
Stage 1 of 3 · about 16 weeks
Build the musicianship and basic understanding of people that every later skill rests on, and learn what the profession is and how to enter it.
Functional musicianship (guitar, piano, voice)
Clients cannot wait while you search for a chord. Music therapists accompany songs, support a client's singing and change key or tempo on the spot. Guitar, piano and voice are the core tools because they let you play and sing at once and watch the client.
Basic music theory and ear training
You need to hear what a client is doing (a rhythm, a melody, a mood) and match or shape it. Theory gives you names for what you hear, and ear training makes your responses fast.
Intro psychology and human development
Music therapy goals are about behavior, thinking, emotion and development. A 4-year-old, a teen in crisis and an older adult with dementia need very different approaches, so you start by learning how people grow, learn and change.
Understanding the profession and its pathway
The credential system is specific. Knowing it early keeps you from wasting time on a program that will not qualify you for the board exam.
Then 2 more stages (about 224 weeks in all) with lessons, drills, projects, 6 interview questions with strong answers and free resources.