Therapeutic music resources & links

Here is a list of certification programs, conferences, publications, books, and sheet music for therapeutic musicians.

Certification programs for therapeutic musicians

It is important to receive proper training to be a therapeutic musician. No one should administer treatment in a healthcare facility without being appropriately credentialed. Music is powerful. Imagine what would happen if you played music with an erratic rhythm to someone who just came out of heart surgery?

I am certified by the Music for Healing and Transition Program➚, and I served on their Board of Directors from 2012 to 2021. I chose this program because:

  • I found them to be the most pragmatic and research-focused of all of the programs.

  • The classes are in person (either on site or via live video conference), which was a better learning environment for me than home study.

  • The program certifies performers on voice or any acoustic instrument, not just harp.

  • You choose your own repertoire instead of using a restricted set of pre-selected tunes, which means you also get to change and improve your repertoire list over time.

  • They are accredited by the National Standards Board for Therapeutic Musicians.

Learn about the Music for Healing and Transition Program➚, and see the graduation requirements for a Certified Music Practitioner➚.

Each of the following programs has a different scope of practice. Some of them allow or encourage patient interaction. Those that are harp-only sometimes have restrictions on the size or type of harp:

*Accredited by the National Standards Board for Therapeutic Musicians➚

Therapeutic music conferences and webinars

For continuing education and networking:

  • The Music for Healing and Transition Program holds the MHTP International Biennial Conference➚ on even-numbered years, usually in the summer. These conferences are geared towards students and graduates of therapeutic music programs. Topics usually include the latest research, methods for gaining paid employment as a certified therapeutic musician, self-care, and networking. The past two have been virtual. Recordings from past MHTP conferences➚ are available for purchase.

  • MHTP holds single-day and multi-week webinars➚ throughout the year that focus on repertoire building, self-care, and gaining paid employment. Some are open only to students or graduates of therapeutic music programs, and others are open to anyone.

  • The Somerset Folk Harp Festival➚ is held an hour west of New York City, mid-July every year. Primarily for harpers, this fantastic, information-packed yearly conference offers an intensive track of individual seminars on therapeutic music. Get an introduction about what it’s like to be a therapeutic musician and enhance your skills with guidance on therapeutic improvisation and repertoire building. There is a great vendor hall filled with harp builders and sheet music, and there are plenty of other workshops about playing the harp.

Therapeutic music newsletter and journal

The Music for Healing and Transition Program (MHTP) has a semi-monthly newsletter with articles of interest to music practitioners. Subscribe to the MHTP newsletter➚ and browse the archives. I was the editor from March 2020 through December 2021.

The Harp Therapy Journal➚ is a quarterly newsletter with the latest in therapeutic music research and articles by key members of the therapeutic music community.

Books about playing music at the bedside

There is an extensive therapeutic music bibliography from the Music for Healing and Transition Program➚ with books on music and healing; healing and self-care; and aging, dying, and death.

Melody’s Traditional Music and Harp Shoppe’s list of therapeutic sheet music also includes therapeutic music DVDs and books for purchase➚.

Music books I’ve written for using the modes

Knowing when to play in major, minor, or a different mode is helpful when choosing music for patients. I’ve written two books on understanding the modes.

Enjoy the Modes➚. Learn how to identify and use the modes in your music. This book is for everyone who has heard of modes and doesn’t know what to do next. Take advantage of how harpers use the same hand position for major and minor chords: change your levers or pedals to hear the differences between Lydian, Ionian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, and Phrygian on the same strings. 161 pages. Get Enjoy the Modes in PDF➚ or as a spiral-bound book➚.

Enjoy the Dorian Mode➚. Play 26 arrangements in D Dorian (no sharps or flats). Explore what makes Dorian different using lead sheets that transform each song to D Aeolian (B♭) and D Mixolydian (F♯) for comparison. Sea shanties, Gregorian chants, troubadour songs, folk tunes, and more, spanning over 800 years of music and 11 nations. Lyrics, chord symbols, and historical context. 137 pages. Get Enjoy the Dorian Mode as a spiral-bound book➚ or PDF➚.

See all of the resources I recommend for using the modes➚ at my site for harp students, EnjoyTheHarp.com➚.

Learning to play harp

I am also a harp coach, specializing in adult beginners. I teach via video conference. See my site EnjoyTheHarp.com➚ for more information on private lessons and free resources.

Read more about how therapeutic music works, or see ways to contact me.