Educational Purpose
Eligibility for Admissions

Application Requirements

Deadline for Receiving Applications
Audition and Interview
Financial Aid/Graduate Assistantship
Accreditation
Curriculum
Degree Requirements
Transfer Credits
Registration
Diagnostic Examinations
Course Descriptions
Intensive Retreats & Online Learning
Program Coordinator

Educational Purpose of the MMT Program

The master's degree program is designed to provide professional music therapists with advanced clinical training, supported by studies in research, theory and ethics. The curriculum focuses on two clinical areas: medical music therapy and music psychotherapy, and elective tracks are available for: 1) clinical specialization in hospice care, 2) clinical specialization in music psychotherapy 3) state licensure, and 4) PhD preparation. A broad range of clinical populations, orientations, practices, and research paradigms is presented, and opportunities for self-directed learning are provided through a final project. Emphasis is given to integrating professional and personal development through self-experiences in music therapy.

eligibility for Admissions

Applicants for the MMT degree are expected to have a bachelor's degree and certification in music therapy while also demonstrating the musicianship, self-awareness, and interpersonal skills needed for in-depth clinical work. Applicants who hold a bachelor's degree in another area of music but who are not certified in music therapy are eligible to apply for the combined master's equivalency program . This program integrates undergraduate courses in music therapy required for entry-level certification with the master's program. Applicants who hold undergraduate degrees outside of music, or applicants who do not have at least 60 undergraduate credits in music or the equivalence must apply initially for the bachelor's degree.

application requirements

All students who wish to pursue the MMT degree must file a formal application for admission. Such application is not required for professionals who wish to enroll in specific courses for continuing education purposes only. Application requirements include: a formal application, a career goal statement, two certified copies of official transcripts of all previous academic work, two letters of recommendation, an on-site or telephone interview, and an on-site or audiotaped audition. In addition, all foreign ESL students must submit TOEFL scores of at least 600. For further information on admission, please contact: Director of Admissions, Boyer College of Music (Tel: 215-204-8598; Fax: 215-204-4957).

deadline for receiving applications

Applications for the MMT in Music Therapy are considered only once per year---during the spring semester; and students are admitted to these programs only once per year---in the fall semester. All application materials must be received, and all auditions and interviews must be completed by February 1st to be considered for admission in September. Applicants for financial aid must have a live audition and personal interview.

Audition and Interview

An audition and interview are scheduled after all other application materials have been filed. (Please allow at least three weeks after submission). Students may select between the following three options:

For Students Living in U.S.
1. For the in-person audition and interview, contact the Coordinator of the MMT program via e-mail at musictherapy@temple.edu for available dates and times. Visit Temple on the scheduled date, present a live or taped audition, and have an in-person interview with the music therapy faculty. (This option is required for all those applying for assistantships). Do not contact the director of admissions for this interview. Please note that when auditioning live, applicants must bring their own accompanists; if this is not feasible, a taped audition may be presented instead at the time of the visit.

2. Send in a taped audition, and schedule a phone interview with the Coordinator of the MMT program.

For Students Living Outside of U.S.
3. Send a taped audition along with written responses to a questionnaire dealing with the same topics discussed in the interview (see below). The tape and questionnaire must be sent to the Coordinator of the MMT program in the same envelope or package.

Audition
The live or taped audition must consist of: two pieces in different styles in the applicant's major performance medium (with accompanist when so indicated); and three standard or popular songs, sung and played by the applicant on piano or guitar (See songs listed below).

Interview and Questionnaire
The interview and questionnaire cover the same topics and issues. * Only for international applicants. To complete the questionnaire, give clear, concise, and thorough answers to each of the following questions. Type each answer on a separate page, single-spaced, starting with a restatement of the question. The questions are:

1. Discuss your strengths and weaknesses as a musician, and how they may be implicated in your work as a music therapist;
2. What personal qualities (positive and negative) do you have that might influence your work as a music therapist?
3. Why do you want to pursue a master's degree in music therapy?
4. Why do you want to study music therapy at Temple ?
5. What have you already done to advance your present knowledge of music therapy?
6. Please give your own philosophy of music therapy.
7. Under what conditions would you seek therapy for yourself, and under what conditions would you seek music therapy as a client? Explain your answer.

