Becoming a Board Certified Music Therapist is no simple task. First you need to be accepted into a Music Therapy degree program at a university. Then you have to pass all your classes, fulfill all the required clinical hours, complete an internship, and graduate from the program. After all that, you are still not done. You must take and pass a national exam.
Just the word exam always sent me into a state of terror. Some people don’t stress over tests and just take them in stride…I am not one of those people. I am the type that would study and study but never feel prepared. I’d enter the exam site nervous, sick to my stomach, and sometimes in a sweat. Call me crazy but that is how it has always been.
The day of my board certification exam was no different. It was difficult for me but I got through it. I eventually passed and got my certificate. That was a wonderful and very exciting day for me. It meant I would have the standing as board certified for 5 years, then at the end of that 5 years I had to either take the test again or prove that I had earned 100 Continuing Music Therapy Education (CMTE) renewal hours over the past 5 years. I swore up and down that I would never take that test again so I always chose to accumulate those 100 hours through classes, conferences, reading and writing reports, or other ways.
I have found that the process of earning my continuing education hours has been very beneficial. You might think it is just a bureaucratic requirement, but it is so much more than that. The process of earning your continuing education credits keeps you sharp, exposes you to many new concepts and techniques, and helps you offer better care and service to your clients.
I have found that the process of earning my continuing education hours has been very beneficial.
When deciding what to pursue in music therapy it can be easy to have tunnel vision and narrow your thinking to one specific thing. I have found out that expanding my knowledge leads me to greater opportunities so I am able to offer my clients a wider variety of activities and choices. Earning my continuing education credits has been the best way for me to remain sharp and current. Like anything in life, you only get out of it what you put in. Earning those 100 hours every 5 years can be an amazing experience if you take it seriously and use those opportunities to have true growth.
Here I will share some of my experiences earning continuing education credits for Continuing Music Therapy Education (CMTE) renewal. I will also share some insights on other ways you can earn these credits.
The fastest, and in my opinion most exciting way to earn CMTE credits is to attend conferences. There truly is excitement in the air when you attend a conference. You have the excitement of traveling to a new place and taking a break from your everyday life. There are many people there united for the same reason. You get to catch up with old friends and make new friends in every session you attend. You get to take live sessions with renowned music therapists, professors, researchers, and other professionals in the field.
Conferences buzz with energy. The moment you put your lanyard around your neck you are transported to a music therapy wonderland. Before you go, make sure to pick all the classes you want to take so you get to all the ones you want and don’t miss any. You can focus on a particular area within an umbrella of courses, or you can take completely random courses that are unrelated. Just make sure you think about what you want to get out of the conference. Since you are there to earn CMTE credits, make the most of it and pack in as many valuable courses as you can! One thing you really can take advantage of is taking the CMTE courses for credit the day before the conference begins. This is the best way to pack in as many credits as possible. You just have to go to the conference a day early and take one of the CMTE courses that is offered. These courses are typically offered at a good discount. There are often classes offered like this the day after the conference as well. If you take advantage of both the pre and post conference CMTE opportunities you can really earn a lot of hours.
A very important thing to remember is that at a conference you MUST get the signature of the presenter immediately following the class in order to get credit. You cannot go ask for the signature the next day, you must get it the moment the session is over. There are many important details to pay attention to when attending a conference. Make sure to read all the fine print so you understand how everything works and how to get the most credits. One such rule is that you earn 5 CMTE contact hours for simply attending a conference, but you can only earn 15 CMTE contact hours in this way in a given 5 year recertification period. Watch out for all these little details.
Once you arrive at a conference you will receive a catalog or an app with all the courses, activities, and events. Some activities and events include a vendor hall where you can buy different instruments you may have never heard of before, networking lunches, large drum circles, open exhibit hall hours, songwriting contest, and a silent auction to raise funds for scholarships and other needs.
Conferences are kind of expensive and all the travel expensive can add up. If you go with a group of friends you can share rooms to help save on costs. It’s always nice when a conference is held close to home so you can save money on hotel rooms and travel.
When at a conference it really pays to research the courses offered and fully plan your schedule. I didn’t understand this at my first conference so missed out on the extra hours I could have accumulated.
I have attended conferences in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, San Diego, and Honolulu. All these conferences have been a positive experience. Everyone has been eager to network and share their ideas with each other. Everyone has been so open and excited to help each other. They have never been stressful. They have always been very positive and upbeat.
I must admit the best conference for me was when it was in Honolulu Hawaii. My husband and I, along with two of our sons traveled together. We had lived in Hawaii for 2 years when my husband was in the army and always wanted to go back so now was our chance. While I attended my conference the 3 of them toured and had fun. At night I could go with them and enjoy some of the other sites and luau’s. When my conference was completed our oldest son had to return home but the rest of us went on a cruise to the other islands. This was something we were unable to do while in the army. It was a dream come true.
