Bonny Method of Guided Imagery & Music (BMGIM) Level 1 Residential Training 2015
Date: 14 June to 19 June 2015
Location: Montfort Centre
Limited to 12-16 participants only!
Restricted to only music therapists or allied health professionals.
For enquiries please contact sgmt.events@gmail.com
Click here for more details about the event (PDF)
Cost: $1500 (early bird before 31 Jan 15); $1700 (regular)
AMTS’ guide to being a music therapist
Getting trained as a music therapist requires a long-term commitment and good preparation. This is one of the most common question asked by people we have met – “How do I become a music therapist?”
1. You need to be able to play an instrument.
Most postgraduate admissions require at least Grade 8 standard for your main instrument, and intermediate competency on piano and/or guitar. Undergraduate programs in US might have lower requirements, so check early with the institution to be sure. If you don’t satisfy that criteria, you need to start by getting some basic lessons on guitar, piano, and voice!
2. Where should I study?
Many institutions offer music therapy courses. AMTS adopts a neutral stance towards the course. As long as you are eligible to register as a music therapist from the country of training, it is considered a recognised course. You can locate the institutions from some selected countries: USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. There have been local scholarships awarded to music therapists for studies from NCSS. We are looking into having local postgraduate training. To stay informed when we launch the course, complete the survey here.
3. Masters or Undergraduate?
It depends on when you decide to pursue music therapy. If you are looking to do a masters course, it is strongly encouraged that you have taken psychology units in your undergraduate studies. If you are a career switcher, you may often progress to the Masters training directly.
*Some postgraduate programmes in USA are in fact advanced training (i.e requiring you to have a undergraduate degree in MT). As mentioned, it depends on your budget, your preference. There is no ‘better’ school over another. However Masters graduates will generally command a higher pay locally due to payscale pegged to qualifications.
4. Attend our public events.
Best way to meet many music therapists working in varied settings. Feel free to ask us questions about our experiences studying and working. We have an event coming up on November 22 as well as the annual Music Therapy Day in April 2015. For events, please check out our Calendar.
5. Arrange for an observation / volunteering opportunity
We work in many places. If you look at our sidebar, you may contact any of the workplaces directly for an observation. Music therapists are not able to help you arrange for an observation at their workplace. The term ‘Clinical Internship’ are for current MT students fulfilling their practicum hours.
Please state you are looking for observation / volunteering opportunity. That clears up a lot of confusion for administration and us!
6. Read music therapy blogs.
There are plenty of great music therapy bloggers out there who write about their work. Google them and find out what they do. It is a great way to learn about understand the profession. If you are inclined to be more research oriented, you may look up PubMed or Voices.no to read more scholarly writings.
7. Work on Personal Growth
Finally, music therapists require skills of reflexive and critical thinking throughout the training and in their professional work. During the audition/interview you will inadvertently get questions regarding yourself, your values, and plans in life. Do you know yourself well enough? What are your strengths and weaknesses as a person? Do you really know why you want to be a music therapist?
8. Job Prospects?
We have one of the highest percentage of full-time music therapists around Asia and the world. Although we are not yet a recognized profession by the AHPC, organisations and institutions are extremely supportive of the work. This is due in large part to the rigorous practical and research training we receive. We need more local music therapists to return to fill jobs and start projects with interested organisations.
– Evelyn Lee, RMT
Special thanks to Ashley Spears and Melanie Kwan for their additional input!
Music Therapy, Young People and Families with Special Needs – Talk and Workshop
Come join us with two very esteemed speakers from Australia for a day of experiential workshop, and engaging talks on music therapy and young people.
Date: 22 November 2014
Venue: AWWA Resource Centre, 11 Lorong Napiri, S547532
Time: 9am – 5pm
Fee: $80 (early bird before 1 Nov) / $90 (regular) inclusive of light lunch & refreshments
Register: resource_centre@awwa.org.sg or call 6511 5310
Enquiries: sgmt.events@gmail.com
Speakers:
Associate Professor Katrina Skewes McFerran is Head of Music Therapy at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Along with more than 50 articles in refereed journals, and 20 books/book chapters, Dr McFerran is a world expert in research, theory and practices of music and young people.
Dr Grace Thompson is a lecturer and coordinator the Masters in Music Therapy course. Dr Thompson is also President of the Australian Music Therapy Association and has published in high impact journals about family-centered approaches to music therapy with young children and their families.
Photographs from Music Therapy Day 2014
The next Music Therapy Day is slated to be held on 12 April 2015. Register at Eventbrite here!
MT day 2014
Thank you for making MT Day a success! Till next year!
Today is Music Therapy Day
Join the local Music Therapists today at 2pm at lib@esplanade!
No registration required. Open to all.
Counting down to Music Therapy Day this Sunday!
4 more days to AMTS’ 5th Music Therapy Day!
See you this Sunday…
Music Therapy Day 2014
MT Day 2014
Theme: “Musical Perspectives: In the Moment of Flow and Beyond”
Date: May 11, 2014 (Sunday)
Time: 2-5pm
Venue: lib@esplanade
The 5th Annual Music Therapy Day is organized by the Association for Music Therapy, Singapore (AMTS). Our theme is “Musical Perspectives: In the Moment of Flow and Beyond.” Musical notes are often notated or played in black and white, yet they may sound a million colours in our minds. This year, music therapists have planned even more music-based activities for you. Come, experience the power of music in our lives, and you will better understand what music therapists do and how it works. Our music therapists will take you through their day in various work settings, e.g. special school, hospital, hospice, etc. Spend the afternoon with us and you may be surprised, even moved! No pre-registration required.
AMTS Newsletter 2014 is out
And see below for the web version of MT student, Kelly Loh’s piece on Music Therapy and Pediatric Pain Management, which is featured in the AMTS Newsletter (2014, Issue 08):
Most children who are hospitalized experience pain. The continuous fear of painful procedures and the actual experience of pain make hospitalization a stressful and even traumatizing event. Perception of pain can be due to cognitive-developmental, emotional, spiritual and sociocultural factors, and may result in feelings of vulnerability, loss of control, anxiety, depression, withdrawal, and regression for the hospitalized child. Pediatric patients who may benefit from music therapy include patients undergoing procedural and postsurgical pain, patients with sickle cell disease, hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, cancer-related pain and trauma-related pain (eg. accident, burns, abuse and violence). Literature on the effects of music therapy in pain reduction often has reference to gate control theory, neuromatrix theory of pain and the decreased activation of the amygdala. For instance, pleasure derived from listening to or making music is correlated to decreased activity in the amygdala (Bradt, 2013).
Music therapy can assist in pain management through various music therapy interventions. In a receptive music therapy session, music has been described as a distraction, a relaxing agent, a mood enhancer, a provider of overriding sensory stimuli, and a mental escape. Receptive music therapy involves the use of music listening to help the child maintain a prolonged focus away from the pain. This could be done through music-assisted relaxation where the child learns to use music purposefully to promote relaxation, facilitate sedation, and decrease pain (Bradt, 2013). In a 2005 study at the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York,the effects of chloral hydrate and music therapy were evaluated and compared as safe and effective ways to achieve sleep/sedation in infants and toddlers undergoing electroencephalogram (EEG) testing. The study showed that music therapy may be a cost-effective, risk-free alternative to pharmacological sedation. In this study, the use of live music therapy rather than recorded music allows the music therapist to be a part of the environment, playing soothing music that relates to the patient, caregiver, and staff needs, thereby responding to the instant responses of the session. The use of familiar songs and lullabies, a soothing voice, and instruments such as the guitar and soft percussion can serve as tension release for babies/toddlers and their caretakers, allowing the children to sleep during an EEG or other diagnostic procedure. Live music can also be shifted in the moment or entrained to match the breathing rate of a child’s physiological response. Adapting the meter/tempo of music to match the breathing rate of a child’s response can enhance the child’s ability to relax. Patients receiving music therapy can easily be awakened and discharged without fearing side effects of medications, whereas patients sedated by chloral hydrate require careful monitoring through levels of care to discharge (Loewy, Hallan, Friedman, Martinez, 2005).
Other music therapy interventions include music-guided imagery, music entrainment, compositional and improvisational music therapy. Improvised music for integration is a method through drumming, toning, and chanting in an improvisatory style to help the child integrate the hurt (Bradt, 2013). Music therapy improvisation utilizes music making to actively engage the child with his/her surroundings in a playful manner to restore a sense of control, mastery, and even normalcy. Music-making brings about change in the child’s social role as well. Whereas the child may feel helpless in the hospital environment, resulting in dependent behaviors, active music-making transforms the child into a “doer,” enabling the child to experience the benefits of active engagement. The music therapist can help the child transfer this to contexts outside of the music therapy session (Nolan, 1997).
Pain assists us in avoiding physical harm, but unrelieved pain may be inherently harmful both psychologically and physiologically. Failure to intervene early in children’s pain may lead to impairment in functioning and disruption in families. Unaddressed pain heightens anxiety and fear, which, in turn, increases perception of pain (Gerik, 2005). By taking charge of some of the factors contributing to a painful experience, children may learn to re-conceptualize the pain experience as one they can partly control.
Sources:
Bradt, J. (2013). Guidelines for music therapy practice in pediatric care: Pain management with children. (Vol. 2, pp. 15-65). NH, USA: Barcelona Publishers.
Gerik, S. (2005). Pain Management in Children: Developmental Considerations and Mind-body Therapies. Southern Medical Journal. Vol 98(3), pp 295-302.
Loewy J, Hallan C, Friedman E, Martinez C. (2005). Sleep/sedation in children undergoing EEG testing: A comparison of chloral hydrate and music therapy. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, Vol 2(5), pp 323-332.
Nolan, P. (1997). Music therapy in the pediatric pain experience: Theory, practice and research at Allegheny University of the Health Sciences. In J. V. Loewy (Ed.), Music therapy and pediatric pain (pp. 57–68). Cherry Hill, NJ: Jeffrey Books.”
Thanks for making Music Therapy Day 2013 a success!
We, the Music Therapists from AMTS, thank you!
Association for Music Therapy Singapore (AMTS) Blog 