What about Master’s Level Entry?
The field of music therapy is in for a major decision. Currently, a bachelor’s degree is required to sit for the board certification test, but that may change soon. The Master’s Level Entry (MLE) task force has been diligently working on a proposal since 2010 that will require music therapists hold a Master’s degree to practice. While the conversation has been going on for awhile, the move to MLE is not inevitable. Any final decision must be approved by the American Music Therapy Association’s Assembly of Delegates and any member of AMTA is free to share her/his thoughts at public forums or reach out the their delegate.
For those interested (and that should be everyone with or aspiring to the MT-BC designation), below is a list of resources to learn more about the pros and cons of MLE.
Master’s Level Entry Core Considerations (2010)
MLE Progress Report (2014)
Concerns about MLE from Michael Silverman, PhD, MT-BC (2012)
For those of us who are already music therapists with a bachelor’s degree, we will be grandfathered in so my concern is not so much for my own professional future, but for the future of the profession. At this time, I am against MLE because I foresee this requirement to negatively impact client access to services. The number of MT-BCs currently stands at around 6000, far fewer than number needed to serve the number of potential clients across the United States. By requiring a master’s degree to practice (which comes along with added costs, years of study, etc), I can’t imagine that the number of music therapists graduating each year will continue to grow as it has recently.
Members of the MLE task force have stated that the knowledge base to practice music therapy has grown and requires more education, but the current recommended plan (a “pre-music therapy” bachelor’s degree with a required master’s degree) does not appear to provide significantly more years of study in music therapy, nor enough clinical experience I feel is essential to music therapy practice. The classroom alone does not a music therapist make.
Attending the MLE forum at the 2015 GLR conference, Dr. Debra Burns of IUPUI also brought up the point that the quality of care is not determined by years of education, but rather the amount of base of research and evidence that clinicians can draw upon. Perhaps focusing on expanding evidence-based practice meets the need for high quality music therapy standards.
Of course, there are many other questions I have for MLE. Will the associated financial and time constraints further diminish the diversity of MT-BCs that is already sorely lacking? What are the chances that universities will close their music therapy programs will close because they are unwilling to hire an additional faculty member to accomodate MLE educational requirements? Will music therapists have fewer options to pursue other areas of interest like counseling, social work, OT, SPL, etc that may compliment their music therapy practice?
Let me mention it for clarity’s sake: I have nothing against graduate and bettering yourself with a master’s degree (heck, I’m going to grad school in the fall!), but leveling up degrees for its own sake does not serve our clients or our field. Perhaps a plan that integrates depth of education with expanded clinical experiences will emerge, but for now I say “not yet” to MLE.