Music therapy is defined as the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional. The practice integrates musical experiences, such as listening, singing, or playing instruments, to address a wide range of needs, including physical, emotional, cognitive, and social functions. While the formal profession is relatively young, the concept of using music to affect health has deep historical roots that span millennia, evolving from ancient, informal practices to the regulated, scientific discipline recognized today.
Early Healing Practices Using Music
Music was integrated into anecdotal and ritualistic practices without formal scientific rigor or professional structure. In ancient Egypt, for instance, physicians who were often priests used musical incantations and vocalizations for healing the sick, considering music a medicine for the soul.
The philosophers of ancient Greece formalized the understanding of music’s influence on health, believing that music could restore harmony to a disordered soul or body. Thinkers like Pythagoras declared that musical vibrations could resonate with the body, while Aristotle wrote about music’s power to induce catharsis and combat emotional distress. These applications often involved the use of instruments like flutes and lyres to treat mental disturbance or promote sleep.
Throughout the medieval and Renaissance periods, music continued to be used anecdotally, often prescribed by physicians as a remedy for sadness or mental illness. These traditions recognized that sound and rhythm could influence the physical and emotional state. However, these practices lacked the standardized, evidence-based methodology that defines the modern profession.
The Birth of Clinical Music Therapy in the 20th Century
The transition to a recognized clinical profession occurred primarily in the United States following the World Wars. Military hospitals were filled with veterans suffering from physical injuries and severe emotional trauma, including what was then termed “shell shock.” Community musicians began voluntarily visiting these Veterans hospitals to perform for the patients.
The positive emotional and physical responses demonstrated by patients led doctors and nurses to request that hospitals formally hire musicians. These anecdotal successes established the value of music in a medical setting. Margaret Anderton, a musician who worked with Canadian soldiers returning from World War I, started offering the first known college course in “Musicotherapy” at Columbia University in 1919.
This growing recognition spurred early pioneers like Willem van de Wall, who wrote one of the first instructional texts on music therapy in 1936, and E. Thayer Gaston, often called the “father of music therapy.” By 1946, most Veterans Administration hospitals were using music in treatment and had full-time music specialists on staff. This shift from informal volunteerism to a recognized need for trained personnel laid the groundwork for academic programs and professional standards.
Establishing Professional Standards and Certification
The formalized structure of music therapy began to take shape in the mid-20th century with the establishment of educational and organizational bodies. The first academic music therapy program was established at Michigan State University in 1944, with the University of Kansas following shortly after in 1946.
The National Association for Music Therapy (NAMT) was founded in 1950. This organization was instrumental in setting standards for university-level education and clinical practice. In 1971, the American Association for Music Therapy (AAMT) was established.
The need for a unified standard of practice led to the incorporation of the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) in 1983. The CBMT administered the first board examination in 1985, creating the credential of Music Therapist-Board Certified (MT-BC). The NAMT and the AAMT eventually merged in 1998, forming the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), which serves as the primary professional body today.