Attending the conference in Hawaii reminded me of the rich culture I was so engulfed in when I lived there as a young adult. Being introduced to different cultures expands your knowledge and helps you know how to better connect with a diverse population.. Learning about the background history, song, and dance of other cultures is always fun. The Hawian way is warm, welcoming and definitely engaging. Expressing their love for their culture is done through song, dance, their outgoing expressions of love and appreciation, their beautiful flower lei’s that they so graciously adorn a newcomer draws us into their realm of love. How better to learn this than to be in their midst.
Back to the conferences…. It is always amazing to see how many options are open and offered at each conference. There is a vast opportunity to expand your knowledge in areas that interest you. Conferences also provide many classes that introduce you to new and interesting things you might never be exposed to otherwise. At conferences it’s always refreshing to learn new songs, new chords on instruments and be able to practice with a group. Some of my favorite things I’ve done at a conference is improve my skills on how to improvise. I also loved experiencing a drum circle consisting of over 50 people. You can try to explain these experiences to others but being a part of it is just sealed into your memory and your heart.
Time is set aside during conferences for networking and people take advantage of this. It turns into a great opportunity to see what other people working in your same area of focus are doing all around the country. Friendships are made and many experiences are shared with each other.
Every time I have attended a conference I have left feeling like I can conquer the world. I’m always filled with new ideas and ambitions. I’ve always gained insights and tips that I’m eager to go try to implement with my clients. Of all the conference sessions I’ve attended there have only been one or two duds. I’m usually very impressed with the presenters and the content they present. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a music therapy conference, take it!
Every time I have attended a conference I have left feeling like I can conquer the world. I’m always filled with new ideas and ambitions.
Things today are much easier than they were the first couple of 5 year segments I went through. As much as I love attending conferences, sometimes it is difficult to travel to different locations and costly to pay for all the travel expenses involved, having other options is good for music therapists.There are now many online courses offered which can make earning your credits much easier.
Online classes have grown in popularity in recent years. I have taken about six different online courses for continuing education credits over the years. I’ve found the online classes I’ve taken through the CBMT website. I have been pleased with the courses I have taken. The convenience of doing them at home and on my time has been amazing. There have been times when I have needed to earn some credits but my schedule and life had not allowed me to travel or attend workshops in my city.
There are a large variety of courses you can choose from. You can go at your own pace, go back and rewatch sections, and dig deeper into concepts that are presented. You might feel like the online courses are a bit expensive, but when you really compare it to other ways to earn credits, especially taking into account travel expenses, the online classes end up not being too expensive at all. I’m not always the most comfortable with computers and technology, but I have never had a problem taking my online classes. They have been very intuitive to use.
Some of the things I’ve taken on-line classes are: Songwriting, classes about working with preschoolers, doing improvisation with seniors, songs for seniors, and an Ethics class that is mandatory each 5 year cycle. I highly recommend looking into online courses to earn your CMTE credits.
Another way you can earn continuing education credits is by reading research articles and writing reports on what you learned. You only get 2 credit hours for each article read and reported on, however it doesn’t cost any money to read an article. This is the most cost effective way to earn credits. Many of these articles can be difficult to understand because of all the data and vocabulary you might not be exposed to everyday. Even though the articles can be a bit technical I like that they stretch my understanding and force me to dig deeper into a topic. I do enjoy reading the case studies and learning what researchers have learned about aspects of the field. I know research is essential to our field and keeps it moving forward.
Another option music therapists can use to obtain CMTE credits is Mentored Self Study. This option gives a person the opportunity to choose a specialty they can study, work on, and improve in. My piano skills were at their highest while I was in school taking a class piano course. I had only taken sporadic lessons throughout my life so when it came to the college experience I was behind most of my classmates. I worked really hard, the professors were strict and pushed each of us to go beyond what we thought we were capable. I can remember many tears from students trying to meet the teachers, and their own expectations. After graduating, some of these important piano skills suffered. I wanted to focus on improving my piano skills so I recently decided to take piano lessons as a Mentored Self Study so I could earn some continuing education credits in the process. Having an option to do a self mentoring course and receive credit hours was a bonus in my mind. Taking lessons to improve my piano skills has given me more encouragement and the pressure of a class piano situation was alleviated. I have gained more self esteem and confidence in this area.
