Graduate Course Descriptions

This course provides an overview of the theory, literature, and practice of music and imagery models and methods as they relate to advanced clinical practice. Students will gain an understanding of how to assess and evaluate clients and design individual and group treatment sessions for a variety of client populations with various functional levels. Students will learn advanced skills related to systematic relaxation inductions, imagery techniques and music selection.

This course provides theoretical instruction and practical application in creating and developing a portfolio of clinical resources for a particular population and area of specialization. Resources include bibliographical sources, music-based clinical interventions, and technological uses of apps to achieve client goals. Students will research, develop, and demonstrate advanced techniques applicable to their clinical practice using all appropriate methods of music therapy for clients with various levels of functioning.

This course provides an overview of the theory, literature, and practice of vocal and instrumental models and methods of individual and group improvisation as they relate to advanced clinical practice. Pertinent clinical improvisation techniques will be presented and practiced in class. Students will learn to assess and evaluate individual and group levels of functioning in order to structure and facilitate improvisations to treat various populations, taking into consideration their cultures, ages, functioning levels, and therapeutic needs.

This course provides an overview of the theory, literature, and practice of the use of pre-composed, composed, and improvised songs in individual and group psychotherapy. Students will gain a theoretical and practical understanding of how to assess and evaluate clients using advanced techniques that incorporate song forms. Students will develop methods for the use of receptive and creative techniques with songs with different populations, cultures, and in various clinical settings from sing-a-longs and supportive therapy to group and individual psychodynamic therapy.

Students develop an understanding of all aspects of professional functioning, including history, roles, organizational structures, ethics, standards and credentialing. A particular emphasis is placed on ethical thinking, using ethical decision making processes to discuss, solve and apply to clinical practice. In addition to HIPAA, students developed an understanding of AMTA’s Code of Ethics, and further their knowledge of ethical issues related to consent, research, work with minors, and work with dangerous clients.

Students are introduced to multicultural issues in counseling practice and survey the multicultural music therapy literature in order to understand the roles and functions that music plays in a multicultural and diverse society. Includes the design and implementation of music experiences for clinical populations of diverse cultures.

Supervised clinical practice of music therapy at an advanced level, consisting of a minimum total of 100 hours. Includes an orientation to models and practices of music therapy clinical supervision to help prepare the student to supervise others. Prerequisite: MUT 522 or (when applicable) MUT 523 (prerequisite does not apply to students entering program with advanced standing).

Students are trained in fundamental concepts of bio-guided music therapy, providing a rationale and theoretical basis for understanding how music therapy treatments affect the physiological manifestations of stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, ADHD, and other disorders. In workshop format, students participate in live experiences to create musical environments and measure real-time physiological output of muscle tension, heart-rate, skin conductance and EEG brainwaves.