Job outlook for music therapists, public school system in the United States

What skills stand out on Music Therapist, Public School System resumes?

Chelsea Waddelow: I expect all of the basic proficiencies required by the Certification Board as a bare minimum. Musically, I like to see an area of specialization that will make you stand out. For clinical skills, the ability to produce accurate, thorough, and professional documentation in a very short amount of time is a top priority. Non-musical or non-clinical skills that I would look for include knowledge of a second language, especially ASL or the second language most commonly used in the job area, multicultural awareness and sensitivity, and excellent attention to detail.

What soft skills should all Music Therapists, Public School System possess?

Chelsea Waddelow: I would list the top three here: empathy, excellent verbal communication, and highly developed ethical decision-making.

What hard/technical skills are most important for Music Therapists, Public School System?

Chelsea Waddelow: While all music therapists must be competent in piano, guitar, voice, and percussion before being certified, true excellence in at least one area is very important. It is also essential to have good technical knowledge of music-based apps and the ability to learn different documentation systems quickly.

What skills will help Music Therapists, Public School System earn the most?

Chelsea Waddelow: Music therapy is not a lucrative career; the most important benefit is knowing that you assist the most vulnerable in our society to lead full and healthy lives. That said, current research suggests that those in administrative and academic positions earn more than those in clinical positions, so diversifying your abilities to include skills like grant writing, higher education, and excellent presentational skills will assist you in transitioning into a different role in the future.

What skills stand out on Music Therapist, Public School System resumes?

Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.: Strong analytical skills are a must. This includes both logic and reasoning skills, but also data analysis skills. For many jobs, the ability to collect and scientifically evaluate data will be vital, if not an absolute necessity. Similarly, a strong understanding of experimental methods can put a candidate in a great position to be able to help a company evaluate existing programs and chart a path forward for new ones. Finally, I would say that a strong ability to write is critical. Those graduates who are able to effectively and persuasively communicate in writing are setting themselves up for success at any company and allowing the company to leverage them for increasingly important tasks.

What soft skills should all Music Therapists, Public School System possess?

Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.: Students need to be able to read individual and group dynamics in order to act appropriately in any given situation. This includes not only the interactions with one's bosses but also peers and subordinates. Similarly, being comfortable with networking can help any company, but networking skills shine through in interviews.

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Music Therapists, Public School System to find work opportunities?

Elizabeth Morgan Ph.D.: One potential outcome of the pandemic is that place may matter less as jobs are created and sustained with remote work environments. For example, it might be possible to participate in education endeavors, community mental health, human services in general, or consulting remotely, which render geography less important.

In addition, there will likely be changes in the types of jobs available to graduates in Psychology as employers are rethinking employee productivity in the wake of the coronavirus and need human resources specialists or industrial/organizational psychologists to consult on organizational change. Individuals with training and experience in delivering services remotely may find themselves able to secure some of these new positions; recent graduates will have a leg up in that regard, since they experienced training in a remote environment.

How do you envision technology impacting Music Therapists, Public School System in the next 5 years?

Elizabeth Morgan Ph.D.: The forced use of technology to connect with others during the pandemic will likely encourage lasting change in education, counseling and human services, business and marketing endeavors, research, and other areas where graduates in psychology end up. This will create shifts in what the jobs look like, what training is needed, and even perhaps, the mental health and well-being of workers in general. As these technological changes are introduced, new graduates will need to learn and embrace them to keep up with the trends, as well as evaluate their effectiveness.

What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Music Therapist, Public School System job market given the pandemic?

Dr. Edward Kahler Ph.D.: Yes, we are finding a greater need for music therapists as many folks are struggling with the Covid stressors. Therapists are beginning to get back to face-to-face sessions, but telehealth is still very important. Very cutting edge.

What technical skills for a Music Therapist, Public School System stand out to employers?

Dr. Edward Kahler Ph.D.: Yes all of our music therapy students must do a six-to-nine-month music therapy internship at a facility of their preference. Many of the internships are very competitive and our students do very well securing them. The interns work full time (often unpaid) with a music therapist for the entire time. After the internship they must take a national certification exam to practice as a professional music therapist. A very interesting item. I have a current intern who will finish up in April. She has just received two job offers prior to finishing her internship. That is an example of how well our students do entering the profession.

What type of skills will young Music Therapists, Public School System need?

Camille Skubik-Peplaski Ph.D.: I teach my students that the experience that stands out most on a resume is the experience that best matches the job posting. A summary is only a selected snapshot of your experiences. Choose to display the experiences you have had with what the job posting is looking for.

Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Music Therapists, Public School System?

