How To Become A Board Certified Music Therapist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a board certified music therapist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Ron Precht

The average board certified music therapist salary is $50,580. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an rehabilitation science major. It usually takes 6-12 months of experience to become a board certified music therapist. Board certified music therapists with a Music Therapist - Board Certified (MT-BC) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a board certified music therapist?

Ron Precht

Senior Manager, American Massage Therapy Association

Generally, metropolitan areas have had more openings for massage therapists. This is a report from the end of 2019 that has the most recent data we have available. Report

ScoreBoard Certified Music TherapistUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $50,580

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.2

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.77%

Asian 3.27%

Black or African American 6.53%

Hispanic or Latino 10.21%

Unknown 4.49%

White 74.73%

Gender

female 75.00%

male 25.00%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.9

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a board certified music therapist

Explore board certified music therapist education requirements

Most common board certified music therapist degrees

Bachelor's

78.5 %

Master's

15.4 %

Associate

4.6 %

Start to develop specific board certified music therapist skills

Skills	Percentages
Music Therapy	52.79%
Adaptive	16.43%
Developmental Disabilities	10.35%
Autism	5.84%
Individual Sessions	2.89%

Complete relevant board certified music therapist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New board certified music therapists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a board certified music therapist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real board certified music therapist resumes.

Research board certified music therapist duties and responsibilities

Manage the entire SNF and Alzheimer's unit caseload.
Develop appropriate IEP goals for the following school year base on students progress and needs.
Collaborate with rehabilitation team in the planning of music activities in accordance with physical and psychological needs, capabilities and interests.
Redesign gazebo for accessible gardening activities.

Prepare your board certified music therapist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your board certified music therapist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a board certified music therapist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable board certified music therapist resume templates

Build a professional board certified music therapist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your board certified music therapist resume.