Music Therapy is the planned and creative use of music to attain and maintain health and well-being. It is a research-based practice and an established health profession that incorporates a range of music making methods within and through a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, communicative and social needs of individuals.
Music Therapy differs from musical entertainment or music education in that it uses music to achieve specific therapeutic outcomes.
Music Therapy is used in a variety of sectors including health, community, aged care, disability, early childhood, and private practice.
For a simple idea of what Music Therapy is, here’s a link to the Australian Music Therapy Association as they explain it very well.
A Registered Music Therapist (RMT) is a person who has completed tertiary training in music therapy and is registered as a practitioner with the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA).
An RMT is a person who is passionate about combining music and therapy to support you to meet your health and well-being goals.
An RMT has completed an undergraduate degree in Music or Music Therapy. Most have completed an undergraduate degree in Music and a Master’s degree in Music Therapy. This means they are highly competent musicians, clinicians and therapists, who have studied a range of subjects covering music therapy, music practice and theory and developmental psychology across the lifespan.
To maintain their registration with the AMTA an RMT must maintain their skills through ongoing professional development as approved by the AMTA and abide by the AMTA Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct at all times.
Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) is the therapeutic application of music and neuroscience on cognitive, motor, and sensory functions and development.
NMT helps with body awareness and regulation. It can help align breathing rate, neural pathways, heart rate, which helps coordinate motor planning and self-regulation.
NMT can help create new and/or different neurologic pathways and centres in the brain.
NMT differs from traditional music therapy in that it focuses specifically on music and rhythm’s physical effect on the brain and brain connections; while traditional music therapy uses a psychosocial (emotional, physical, mental) approach to therapy.