5 Great Books for Music Therapists

Though everyone has their own individual tastes, most people will attest to the awesome power of music. However, did you know that music has been found to have therapeutic benefits? According to the American Music Therapy Association music therapy utilizes music in order to help patients with a variety of condition. These range from autism to Alzheimer’s. Music therapy is also an area of study for higher learning, with 72 colleges offering programs approved by the AMTA. If you’re considering a degree in music therapy, then you should check out any number of these five great books for music therapists.

1. The Music Therapy Profession: Inspiring Health, Wellness, and Joy

This book, by Christine Korb, offers a strong overview of music therapy that should entice anyone interested in the study. Through 134 pages, Korb offers guidance over seven chapters that explain the music therapy discipline in a friendly, but comprehensive manner. She also offers plenty of personal touches, through essays written by her students about what music therapy has meant to them. The Music Therapy Profession is a great way to open your mind to the boundless possibilities of music and might be the start of your exciting career.

2. Music Therapy in Mental Health for Illness Management and Recovery

This book, by Michael J. Silverman, serves as an essential reference material for music therapists who are working in a mental health capacity for adults. Silverman aims to provide the most thorough understanding of mental health possible as well as our approach to it. He also emphasizes a deductive approach to the whole issue and considers how music therapy will shape (and be shaped), patients, doctors and even lawmakers. Silverman’s book does not aim to give all the answers on music therapy. Rather, it starts a stimulating conversation.

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3. Music Therapy for Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Mental Health Disorders

Mental illness affects a huge segment of the population. What this book, by Barbara J. Crowe, makes clear is that different cases require different attention. This is especially true along the age spectrum. A child’s mental health must be dealt with differently from a teenager’s as well as an adult’s. With music therapy, you can find the nuanced approach to addressing each patient’s problems or concerns. There are no cutting corners in this regard, but with the proper determination, you can find the solutions.

4. Music Therapy: Understanding the Science of Sound

Music has something of an awe-inducing power. How can arranged notes inspire such reverence? This book, by Lisabeth Fauble, breaks down said power by explaining how music, or rather, sound, to stir the feelings that it does. Fauble runs the gamut of scientific explanation, offering reasons based on evolutionary, biological and even mathematical origin. For any aspiring music therapist, this book will provide you with a further sense of awe in regard to the subject. You will see how the power of music has stretched for generations and how it continues to sustain itself.

5. Handbook of Neurologic Music Therapy

Proper function of the brain is something that should never be taken for granted. Neurological Music Therapy (or NMT) is a field of music therapy which aims to provide aid to people living with a variety of mental ailments. With the Handbook of Neurological Music Therapy, editors Michael H. Thaut and Volker Hoemberg provide a reference for that very subject. With Thaut and Hoemberg’s techniques and accompanying illustrations, you can understand the value of music therapy when it comes to providing invaluable services now and hopefully into the future.

Related Resource: 5 Great Professional Organizations for Music Therapists

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Music therapy is an exciting study that is taking off not only as an intriguing discipline, but also something that could have a profound impact on the lives of many. If you are considering a career in music therapy, please give these books a read.