- Title
- Clinicians' perceptions of the certification board for music therapists exam
- Year Issued
- 2024
- Abstract
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This study utilized survey research to determine contributing factors to the downward trend in passing rates for the board certification examination for music therapists from the test takers’ perspectives. This was accomplished by inquiring about test preparation, te...
Show moreThis study utilized survey research to determine contributing factors to the downward trend in passing rates for the board certification examination for music therapists from the test takers’ perspectives. This was accomplished by inquiring about test preparation, test-taking experiences, test accessibility, and perceptions about the overall structure of the exam. 76.67% of participants indicated that they were White or European, 16.67% were Hispanic or Latino/a, and 3.33% were American Indian or Alaska Native, 96.43% were female, and 61% passed the exam on their first attempt. 75% of survey respondents said that the exam was accessible to their individual test taking needs. Survey participants in both categories, those who passed on their first attempt and those who did not, reported experiencing restrictions that hindered them from (re)taking the CBMT exam. When asked whether or not they agreed with the statement “My exam score(s) reflect my competence as a music therapist,” 57% of participants disagreed to some extent. When those who did not pass on their first attempt were asked how this impacted their self-concept, there was a common theme among respondents. Using words like failure, dreadful, discouraged, and defeated to describe how they felt after not passing, it was clear that many exam candidates put a strong emphasis on this exam and what it indicates about them as a music therapist. Nearly half of the respondents admitted to experiencing test taking anxiety which made taking the CBMT exam more challenging. Participants noted that the most challenging section for exam candidates overall was treatment, implementation, and termination. 67% of respondents agreed to some degree that their undergraduate program’s approach/philosophy was well-rounded enough to fully prepare them for the exam. Yet, 46% believe that the content of these same programs did not fully prepare them for the exam. That said, most survey respondents also disclosed that they received little to no support from academic professors when preparing for the exam.
Show less - Author
- Miller, Sara
- Title
- Potentials and barriers to culturally responsive music therapy education
- Abstract
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Abstract This qualitative focus group study explored perceptions of potentials and barriers to cultural responsiveness in music therapy education. Music therapy literature calls for an increase in culturally informed music therapy practice. However, despite cultural ...
Show moreAbstract This qualitative focus group study explored perceptions of potentials and barriers to cultural responsiveness in music therapy education. Music therapy literature calls for an increase in culturally informed music therapy practice. However, despite cultural considerations present in music therapy professional competencies, there are no standards for culturally responsive pedagogical practices. Simultaneously, there has been an acknowledgment in the music therapy literature of challenges to culturally responsive practices, such as the homogeneous, privileged identities dominant in music therapy's professional demographics, compounded by the privileging of Western classical music in music therapy education. In this exploratory study, an online focus group discussion was facilitated with seven music therapy educators to explore their perspectives on the definition of culturally responsive education, their reflective evaluations of their pedagogical practices, their perspectives on how standards of music therapy education inform and/or hinder the ability to foster cultural responsiveness, and their respective outlooks on how potentials and barriers to cultural responsiveness are impacting education, research, theory, and practice. Results demonstrated that educators who value cultural responsiveness believe it is being overlooked in the field of music therapy. Six themes with 34 sub-themes were found: defining cultural responsiveness (stances of humility, self-awareness, continual and constant attention, knowledge of systems of power, self-critique, process, accountability, skills), relevance to clinical practice (ethical responsibility, effect on the therapeutic relationship, effective versus ineffective practice), approaches in education (dedicated course work, infused throughout the program, gradually increasing depth, beyond the classroom, from the beginning, dialogical over technical, experiential learning), preparedness (personal/professional growth practice, training for supervisors and faculty, staying informed), institutional attitudes (the need for changing attitudes, the field is improving, superficiality, the burden on marginalized faculty, commitment to social justice, support from administration), and barriers (Eurocentricity, lack of diversity, AMTA, jam-packed program, no specific training, the need for research). These findings offer recommendations for how the field of music therapy approaches cultural responsiveness in our training programs.
Show less - Year Issued
- 2019
- Author
- Bain, Candice
- Sub-title
- Perspectives of music therapy educators
- Title
- A survey of the experiences of Arab music therapists' academic and cultural adjustment in music therapy training
- Abstract
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The field of music therapy is currently working towards increasing cultural awareness, equity, social justice, and belongingness for the wide diversity of music therapists and the people we work with. Due to the Eurocentric approach to music therapy education and tra...
Show moreThe field of music therapy is currently working towards increasing cultural awareness, equity, social justice, and belongingness for the wide diversity of music therapists and the people we work with. Due to the Eurocentric approach to music therapy education and training, the Arab community is a cultural group that has minimal representation in the music therapy literature. Throughout the Arab world the music therapy profession could still be regarded as being in its infancy stage. With limited international higher education programs in music therapy, most people living within the Arab region must travel to study. Previous research in music therapy and other mental health professions have indicated that international programs have fallen short in their ability to support the needs of international students, instead assuming they will acculturate with ease, and provide minimal education and guidance on ways therapeutic interventions can be adapted in various cultural contexts. This research study utilized a mixed-methods approach within a constructivist paradigm that pulls from feminist theoretical perspectives to better understand the educational and cultural experiences of Arab music therapists through an anonymous online survey. The data was analyzed for common themes that emerged. Overall, a majority of respondents felt that their music therapy education and training experience did not meet all of their cultural needs. The researchers hope that the data gathered will be useful for other Arab international music therapy students, but more importantly, that it will help guide and inform music therapy programs globally in their efforts to better support the needs of Arab music therapy students.
Show less - Year Issued
- 2024
- Author
- Foster, Kristal
- Sub-title
- a mixed-methods analysis