The 1950's and 1960's were the first decades that promoted music therapy as a professional career. The formation of the National Association for Music Therapy started the transformation. The development of NAMT resulted in the establishment of music therapy in colleges and universities, development of clinical training for music therapy interns, certification and registration of music therapists, and the growth of music therapy literature.
Music therapy was not a formal profession being studied at universities before the formation of NAMT. One of the first goals of NAMT was to improve the education and curriculum of music therapy. The formation of NAMT had been created through the efforts with the National Association of School of Music (NASM). In an arrangement with NASM, education programs were formulated to better educate the music therapy student. By 1966 11 universities offered a bachelor degree with a major emphasis on music therapy, 27 clinical training sites were approved and 3 graduate schools offered programs in music therapy (Muskatevc, 1966 ). The need for an improved music therapy curriculum was always an important issue. In 1965, Clifford Madsen devised a system that he thought would help prepare music therapists for a professional career. The problem with the education systems of the past was that there were no set music therapy classes. Classes at a university consisted of music classes (designed for performance and education majors) and science classes (not directed for the use of music majors). To alleviate the problem Madsen proposed the idea of an "independent School of Music Therapy" (Madsen, 1965, 85). The music therapy student needed to be prepared in music literature, basic theory, an applied instrument, and most importantly, professional courses including experimental research, clinical psychology, observation, and participation in a therapy setting. Madsen reasoned that, "Music therapy is a relatively new field and is still not entirely accepted by the academic fields of either psychology or music" (Madsen, 1965). By creating an independent school of music therapy, music therapy would be more respected.
The development of clinical training for music therapy interns was an important step that made music therapy a more respected career. Dr. E. Thayer Gaston helped establish the first clinical intern sight in Topeka, Kansas at the Menninger Clinic, a site specialized in the treatment of mental disorders (Davis, 1999). Wilhelmina Harbert recognized the importance of a good clinical intern sight and helped establish a site in a hospital in Stockton, California. The goals she applied to her sight can be generalized to describe the goals of the typical intern sight in the 1950's. The internship experience should provide time to become part of a family at the sight, provide an opportunity to have an active part, teach students about different client populations, allow students to practice techniques, teach students observation skills, teach students how to work under a trained music therapist, develop leadership skills, help evaluate strengths and weaknesses (Harbert, 1953). By participating in a clinical internship, students furthered their education of music therapy. The development of the internship helped promote music therapy as a respected as a career.
The greatest achievement that promoted music therapy as a career was the development of the certification and registration process. With the formation of NAMT and the help of Dr. E. Thayer Gaston, the registered music therapist credential (RMT) was created in 1956 (Davis, 1999). The RMT guaranteed employers that the music therapist had met the education and internship requirements designed by the NAMT and the NASM. The RMT credential proved that music therapy was a professional career.
The tremendous growth of music therapy literature was due to the formation of NAMT. The first national conference was held in Washington D.C. in December of 1950, just 6 months after the creation of NAMT. Detailed reports were published in the Hospital Music Newsletter. The second conference, held in Chicago, Illinois in November 1951 resulted in the decision to publish the NAMT Bulletin and annual books of proceedings (Grilliland, 1960). Later a public relations committee for NAMT was created to inform people of music therapy and create and demand for qualified music therapists. The public relations committee wrote to speech therapists, music teachers, recreational therapists, occupational therapists, and special education teachers (Muskatevc, 1966). Informative brochures like Music Therapy as a Career, and Music Therapy, What and Why? were the first to help promote music therapy. In 1964 the Journal of Music Therapy was published (Muskatevc, 1966). The journal was dedicated to research in music therapy and is still edited by the original editor, William Sears (Davis, 1999). With the establishment of music therapy literature that provided information and supporting evidence for the benefits of music, music therapy was established as a professional career.
The birth of the National Association for Music Therapy was on June 21, 1950. The creation of the association established music therapy as a professional career. New educational and curriculum requirements provided music therapy with a foundation to grow from. The development of clinical training in internship for music therapists gave music therapy respect from the professional world. The RMT certification proved that music therapy was a professional career and the literature that supported music therapy provided supporting evidence to further music therapy. The 1950's and 1960's were the decades that made music therapy a professional career.
REFRENCES
Davis, W.B., K. Gfeller, M. Thaut. 1999. An Introduction to Music Therapy: Theory and Practice. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Gilliland, Esther, G. (1960) Our First Decade. Music Therapy 1960 Tenth Book of Proceedings of the National Association for Music Therapy, Inc. (pp.173). Lawrence, KS: Allen Press.
Harbert, Wilhelmina, K. The Elements of an Effective Hospital Music Internship. Music Therapy 1953 Third Book of Proceedings of the National Association for Music Therapy, Inc. (pp194). Lawrence, KS: Allen Press.
Madsen, C.K. (1965). A New Music Therapy Curriculum. Journal of Music Therapy. 2:83-85.
Muskatevc, Leo, C. (1966). Blueprint for Growth. Journal of Music Therapy. 3:117-119.
