Music Therapy (Taught)

Course summary

The Music Therapy Masters programme aims to realise students’ full musicianship potential and equip them with the knowledge and skills to work as a registered music therapist. On this programme, students gain clinical experience with adults and children in a variety of settings, including:

Psychiatry and dementia

Special and main stream education

Learning disabilities

Communication disorders

Clinical practice is central to the training. Students gain clinical experience in at least two different placement settings in Year 1 supervised by HCPC-registered music therapists at hospitals, special schools and units in and around London. This is supplemented by clinical seminars, theoretical studies, and musicianship skills to support and integrate the clinical work. Clinical placements in Year 2 are two days a week, offering extended and in-depth experiences supported by further clinical seminars and professional practice classes. Studying Music Therapy at Guildhall School is a unique experience. You will join one of the world’s leading conservatoires, receiving one-to-one tuition on both your Principal Study and Second Study instruments with the School’s teachers. The programme provides access to leading specialists in improvisation and an active research community, with the possibility of participating in research events. Graduates will be prepared for employment in health, education, social and community service and the voluntary sector, and are eligible to register as Arts Therapists with the HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council) and as professional members of the British Association for Music Therapy.

Modules

Core modules include: year 1: A1: Clinical Practice and Reflection 1; B1: Theoretical Studies 1; C: Musical Resources; D1: Personal Awareness. Year 2: A2: Clinical Practice and Reflection 2; B2: Applied Theoretical and Research Studies: D2: Professional and Personal Awareness.

Assessment method

The strategy for assessment of the Masters in Music Therapy programme is built on the following principles: • Students should be set clear and focused tasks (as outlined in the programme handbook) with firm deadlines as stated in the handbook, and with transparent criteria for assessment • The assessment tasks will be related as far as possible to the varied professional procedures expected of the working music therapist, in order to prepare candidates effectively for their working lives and to meet the statutory requirements of the Health & Care Professions Council in the UK. This includes, for example, verbal and written clinical case reports; placement appraisal linked to termly viva voce exams; clinical improvisation; creative musicianship, performance and some composition; live seminar presentation and writing of academic papers and essays, team liaison. • As part of the Masters Level training, research-based tasks are included in the evaluation of clinical practice. • The assessment tasks focus on a variety of skills (practical, clinical, academic and research) to allow students to demonstrate their strengths and to reflect the wide range of learning outcomes developed by the programme. • Where assessment tasks involve the student’s imagination and artistry (for example in clinical improvisation, composition and general musicianship), students should recognise that their own initiative and experimentation are highly valued qualities in the learning process.

Professional bodies

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

Health and Care Professions Council

Entry requirements

Applicants should normally have obtained an undergraduate degree with Honours in Music, or international equivalent, as a result of completing a minimum of three years in a music college or university music department. Graduates in a different discipline or professional musicians of some years’ standing can be accepted, provided they demonstrate appropriate musicianship skills at audition. Applications should demonstrate experience of a period of paid or voluntary work outside of full-time education. Experience of working with vulnerable adults or children would be highly beneficial.

English language requirements

Test	Grade	Additional details
IELTS (Academic)	7	Applicants whose first language is not English must achieve as a minimum the IELTS Academic Training examination with an overall band score of 7, regardless of previous study at a UK institution.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Additional fee information

Fees are variable depending on the mode of study. Please consult the School website for more information: https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/study-with-guildhall/fees-and-funding

Sponsorship information

The School does its best to ensure that no student who is offered a place on merit is prevented from taking up that place on grounds of financial hardship and so a range of financial support is offered. The School offers a wide range of scholarships to students regardless of domicile. A scholarship award may be made to cover either the full cost of tuition fees or a fraction of them, and may include an element for maintenance. Awards are made by academic staff to individuals on the basis of their talent, their potential and their personal financial need. Applicants may be considered for a scholarship at audition and a scholarship may be given along with an offer of a place at the School. All students who accept a place at the School can also apply for scholarship support.