The Music Therapy program at Mississippi University for Women was established in 2002 as the first program at a public university in Mississippi to educate music therapists. The mission of the MUW Music Therapy Program is to provide holistic and clinically-based music therapy education with an emphasis on individual student exploration and growth. A variety of active classroom experiences and music therapy clinical practica in both the campus and local communities will be utilized to meet the needs of the diverse student population.

What is Music Therapy?

Music therapy is the use of music activities, experiences, and interactions by a board-certified music therapist in a therapeutic setting to restore, improve, or maintain mental and physical health. Dr. Kenneth Bruscia, a leading music therapy clinician, researcher, and professor, defines music therapy as “... a systematic process of intervention wherein the therapist helps the client to promote health, using music experiences and the relationships that develop through them as dynamic forces of change” (Bruscia, K.E. (1998), Defining Music Therapy, 2nd ed., Gilsum, NH: Barcelona).

What Training Does a Music Therapist Need?

Music therapists must have the credential MT-BC (Music Therapist- Board Certified) in order to maintain a clinical practice. This credential means that the music therapist completed an approved bachelor’s level degree program in music therapy, completed at least a 1020-hour approved music  therapy internship after completing their college/university coursework, and passed the National Board Certification Exam in Music Therapy. University curricula in music therapy often include classes in Music, Music Therapy, Psychology, and General Studies. Students must be proficient in their primary instrument, in addition to guitar, voice, and piano.

Where Can I Find a Music Therapist?

Music therapists work with many different age groups of people who have varying levels of physical and mental health needs. Music therapists can be employed at some of the following places:

• Medical Hospital
• Public School
• Psychiatric Treatment Center
• Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
• Developmental Center
• Private Practice
• Community Music School
• Music Therapy Agency
• Pre-School/Head Start
• Counseling Center

 In addition, opportunities continue to arise for music therapists with clinical experience and advanced degrees to serve as facility administrators or university instructors in music therapy. As part of its role in fostering the growth of music therapy in the Golden Triangle Area and in the State of Mississippi, Mississippi University for Women’s Music Therapy Program will assist graduates in finding employment. New graduates may also check national and regional job listings at both the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) Website www.musictherapy.org and the Southeastern Region of Music Therapy (websites accessible through the AMTA site).

The Music Therapy Program at MUW

This program combines the excellent education and resources offered by the University and a dedication to the value of a liberal arts education to provide an exciting and challenging training program in music therapy. Music therapy students at MUW will experience an intimate learning environment and a strong emphasis in applied learning.

The 130-credit hour curriculum combines a diverse General Studies Core with intensive work in Music (including Theory, History, Conducting, and Performance), Music Therapy, and Psychology, leading to a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Therapy. (See Music Therapy Requirements and Sample Course Curriculum for details).  At the completion of the program, students will be eligible to apply for an AMTA-approved internship and sit for the Board Certification Exam.

Students in the MUW Music Therapy Program will receive at least six semesters or 220 hours of supervised clinical practicum with various clients at facilities on campus (including the Speech and Hearing Center and the Child Development Center) and throughout the Golden Triangle Area and West Alabama. Students will be supervised by a board-certified music therapist, and will engage in music therapy assessment, treatment planning, and documentation along with the actual provision of music therapy services.

Students will begin their music therapy core curriculum, in addition to conducting several observations and volunteer music therapy experiences, as a First Year Freshman or Transfer student.  This will allow students to become immediately involved in their chosen major, and refine the many skills needed to become a music therapist.

To prepare students for internship, board-certification exam, and the demands of music therapy clinical practice, students will be required to pass Voice, Guitar, and Piano Proficiency Exams before they may take their senior level music therapy classes and practicum. These exams will focus on skills necessary to music therapy clinical practice with a variety of clients.

MUW Music Therapy Clinical Practicum Sites

Speech and Hearing Center, Mississippi University for Women, Columbus, MS

Rolling Hills Developmental Center, Starkville, MS

Child Development Center, Mississippi University for Women, Columbus, MS

Columbus Municipal School District, Columbus, MS

Collegeview Personal Care Home, Columbus, MS

Windsor Place Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Columbus, MS

Baptist Memorial Willowbrook Hospice and Home Care, Columbus, MS

Baptist Memorial Willowbrook Behavioral Health Care, Columbus, MS

Diamond Grove Center, Louisville, MS

For More Information about Music Therapy at MUW:

Please contact Carmen Osburn at cosburn@muw.edu Department of Theatre and Music

Carmen E. Osburn, MA, MT-BC, Assistant Professor of Music and Director of the Music Therapy Program at MUW, received her undergraduate degree in Music Therapy from Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN and her graduate degree in Creative Arts in Therapy from Allegheny University for the Health Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, currently known as Drexel University's Hahnemann Creative Arts in Therapy program. Board certified since 1994, she has provided Music Therapy services for children and adolescents with medical, emotional and behavioral problems, as well as drug and alcohol addiction. Her work with adults clients includes geriatric home health services, medical, emotional, psychiatric problems, and drug and alcohol addiction. Before coming to MUW she was on the faculty at the University of Louisville, where she taught Music Therapy techniques, and supervised students for clinical fieldwork and practica. She also created the first National Roster Music Therapy Internship in Kentucky at an adult and adolescent psychiatric facility. A frequent presenter at Music Therapy conferences, she represents the Southeastern region on the AMTA Standards of Clinical Practice Committee, and is the Mississippi representative to the Southeast region's Government Relations Committee.