Answers to some commonly asked questions

How does MHTP define healing?

We define healing as the restoration, realization, and/or maintenance of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wholeness. We make a distinction between "healing" and "curing", with no claims to erase illness with music, although research indicates that music is useful in a healing environment.

What patients do MHTP students and graduates serve?

Our students and graduates serve the critically, chronically, temporarily ill, and the dying of all ages and in any clinical/care site including hospitals (intensive care, pre-op and post-op, neonatal, etc., as well as in patients' rooms), hospice/home care settings, nursing homes, clinics, and offices.

Who is accepted to study in the MHTP?

Since MHTP is a professional training organization, and since effectively working one-on-one with ill, dying, and other persons requires life experience and maturity, MHTP considers only applicants who are 18 years or older for participation in the program.

MHTP accepts students of all musical skills, including amateur and professional musicians who are serious about learning how to provide live therapeutic music as a service. Voice and many acoustic instruments are appropriate in the MHTP program at the discretion of the staff.

For students to gain the highest benefit from classes and to be able to participate fully in them, MHTP requires that all students be able to play smoothly and rhythmically, as well as properly tune, and keep in tune, their instrument, before attending their first module. Vocalists must be able to sing songs that demonstrate melody and rhythm. Simple toning is not sufficient. Due to the nature of this profession, not all people are suited for work as CMPs. MHTP reserves the right to make this assessment at any point during the student’s course of study. Candidates are screened by the staff for appropriate musical and interpersonal skills prior to graduation.

Students may express concerns and request clarification of MHTP policies and procedures from their Advisor at any time. During classes, an Area Coordinator and teachers are available to answer student questions.

How long does it take to complete the program?

MHTP prefers that the program be completed in two years and requires that it be completed within three years after taking the first module. If a student is unable to complete program requirements within this time- frame, he/she may need to meet any new requirements.

What if I have previous experience or have already studied some of the required curriculum?

In rare instances, tuition reduction for previous pertinent experience and/or education may be granted by the Application Registrar based on review of the Student Application.

How much repertoire must each graduate have?

Approximately 90 minutes of repertoire must be learned or known in one or more of the categories listed in the "Repertoire Development" course. We do not require specific prescriptive music, but do instruct students as to what is deemed appropriate music in their style and level of skill. Repertoire for different types of patients is an important part of our curriculum.

What are the clinical / internship requirements?

Students are required to take all Modules and submit all book reviews and final tape before beginning their clinical internship. We require 45 hours of clinical experience in a medical facility for graduation. Patient logs will be kept by the student, and copies of the logs, in batches of 10, are submitted to the mentor. Previous experience noted in the student's application may lead to waiving a maximum of 5 internship hours if the student has over 20 hours of previous musical bed-side experience deemed sufficient by the Registrar. A signed statement from a supervisor, describing your bedside work, with approximate time period worked, is required for this credit. Students work independently during their internships.

What scientific evidence supports music as a healing modality

Recent research has revealed interesting statistics on the diverse effects of music in therapeutic situations. Just a few examples are:

• At the California State University in Fresno, studies by psychologist Janet Lapp have shown that migraine patients who have started and continue to listen regularly to their favorite music have one-sixth as many headaches as before.
• Premature babies at UCLA in Los Angeles and at Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta gained weight faster and used oxygen more efficiently; and babies at Tallahassee Memorial Regional Medical Center had shorter stays in the Intensive Care Unit when music was played for them daily, compared with babies in control groups without music.
• For adult patients, "half of an hour of music produces the same effect as ten milligrams of Valium", says Dr. Raymond Bahr, head of the Coronary Care Unit at Baltimore's St. Agnes Hospital
• When used by surgical patients, music has been shown to help reduce the amount of anesthesia needed during surgery and as well as post-operative pain medication, according to Fred Schwartz, MD, anesthesiologist at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.
• Dr. Oliver Sacks, the neurologist who has done studies on Parkinson's Disease, Tourette's Syndrome, and Alzheimer's says, "Whenever I get a book on neurology or psychology, the first thing I look up in the index is music, and if it's not there, I close the book."
• The U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Aging has granted funding for developing the use of music in physical rehabilitation programs.
• The National Institutes of Health has funded research on the use of music in medical settings.

How exactly does music influence healing?

The answers are still being explored, but studies have shown that the use of music can lower blood pressure, basal metabolism and respiration rates; and that it increases production of endorphins, which reduce pain, and salivary immunoglobulin, which speeds healing; reduces infection and controls heart rate. Music is being used to aid digestion and to reduce stress. Music is becoming a part of therapy in drug and alcohol detoxification, with Alzheimers and comatose patients, and as an aid for those with learning disabilities.

Can I make playing therapeutic music my career?

CMPs find jobs or create practices of their own. CMPs are employed in a variety of healthcare settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, and residential and in-home hospices. CMPs work independently and MHTP does not control their jobs or income.

Is the MHTP religiously oriented?

The MHTP recognizes and supports religious and spiritual freedom. We do not discriminate on the basis of religion, ethnic heritage, age, sex, or sexual orientation. Our educational program addresses and fosters respect for religious and cultural differences among students and patients. We do not practice any "cult" behaviors. We do recognize and support that many students and patients consider music a spiritual experience, and that spirituality is most often a component of healing. We also recognize and support those who do not make spiritual connections with music. In order to be certified as a CMP, a graduate of MHTP must agree to refrain from proselytizing religious beliefs through choice of music or speech during a therapeutic music session.

How much does the program cost?

Tuition is $400 each for Modules 1 through 4 and $500 for Module 5.  Modules 1 through 4 are 15 hours of instruction, and Module 5 is 20 hours, for a total of 80 hours.  Including the one-time registration fee of $100 that accompanies the Student Application and the $15 per module material fee that accompanies each module registration, the total MHTP instructional program cost is $2275.  Not included in this cost are private music lessons (if needed), books on the required reading list (which may be purchased or in some cases borrowed), and additional meetings with the Advisor that may be scheduled at the option of the student.  Some scholarship funds are available after a student is accepted and has taken one module.

Does MHTP require Continuing Education to maintain Certification?

The MHTP Board of Directors has developed a flexible policy on required Continuing Education for graduates.  CMPs are encouraged to remain current on research and new developments in the use of therapeutic music.  Forty continuing education units (CEUs) every 4 years are required.

Upon completing the program, are graduates called music therapists?

The Music for Healing & Transition Program does not lead to a degree in music therapy.  Our graduates may not call themselves music therapists, harp therapists, or any other title used by programs from which they have not graduated.  Our graduates are called Certified Music Practitioners (CMPs)™.