Occupations/29-1129.02
Music Therapists
Plan, organize, direct, or assess clinical and evidenced-based music therapy interventions to positively influence individuals' physical, psychological, cognitive, or behavioral status.
Usually a four-year bachelor’s degree.
AI automation risk
19%
More resilient
Human characteristics
77%
Strong human-characteristic mix
Task orientation
24%
More resilient
A day in this job
- Mostly human
Design or provide music therapy experiences to address client needs, such as using music for self-care, adjusting to life changes, improving cognitive functioning, raising self-esteem, communicating, or controlling impulses.
- Mostly routine
Sing or play musical instruments, such as keyboard, guitar, or percussion instruments.
- Mostly human
Establish client goals or objectives for music therapy treatment, considering client needs, capabilities, interests, overall therapeutic program, coordination of treatment, or length of treatment.
Split from the wording of these tasks, shown next to the occupation’s AI risk. It is not a separate score for each task, and it is not a forecast that the job disappears.
Core tasks
- 01Design or provide music therapy experiences to address client needs, such as using music for self-care, adjusting to life changes, improving cognitive functioning, raising self-esteem, communicating, or controlling impulses.
- 02Design music therapy experiences, using various musical elements to meet client's goals or objectives.
- 03Sing or play musical instruments, such as keyboard, guitar, or percussion instruments.
- 04Communicate with clients to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to musical experiences.
- 05Customize treatment programs for specific areas of music therapy, such as intellectual or developmental disabilities, educational settings, geriatrics, medical settings, mental health, physical disabilities, or wellness.
- 06Establish client goals or objectives for music therapy treatment, considering client needs, capabilities, interests, overall therapeutic program, coordination of treatment, or length of treatment.
Model drivers (O*NET 1–5)
- Repeating same tasks2.65
- Degree of automation1.19
- Time sitting3.31
- Originality (ability)3.62
- Conflict situations3.04
- Hands-on objects/tools3.77
- Outdoors / weather1.35
- Disease exposure3.81
- Decision freedom4.58
Top abilities
- Problem Sensitivity4.12
- Oral Expression4.12
- Oral Comprehension4.00
- Written Expression3.88
- Written Comprehension3.88
- Speech Recognition3.88
- Speech Clarity3.88
- Inductive Reasoning3.88
Essential skills
- Reading Comprehension4.00
- Active Listening4.12
- Writing3.25
- Speaking4.00
- Mathematics2.00
- Science1.75
- Critical Thinking4.00
- Active Learning3.25
- Learning Strategies3.75
- Monitoring3.75
CIP matches
Schools offering related programs
12 of 50 shown
Earnings are College Scorecard medians for that program, 1 and 2 years after completion. A dash means the Department suppressed the cell or the campus is not in the field file.
| Institution | Program | Tuition | Admit | Grad 6-yr | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General 51.2300 | $68,200 | 12% | 92% | 1 yr $74,576 2 yr $73,823 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY · Private nonprofit | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General 51.2300 | $68,200 | 4% | 96% | 1 yr $74,234 2 yr $68,219 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
San Jose State University San Jose, CA · Public | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General 51.2300 | $8,200 | 77% | 71% | 1 yr $73,635 2 yr $71,015 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
Lincoln College of Technology-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN · Private for-profit | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General 51.2300 | $18,600 | 100% | 64% | 1 yr $72,083 2 yr $72,320 Doctoral · CIP 51.23 |
Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee, WI · Public | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General 51.2300 | $4,900 | 100% | 27% | 1 yr $71,575 2 yr $71,225 Doctoral · CIP 51.23 |
Emory University Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General 51.2300 | $60,800 | 11% | 91% | 1 yr $68,698 2 yr $67,173 Professional · CIP 51.23 |
New York University New York, NY · Private nonprofit | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General 51.2300 | $60,400 | 12% | 88% | 1 yr $66,355 2 yr $69,547 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General 51.2300 | $6,400 | 23% | 89% | 1 yr $64,307 2 yr $69,673 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
University of Kansas Lawrence, KS · Public | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General 51.2300 | $11,400 | 88% | 67% | 1 yr $60,771 2 yr $53,775 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA · Public | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General 51.2300 | $12,600 | 48% | 84% | 1 yr $57,318 2 yr $61,516 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY · Public | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General 51.2300 | $10,700 | 70% | 76% | 1 yr $53,358 2 yr $55,151 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC · Public | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General 51.2300 | $9,000 | 17% | 91% | 1 yr $50,231 2 yr $46,087 Master's · CIP 51.23 |