Janelle Bussert: I think Music Therapy graduates will be more aware of death and the fragility of life. If they have experienced the virus in their family, they will know the seriousness of taking safety precautions, etc. I think this awareness will be beneficial in all types of Music Therapy jobs.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Music Therapists, Public School System in the next 3-5 years?

Sonia Manuel-Dupont Ph.D.: Telehealth and teletherapy. Building meaningful relationships and providing top quality intervention through telehealth and teletherapy is already becoming an essential skill for new graduates.

What general advice would you give to a Music Therapist, Public School System?

Ron Precht: 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

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Music Therapists, Public School System in the next 3-5 years?

Debra Persinger Ph.D.: -Simplified technology for the not-so-tech-savvy employees will be necessary to accommodate the span of generational employee demographics engaging in remote work.
-Employees will need to be adaptable - to learn and accommodate the rapid introduction of new and better technological efficiency tools.
-Controls will increase. Much like parental controls to monitor online activity, company restrictions will be implemented to prevent inappropriate online behaviors, accidental sharing, and training on basic etiquette and interpersonal communications.
-Technology that supports work and life activities - order groceries online, stress reduction apps - will demand.
-Time away from the screen will be necessary. Seems counterintuitive for a technology question. For example, I'm predicting that paper books will make a comeback - nobody wants to look at another screen for pleasure reading after working online all day.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Music Therapists, Public School System in the next 3-5 years?

Charles Westerberg Ph.D.: Given that technology changes so fast, I'd think less about what specific technology will be most useful instead of new applications for the technology. How can you use the web, social media, and other applications to address questions and solve problems? If you practice this, you will adapt your findings to all sorts of new technologies.

Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Music Therapists, Public School System in the next 5 years?

Dr. Cheryl Stenmark Ph.D.: I believe that there will be an increase in demand for graduates in the field of Industrial/Organizational Psychology in the next five years. The pandemic has highlighted so many essential work areas that I/O Psychologists can help organizations optimize. For example, I/O psychologists can help remote employees determine what type of work setup works best to stay happy and productive in work and life.

This could include how to structure their physical work environment at home, structure their work time vs. home time, and stay emotionally connected with their organization and colleagues, despite not being physically at work. I/O Psychologists can also help organizations who are considering moving to a more remote workforce to design the work in such a way as to keep their employees motivated, productive, and happy. With all of the changes in the world of work that have happened this year, which are sure to continue in the future, I/O Psychologists will be invaluable resources for organizations to navigate these uncertain times and adapt to stay productive.

What type of skills will young Music Therapists, Public School System need?

Dr. Eva Moya Ph.D.: Graduates of the social work profession need to be able to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and mobilize communities to bring about social, economic, political, or environmental change, in addition to being involved in social policy development.

Skills in research, to study social issues, with the intention of developing social policy or micro-level approaches to practice to improve people's lives, and training in relation to multiculturalism, cultural competence, cultural humility practice is vital.

Key skills include:

1. Collaboration


2. Critical thinking


3. -Ethics in evidence based-practice


4. Assessment, intervention, and evaluation


5. Social work competencies to inform behaviors.


6. Administration and management


7. Community practice


8. Policy practice

Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Music Therapists, Public School System?

Dr. Erica Holmes: It is difficult to guess what the future holds and what the long-term impact of a global pandemic might be for psychology graduates. We have certainly experienced many academic and training challenges that arise during this time. For example, many summer graduate students had to complete their remaining courses, graduate thesis, defend their dissertations, analyze research results, etc. using video conference technology, and adapt in-person therapy skills to continue seeing clients using teletherapy platforms.

I am sure that there will be an enduring impact of transitioning into the world of therapy during a global pandemic, and I'd like to think that the impact will include both positive and negative elements. Some positive elements may be increased resilience and flexibility, broader thinking about career paths and professional roles, along with the development of new skills and techniques to use with their clients, and increased access to mental health services.

How do you envision technology impacting Music Therapists, Public School System in the next 5 years?

Dr. Erica Holmes: The COVID19 crisis thrust many therapists into the world of telehealth. Many of whom, never imagined working with mental health clients over video-conferencing, and a large number were vehemently opposed to the idea. However, as the old saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of invention." With no other option, mental health practitioners and their governing licensing boards have been forced to move from the standard face-to-face delivery model to technology-based platforms, to continue providing much-needed services to their clients.

This has necessitated the development of HIPPA compliant software, adoption of new ethics and legal codes to protect client welfare, and a myriad of new protocols. I doubt that our field will ever completely return to operating the way we were trained, prior to the pandemic. I believe that our field will continue to have increased integration of technology in our standard operations to a much greater degree than any of us could have imagined at the beginning of this year. I foresee the use of teletherapy; electronic session note keeping, automated scheduling, using text messaging to communicate with clients, etc. will become standard practice over the next five years.