Financial Aid & Graduate Assistantships

Depending on availability, some music therapy graduate students will be eligible to receive financial assistance during their studies. Assistantships are available to qualified applicants who plan to enroll on a full-time basis and reside in the Philadelphia area. The application deadline for assistantships is February 1 for the following academic year. New and continuing students must apply in writing by this deadline to the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies to be considered. The assistantship application is included in the admission packet.

Applicants are also encouraged to apply for federal loans available. Loan recipients must carry at least five credit hours per semester. In addition, Temple has an easy payment plan (TEPP) which enables students to pay tuition and fees in monthly installments. For more information, contact the Financial Aid Office.

Accreditation

Temple's music therapy programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music(NASM) and approved by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA).

ADVANCED STANDING & TRANSFER CREDITS

Advanced Standing Students in the degree program who have already earned graduate credits at another institution may request to have them applied towards the degree.  A maximum of six such advanced standing credits may be applied toward the degree, and only with the approval of the Music Therapy Faculty and the Graduate School.

Students pursuing certification who have already taken any of the required undergraduate courses may request to have them applied towards the equivalency program; however, the majority of music therapy courses must be taken at Temple .

Transfer Students who wish to take credits elsewhere after entering Temple 's program must obtain approval by the Music Therapy Faculty and the Graduate School prior to registering for them. A maximum of six such transfer credits may be earned at other institutions.  Forms for the transfer of graduate credits from other institutions may be obtained in the Dean's Office, Esther Boyer College of Music.  Please fill them out and have all necessary materials before requesting faculty signatures.

Pre-Matriculation Students who take graduate credits at Temple University prior to official enrollment in the master's degree may apply a maximum of nine such credits towards the degree, and only with the approval of the faculty. Clinical work may not be converted into graduate credits.

REGISTRATION FOR COURSES

Degree-seeking students will receive registration instructions upon matriculation into the program.

Non-matriculated students who wish to take graduate courses at Temple may register by permission of the instructor and the program Coordinator. You may e-mail Dr. Kenneth Bruscia at music.therapy@temple.edu or call 215-204-8314. Upon receiving the permission to register, students are required to submit the following: a letter of request, one copy of undergraduate transcripts; a completed personal statistic form (available from Mr. David Brown 215-204-8392, dpbrown@temple.edu). Send these items at least 4 weeks prior to the beginning of the semester to: Dr. Kenneth Bruscia, Esther Boyer College of Music, 2001 North 13th St., Philadelphia PA 19122-6079.

PLEASE NOTE: All tuition and fees must be paid according to the deadlines given by the Bursar's Office at the time of registration. This means that all payments must be received in ample time prior to the first day of the semester in which the course is offered--- not prior to the first day of the course, which in music therapy, may be very late in the semester.  When payments are not received by the university deadlines for each semester, registrations are automatically canceled and late fees are imposed for re-registering. Often students do not receive written notification of this until well into the semester.  Students are encouraged to be punctual in meeting all registration deadlines, as failure to do so is very costly---in time, effort and money.

DIAGNOSTIC EXAMINATIONS

A diagnostic examination in voice, piano, and guitar is required for all students entering the master's degree program in music therapy.  The examination covers two broad areas of competence: the ability to sing and play by memory a large repertoire of songs from the standard, popular, traditional, folk, rock or country literature; and the ability to sight-sing and sight-harmonize songs from a fake book.

For the examination, students are asked to bring in a list of at least 12 songs which they are prepared to sing and play by memory.  The examiners will then select one or more songs to be sung and played on the piano, and one or more to be sung and played on the guitar.  In the next portion of the examination, students are asked to sight-sing and sight-harmonize tunes from a fake book, using piano and guitar as accompaniments.

If a student has not studied piano, guitar and/or voice, or if the student is not prepared to play popular music or use a fake book, s/he may waive any or all portions of the examination and opt to take the appropriate remedial course(s).  This is not unusual.  Most students entering the program need instruction or practice in one or more of these areas.  Students are therefore encouraged to view these as merely placement examinations.

