I'm a Music Therapist

As the season of commencements comes to a close, job searching for new graduates is revving up. As a new music therapy professional, just securing a position can seem daunting. While on the job hunt, don’t be intimidated by negotiating! Here are three important reasons all music therapists should be negotiating their salaries and/or rates.

1. Your future depends on it.

Our income carries major influence over our lifestyle. Whether you can afford to travel for a friend’s wedding across the country, deal with an unexpected medical bill, or pay off your student loans faster will be determined by your pay. Many music therapists (including yours truly) depend on second and even third jobs to cushion their bank accounts each month and pay off student debts. This means extra hours each week are being spent earning money instead of pursuing activities that are meaningful to you including relationships with friends/family, creative pursuits, or self-care.

Past the immediate month-to-month direct deposits into your bank account, your salary may determine your pay at future positions. If you’re recruited for an awesome job a few years from now, they may want to know your salary at your previous position. If the new company had promised you a 20% raise over your previous salary, there’s a $1,250 difference if your salary is $30k vs. $35k. Your salary today has a rippling effect for your tomorrow.

2. Music therapists are routinely under-valued.

The average salary for all music therapists is $52,000. It’s not awful, but it could be a lot better for the skill set we carry. As a comparison, the median salary for an occupational therapy aide (requiring only an associate’s degree) is $53,000 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. To me, this is unacceptable. There is debate about whether requiring Master’s-level entry would raise music therapists’ pay to be closer to that of OTs and PTs which both require Master’s degrees to practice. While that discussion will continue, music therapists ultimately need to advocate for better compensation today.

3. The majority of music therapists are women.

It’s a fact: women are less likely to negotiate their salaries (26% of women vs. 37% of men). According to the 2013 AMTA Workforce Analysis, 88% of music therapists are women. This means that the average music therapist is not giving herself the opportunity to earn more and positively influence her future. The wage gap between between men and women is apparent, and female music therapists should not let themselves become a statistic.

Resources

Click HERE for tips on negotiating your compensation from LearnVest.com, a great website for financial literacy. For the most up-to-date information about music therapy pay by state, population, and years of experience, check out the 2013 American Music Therapy Association Workforce Analysis HERE. It’s free to current AMTA Members!

Although my own negotiations didn’t result in higher pay, the confidence I gained in voicing my value to my employer will serve me well in future negotiations and advocacy. Bottom line: if you don’t ask, there’s a 100% chance you won’t get a better compensation package. Music therapists, we need to be communicating our value to our employers.