PROGRAM TYPE
On Campus
DEGREES
BM
Contact
Lisa Summer, Ph.D, LMHC, LCAT, MT-BC
Professor of Music/Director of Music Therapy
School of Liberal Arts & Sciences
(508) 849-3454
Academic AgreementsAccelerated Degree ProgramGen Ed CurriculumHonors ProgramStudy Abroad5th Year Masters
Music Therapy
Program Overview
The Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy degree program is not open for enrollment and will be discontinued with the Class of 2025. Please read the Statement on the Future of the Anna Maria College Music Programs.
The music therapy program was the first music therapy program established in New England . It is approved by the American Music Therapy Association, and its graduates are qualified to sit for the Certification Board in order to become a Board-Certified Music Therapist. The Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy degree program prepares students for clinical practice as generalists immediately after graduation. In the first two years of the music therapy track, students acquire basic music core skills, learn clinical musicianship through hands-on class work and begin clinical placements in community settings.
Junior and senior music therapy majors focus upon learning skills and knowledge-based clinical competencies in the areas of techniques, theory and research. Concurrently, students complete 1,200 hours of supervised clinical practice and internships in the community, working with children, adult and elderly clients with psychiatric illnesses, cognitive and physical disabilities, and medical conditions. Note that some students choose a 9th semester internship option.
Course Of Study
Minor
The chief goal of music study at Anna Maria College is the development of sensitivity, intellectual background, and technical dexterity in order to realize to the greatest extent possible each student’s potential for self-expression and communication through music.
The psychology minor is built in to the major in music therapy, therefore every music therapy major can graduate with a minor in psychology without taking extra coursework. A second minor, with extra coursework may also be added.
Psychology Minor Curriculum Requirements (18 credits total)
- PSY 101 General Psychology (3 credits)
- One Developmental Psychology Course (3 credits)
- PSY 207 Child Development
- PSY 215 Adolescent Development
- PSY 217 Human Development Across the Lifespan
- One Clinical Psychology Course (3 credits)
- PSY 306 Abnormal Psychology
- PSY 313 Personality Theory
- One Sociocultural Psychology Course (3 credits)
- PSY 322 Social Psychology
- PSY 324 Cultural Psychology
- Two Upper-Level Elective Courses (6 credits total)
Curriculum Map
Click here to download the Music Therapy Curriculum Map.
Program Learning Outcomes
The Music Therapy Program aligns its learning outcomes with the competencies set forth by the American Music Therapy Association and the National Association of Schools of Music.
Upon completion of the BM in Music Therapy, student will be able to:
- Create a therapeutic process (assessment, treatment planning, termination, documentation, and evaluation) that utilizes clinical music skills and music therapy techniques to effectively treat various client populations including clients of all ages with medical conditions, psychiatric illnesses, neurodevelopmental disabilities, hospice, and wellness.
- Examine information in the historical, quantitative, and qualitative research literature and apply it to clinical practice
- Demonstrate basic knowledge of philosophical, psychological, physiological, sociological, and spiritual bases for the use of music as therapy
- Interpret and apply ethical standards regarding human rights and standards of the music therapy profession
- Employ critical self-awareness in regard clinical practice with clients, with consideration for the symbolic and cultural uses of music
Music Student Handbook
Click here to see the music student handbook.
Music Therapy Fieldwork Placement Sites
- Boston Children’s Hospital
- Assabet Valley Special Education Collaborative
- Compass on the Bay Memory Center
- Crystal Springs School
- Jewish Healthcare Center Hospice
- Newbridge on the Charles
- North Hill Nursing Home
- Notre Dame Hospice
- Notre Dame Pediatric Palliative Care
- Orchard Street Academy
- Perkins School for the Blind
- Seven Hills Foundation
- Sonatina Center for Music Therapy
- Thom Early Intervention Program; Mystic Valley, Worcester
- Valley Special Education Collaborative
- Wingate at Hampden
- Worcester Recovery Center & Hospital
- Worcester Center for Expressive Therapies
Meet Our Faculty
Lisa Summer, Ph.D, LMHC, LCAT, MT-BC
Professor of Music/Director of Music Therapy
School of Liberal Arts & Sciences
(508) 849-3454