Depending on each student's background and competence, as demonstrated on the examination, students may be placed in the following remedial courses:

Voice 11 and/or 12 (1 credit each)
Functional Voice 277 and 278 (1 credit each)
Guitar 58 and/or 59 (1 credit each)
Functional Guitar 267 and/or 268 (1 credit each)
Jazz Piano 105, 106, 205, and/or 206 (1 credit each)
Functional Music Skills 257 and/or 258 (1 credit)
Credits earned in required remedial courses may not apply toward the master's degree.

Important:
All students must present themselves for the diagnostic examinations at the designated time shown; otherwise, permission to register for the first semester of study will not be granted. Students who wish to waive any portion of the examination by taking the remedial courses are still required to present themselves for the scheduled diagnostic examination, unless they send written notification to the music therapy faculty stating their intent to waive all portions of the examination. When students waive all portions of the examination, they will be required to take all remedial coursework without any further opportunity for taking or retaking the examination. 

Diagnostics are scheduled prior to the beginning of each semester or in conjunction with the intensive courses. However, advisement and registration take place before or at the beginning of each semester (not during the intensive days). Students will be notified of the dates of diagnostic examinations.

Songs For Auditions and Diagnostics:

Any of the following or similar songs may be presented to demonstrate functional proficiency on voice, piano and guitar.

Children's Songs : Old MacDonald, Rubber Duckie, This Old Man, It's a Small World, Polly Wolly Doodle, Alphabet Song, Barnyard Song, Ten Little Indians, Puff the Magic Dragon;

Oldies: You Are My Sunshine, Hello Dolly, All of Me, Ain't She Sweet, Bicycle Built for Two, Sidewalks of New York, Shine on Harvest Moon, In the Good Old Summertime, Good Night Ladies, When the Saints Go Marchin In, Yellow Rose of Texas.

Folk Songs: Down in the Valley, Oh Susanna, If I Had a Hammer, Blowin in the Wind, You Are My Sunshine, Home on the Range, On Top of Old Smokey, Red River Valley, This Land is Your Land, Yellow Bird, Greensleeves;

Spirituals: Amazing Grace, Down by the Riverside, Nobody Knows the Trouble, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Go Tell it On the Mountain, He's Got the Whole World, Go Down Moses;

Jazz-Pop : Moondance, My Favorite Things, As Time Goes By, All the Things You Are, When I Fall in Love, The Girl from Ipanema, Here's that Rainy Day, Over the Rainbow, When Sunny Gets Blue, My Funny Valentine, Smile, Days of Wine and Roses;

Blues: Steam Roller Blues, St. Louis Blues, The Thrill is Gone;

Pop Hits: Wind Beneath My Wings, You Light Up My Life, Desperado, The Rose, Leaving on a Jet Plane, The Way We Were, Time After Time, Blue Bayou, Somewhere Out There, You've Got a Friend, I Can See Clearly Now;

Show Tunes: Cabaret, Edelweiss, Tomorrow, What I Did for Love, Getting to Know You, A Time for Us, People, Memories, Climb Every Mountain, Where is Love, I Whistle A Happy Tune, Do Re Mi, Impossible Dream, On a Clear Day.

614. Music Therapy Research (3credits). Prerequisite to 647 and 649. An introduction to music therapy quantitative and qualitative research.

623 Music Therapy Foundations (3 credits). An examination of philosophical, psychological, biological and sociological foundations for the use of music as therapy.

624 Final Project in Music Therapy (3 credits). Students complete a clinical, theoretical or research project in music therapy under faculty supervision.

625. Developmental Foundations of Music Therapy (2 credits). An examination of research and theory on musical development and their implications for music therapy assessment, treatment, and evaluation.

646. Theories of Music Psychotherapy (2 credits). An examination of how music is used in individual and group psychotherapy. Emphasis is given to the integration of creative, receptive and verbal techniques within various theoretical orientations.

647. Qualitative Research in Music Therapy (3 credits). Students learn to conceive and design music therapy research using postpositivist, naturalist or alternative paradigms.

648. Music Therapy Client Assessment (3 credits). An in-depth examination of how receptive and active music experiences are used to understand clients and their therapeutic needs.

649. Quantitative Research in Music Therapy (3 credits). Issues and skills in quantitative research are examined, including: reviewing the literature, designing a study, analyzing and interpreting reports, and ethical precautions.

655. Songs in Psychotherapy (2 credits). An examination of how songs are used as a means of assessment, treatment and evaluation within different systems of psychotherapy.

