State Registration

On June 1 st 1999, music therapists, art therapists and drama therapists became UK Registered Arts Therapists. They joined other Professions Supplementary to Medicine (who are also state registered), who work with the medical profession offering a wide range of specialist skills. Each profession is regulated under an act of parliament and has its own professional association, which is responsible for advancing the interests of the profession. Registers are kept of those who have met the requirements for state registration, and who are judged to be competent in their profession. Registration is necessary in order to be employed in a wide range of posts, including the National Health Service and local authority Social Services.

Associations

1) The Association of Professional Music Therapists (APMT):

The APMT was established in 1976 to support and develop the profession. The association's members are qualified music therapists who have undertaken a recognised postgraduate training course in music therapy. A current register of practising therapists is held. The APMT endeavours to maintain high standards of practice throughout the profession. This is achieved through administering and monitoring a variety of professional development schemes, including supervision, study days and conferences. Music therapists in the UK are allocated to geographical areas, within which are thriving local groups. Members receive a regular newsletter, notices of job vacancies, a joint APMT/BSMT (British Society for Music Therapy) journal and updated information from the APMT.

The aims of the APMT are:

•  To establish job opportunities & serve as a clearing house for job openings;
•  To establish and uphold clinical & ethical standards;
•  To establish and maintain a register for its members;
•  To provide up-to-date information for its members;
•  To maintain a constant liaison with related professionals in the UK;
•  To establish and maintain links with other music therapists abroad and associations throughout the world;
•  To be a source of ongoing support.

There are APMT Leaflets available about:

•  How can music therapy help people with learning difficulties?
•  How does music therapy help children with special needs?
•  How can music therapy help adults with mental health problems?

There are APMT Special Interest groups for: Education; Improvisation; Learning Disabilities; Palliative Care, Psychiatric; Research.

2) The British Society for Music Therapy (BSMT)

Membership of the BSMT is open to anyone interested in music therapy. The international membership represents many different professions including music therapists, musicians, medical and paramedical personnel, teachers, social workers, parents and students. Members receive 2 issues of the British Journal of Music Therapy and 3 issues of the BSMT bulletin each year, as well as information about all BSMT meetings, workshops and conferences, details of new books and videos (which can be obtained through the BSMT), and information on the new BSMT publications.

More recently, both these organisations have made closer links and work together on many different projects.

Music therapy training courses

Professional music therapy qualifications are at postgraduate level in the UK. Each requires a high level of musicianship: students are normally accepted only if they have a 3 year musical training leading to a diploma or graduateship from a college of music or a degree from a university. Occasionally students holding qualifications in other subjects (e.g. education, psychology) may be accepted, if they have achieved a high standard of musical performance. Assessment of personality and suitability for the work also forms part of an interview. The following courses are recognised:

•  Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London
•  Nordoff-Robbins Centre, London
•  University of Surrey, Roehampton
•  University of Bristol
•  Anglia Polytechnic University, Cambridge
•  Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff
•  Nordoff-Robbins Scotland

By 2006, entry level into the profession will be via a Masters degree. A Masters qualification is already available within some programmes, and all training programmes now aim to achieve this by 2006. A PhD programme is also available within some institutions.

Literature - Historical core texts from the UK

The following are core texts written by pioneers of music therapy in the UK:

Alvin, J. (originally published in 1966): Music Therapy , UK, Stainer & Bell

Nordoff, P., Robbins, C. (1971): Music Therapy for Handicapped Children,

London, Gollancz

Nordoff, P., Robbins, C. (1977): Creative Music Therapy, London, John Day

The following are either written at a later date by pioneers, or were the first books of their kind to be published:

Alvin, J., Warwick, A. (1991): Music Therapy for the Autistic Child , Oxford University Press

Priestley, M. (1994): Essays on Analytical Music Therapy , USA, Barcelona

Bunt, L. (1994): Music Therapy, An Art Beyond Words , London, Routledge

Heal, M., Wigram, T. (eds.) (1993): Music Therapy in Health & Education , London, JKP

Gilroy, A., Lee, C. (eds.) (1995): Art & Music: Therapy & Research , London, Routledge

PLEASE NOTE: There are many other books published by therapists trained in the UK (please contact British Society of Music Therapy Website for further details). The books listed here are early publications and/or core texts from pioneers.

Music Therapy Publications in the UK:

British Journal of Music Therapy

APMT Newsletter

BSMT Bulletin; BSMT Book & Video List

Organisations supporting music therapy in the UK include:

Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy; The Music Therapy Charity; The MusicSpace Trust.

Website addresses:

www.apmt.org.uk

www.bsmt.org