There are many choices you can consider when doing a Mentored Self Study. This is a great option to make you buckle down and focus on that skill you’ve been wanting to improve on but have been putting off. Make a list of those lingering skill improvement areas you’ve had in the back of your mind, narrow it down and decide on which would be best for a Mentored Self Study. Find an expert in that area to mentor you, do the work and get those continuing education credits..
Another way to earn credits is by taking university courses related to the field. By taking a University course you receive more renewal hours but of course it takes more time and money. If a person had time and the funds to take a class, it would be beneficial . Always expanding our knowledge, especially in the field of our study or profession only makes us more competent and up to date. I would use this method, but it is not conducive to where I am in my life right now. If a person wanted a higher degree, this would be a perfect way to earn continuing education credits, and would get you one step closer to that goal.
Being a presenter at a conference is another great way to earn credits. I have never been a presenter at a conference but have fellow classmates that have. I think it would be fun but a challenge at the same time. Hours and hours of preparation would be needed, along with a great knowledge base of your topic. You would also need exceptional organizational and presentation skills. Presenting at a conference will force you to really hone your skills in the area you are presenting. It will also help you network and meet new people as you are in the spotlight. Presenting also looks great on a resume. It is an excellent way to earn credits.
Another way to earn CMTE credits is by writing a research article or a book on a music therapy topic. This choice would take many hours and if research was involved, collaboration with others would be a part of it. Doing this would be helpful and important for sharing the benefits of music therapy. Insight into how music therapy works from various perspectives is good. There are so many ways to use music therapy, it helps to hear from others to open our minds to the many choices that are out there. In order to share experiences and knowledge in the form of a book or journal article a person would need a vast knowledge base and experience in this field.
Research is crucial to our field. Any time new information is shared it helps to expand the collective knowledge in the field, and expands other’s knowledge about our field.
Getting positive information out to the public is important whether it be through research, articles or books. I applaud those that make a concerted effort to do this and encourage them to continue.
Research is crucial to our field. Any time new information is shared it helps to expand the collective knowledge in the field, and expands other’s knowledge about our field.
Being a mentor to a music therapy student is another way to earn continuing education credits. During an internship after you have completed your degree you need to have a seasoned music therapist lead the way, to guide, observe you, critique, motivate, teach and so many other things. It takes much of their time and knowledge to give you direction. It is nice when the mentee and the mentor have a good personal connection. I was fortunate to have been given a mentor that fit that bill. She was younger than me and had been a Music Therapist for years. I looked up to her and was grateful for her knowledge and experiences that she shared with me and the advice she gave so I could improve. I also greatly appreciated her patience. During my internship I felt that my mentor helped me in so many ways. She helped me learn how to be a music therapist and how to improve my skills. She also helped me with knowing the importance of being a professional in my field and the way I presented myself was important.
It is essential to our field that talented, knowledgeable, and helpful professionals share their skills with new music therapists as a mentor. This might be the most selfless way to earn continuing education credits. It is also one of the best ways you can leave a legacy in the field.
It is essential to our field that talented, knowledgeable, and helpful professionals share their skills with new music therapists as a mentor.
For the very talented out there, conducting a presentation or workshop is an excellent way to earn continuing education credits. To me, conducting a workshop is different than conducting a presentation. A conference presentation is usually a shorter duration and focuses on transmitting information.
A workshop is sometimes more hands on and is focused on building skills by sharing activities and songs for people to take home with them.
I have never conducted a workshop for continuing education credits but I have attended many. One workshop I attended was targeted for teachers. The presenter was so organized and knew his material frontwards and backwards and had a real nice presentation style. It was an all day class where we were taught songs and given material to use to put together activities so that at the end of the day we would have many activities and ideas to take home and be able to use immediately. Everyone was engaged in this class and it became a fun learning experience.
If you were to conduct a workshop such as the one I just described, you would definitely earn those credits. It takes a lot of work but can be very helpful for the attendees. It also can be a great resume builder and networking tool.
Even though I haven’t done what I would call a workshop, I have on many occasions spoken to different groups of people about Music Therapy and shared what I do. I like to involve the people in some hands-on activities with some of my instruments. It is always fun for me to conduct these meetings.
Having to recertify every five years was a daunting thought when I first received by certification. Earning the many credits I have over the years has also been daunting at times. Despite the effort it has taken, I am very grateful I’ve had to earn these credits every five years. It has made me a better music therapist, helped me develop strong relationships with others in the field, exposed me to many new ideas and skills, and has helped me better serve my clients. As you build your career, cherish the opportunity you have to learn and grow. Take every advantage you can to earn credits through worthwhile avenues. I hope some of the tips above will help you on your journey and I wish you all the best in your music therapy adventures.
For more information on CMTE requirements and how to earn recertification you can visit the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) website at:
You can also learn more at the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) website at:
