Music Together and Music Therapy (print-ready version)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a registered Music Together teacher?
Anyone who has taken and passed the complete teacher training AND is currently teaching or is scheduled to teach at least one licensed Music Together class is considered a “registered” teacher. Literally, he or she is registered in the database as actively teaching the program with the approval of Music Together LLC.
What is a certified Music Together teacher?
A certified Music Together teacher is a registered teacher who has taught Music Together for at least one year and has been determined by Music Together LLC to have achieved a certain level of proficiency. This determination is made through successful completion of at least one level of the Music Together Certification program.
What is a Music Together Preschool specialist?
Anyone who has taken and passed the complete teacher training and is teaching or is scheduled to teach in a licensed Music Together Preschool setting is referred to as a “Music Together Preschool Specialist.”
What is a music therapist?
A music therapist is someone who is qualified to practice music therapy. The Certification Board for Music Therapists defines the body of knowledge that represents competent practice in the profession of music therapy and issues the credential MT-BC to represent the required level of competence. Board-certified music therapists must continually acquire new skills by participating in continuing music therapy education (CMTEs). All board-certified music therapists must accrue 100 CMTEs in five years.1
What is music therapy?
As defined by the American Music Therapy Association, music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.2 Music therapists assess clients in musical and non-musical domains, provide interventions grounded in Standards of Clinical Practice, document progress, and determine criteria for discontinuation of therapy.
Are all music therapists qualified to teach Music Together?
No, only music therapists who have taken and passed the Music Together three-day teacher training are eligible to teach Music Together. If the therapist is currently teaching or scheduled to teach at least one licensed Music Together class, he or she can call himself/herself a registered Music Together teacher.
Can Music Together Center Directors or Preschool Program Providers market their classes as therapeutic?
No. Music Together is not a therapeutic intervention, although families of children with special needs have stated that participation in Music Together reinforces skills that their children are learning in therapeutic settings. Music Together is a family-centered music and movement curriculum that is based on developmentally appropriate practice. Participation in a Music Together program (parent-child or preschool) is often a good choice for families with children with special needs because Music Together emphasizes developmentally appropriate practice. Music Together accepts and includes children (and adults), regardless of what they can and cannot do.
Can music therapists offer the Music Together program models?
Yes. Any organization or individual may apply for a license to offer Music Together parent-child or preschool classes. All licensed directors or preschool program providers may include children with special needs in their Music Together classes. Music therapists are often very successful as Music Together teachers and enjoy the opportunity to include in a group setting both typically developing children and children with special needs.
Can music therapists use the Music Together program in their clinical work?
Music Together offers two options for clinical use. The Family Favorites song collection CD may be purchased and used in a clinical setting without either obtaining a Music Together license or passing the Music Together teacher training program. The Family Favorites® collection is a compilation of nineteen songs and chants from Music Together’s nine complete song collections and includes a booklet of suggested activities that can be adapted to meet the needs of a variety of populations. Music therapists find the repertoire rich in musical form and structure as well as highly adaptable. However, without a license, they cannot use the trademark “Music Together”; they will be limited to using only this one compilation of songs; and they will not have access to the support services and many other benefits available to licensed individuals or organizations.
The second option is to apply for a trademark license to use the Music Together program curriculum in a clinical setting. Music therapists using the Music Together program in a clinical setting must be board certified, in addition to passing the three-day Music Together teacher training program.
Upon being granted a license, board-certified music therapists may use the Music Together program in their practices with groups or individual families. They may choose to offer classes specifically for children with special needs, or they may offer classes that also include typically-developing children. Group classes that include only children with special needs are classified by Music Together LLC as outreach classes. Outreach classes must meet the same educational standards as typical Music Together classes, but they are allowed more flexibility with certain licensing requirements. Some outreach programs may also qualify for the lowered service fees of the Sponsored Outreach Discount.
For more information about licensing opportunities, please email licensing@musictogether.com.
For more information about clinical applications, please contact Carol Ann Blank at cblank@musictogether.com.
For more information about outreach programs, or for the terms and conditions of the Sponsored Outreach Discount, please contact MJ Territo at outreach@musictogether.com.
1 CBMT Definition Fact Sheet, http://www.cbmt.org/
2 American Music Therapy Association definition, 2005, www.musictherapy.org