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Music therapists use music and sound to help improve people's emotional well-being, relieve stress and build confidence.
You could work: evenings / weekends; occasionally
You could work with people of all ages with a wide range of needs.
On a typical day you could:
You could work in a therapy clinic, in a prison, in an NHS or private hospital or at a school.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.
You can get into this job through:
You'll need to do a postgraduate course in music therapy accredited by the British Association for Music Therapy.
You should have a degree in music, although a degree in education or psychology may be accepted if you've got a high standard of musical ability.
You'll also need 1 or 2 years of paid or voluntary work experience in a health, education or social care setting to apply for a postgraduate course.
You'll usually need:
You may be able to do an arts therapist degree apprenticeship.
You'll usually need a qualification and experience in art, drama or music to apply.
To do this apprenticeship, you'll need:
To get paid or voluntary experience of working in a health, education or social care environment you could contact the voluntary services co-ordinator at your local NHS trust for further advice.
You can also find volunteering opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations and Do IT.
You'll need to:
You could try an introductory course in music therapy to get an idea of what this work involves. Some universities and music colleges offer these courses, as well as the British Association for Music Therapy.
Salaries for music therapists working outside the NHS will vary. The British Association for Music Therapy can give advice on recommended rates of pay.
You can join the British Association for Music Therapy, for professional recognition, career development and to make contact with other therapists.
You'll find more advice about careers and training in music therapy from the British Association for Music Therapy and Health Careers.
With experience, you could become self-employed and build up your own practice, or move into teaching.
You could also become a senior music therapist and manage a team of therapists or music therapy unit.
You could combine the role with other work such as teaching or performing, or move into academic research.