671. Improvisational Techniques in Music Therapy (3 credits). Advanced training in the use of referential and nonreferential improvisation in music psychotherapy. Emphasis is given to the nature of the client-therapist relationship within musical versus verbal interactions.

672.Advanced MT Practicum. Individual and group supervision of initial professional clinical work in music therapy.

673, 674, 675. Guided Imagery and Music (3-4 credits). Introductory through advanced level training in the Bonny Method of GIM.

677. Advanced MT Internship. Individual and group supervision of continuing professional clinical work in music therapy.

687 Multicultural Music Therapy (2 credits). An examination of the specific needs of multicultural clients and training in specialized music therapy approaches and methods. Emphasis is given to the acquisition of skills in ethnic musical forms and in multicultural empathy.

688. Music in Medicine: Biopsychosocial Foundations (2 credits). An examination of research and clinical practice concerning the mind-body-social-spirit relationships and the acquisition of knowledge and skill in music therapy approaches to promote biopsychosocial health.

689. Music Therapy Education and Supervision (2 credits). This intensive is designed to introduce students to curriculum planning, syllabus designing, teaching, academic supervision and the challenges presented in each of these areas.

694. Music Therapy Ethics (2 credits). An examination of ethical issues in music therapy practice, research, education, and supervision.

696. Topics in Creative Arts Therapies (2-8 credits). An exploration of interdisciplinary topics in art, dance, music, drama and poetry therapies.

790. Models of Clinical Supervision in Music Therapy (3 credits). An in-depth examination of various models of music therapy supervision appropriate for undergraduate education and professional practice, including psychodynamic, humanistic, and behavioral models. Emphasis will be given to the use of music and various music therapy techniques as a form of supervision.

884 Advanced Topics in Music Psychotherapy (1-4). An in-depth examination of practice, research and/or theory in areas of specialization in music psychotherapy. Topics include:

• Analytical Music Therapy I and II. Introduction to Analytical Music Therapy and its applications with a variety of clinical groups.

885 Advanced Topics in Music Medicine (1-4). An in-depth examination of practice, research, and/or theory in areas of specialization in medical music therapy.
Topics include:

• Music Therapy in Cancer Care: An in-depth examination of research and practice in music therapy with cancer patients, with an emphasis on biopsychosocial models.
• Music Therapy in Terminal Illness: Advanced training in the use of music therapy in stages of the dying process. Physiological, psychological, social and spiritual needs of terminally ill patients are considered within the context of music therapy process.
• Music Therapy Entrainment and Pain Management. An in-depth examination of specific improvisational, recreative, receptive and compositional methods used to treat chronic, acute and procedural pain in children and adults. Specialized training in the music therapy entrainment process is offered.
• Music Therapy for Hospitalized Children. An in-depth examination of research and practice in music therapy with hospitalized children who have a variety of medical problems.
• Music Therapy and Spirituality: An in-depth examination of the use of music therapy to support the spiritual needs of medical patients and those at the end of life.
• Music Therapy in Cardiac Care: Advanced training in the use of music therapy in prevention and treatment of cardiac disease.
• Musical Skills for Medical Music Therapy. Advanced training in the specialized musical skills needed to work with medical patients.

Intensive Learning Retreats & Online Learning

Courses in the MMT program are offered through various combinations of intensive learning retreats and online instruction via the "Blackboard" program. The amount of time spent in class versus online varies according to the content and objectives of each course. Some courses require the full 12-13 hours per credit in class time, while others require less in-class time with more instructional time online. Two intensive retreats are offered each semester. Each retreat lasts from 8-10 days, but you will only attend those days on which your classes meet. The learning retreats are held at either Temple University Center City Campus (TUCC) or Presser Hall Room 327 on the main campus. Click here for maps and directions.

Once registered, students will receive more information regarding classroom location, time and dates, accommodations for the intensive retreats, and instructions on accessing blackboard online learning program.

Program Coordinator

Dr. Cheryl Dileo is the Coordinator of the Master of Music Therapy program. To see her curriculum vitae go to Faculty Information Page. If you have questions regarding the graduate curriculum, diagnostic exam, advisement, and registration e-mail Dr. Kenneth Bruscia at music.therapy@temple.edu or call him at 215-204-8314.