The Music Therapy Profession: Inspiring Health, Wellness, and Joy

by Christine Korb

Overview

Many musicians, music students, and general music lovers are curious about the field of music therapy -- the who, what, where, and how. This book provides a general overview of the profession, and it includes 26 audition essays, written by former students, confirming their motivation to "do good in the world through music." A career in music therapy combines their love of music with the desire to be of service to others.

This book offers both the pragmatic reasons and "feel good" aspects that inspire people to enter this fulfilling profession.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781499084061
Publisher:	Xlibris Corporation
Publication date:	12/12/2014
Pages:	134
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.31(d)

About the Author

Christine Korb, MM, MT-BC, creator, and former Director of Music Therapy at Pacific University has made a significant contribution to the world of music and music therapy. In addition to many years of clinical experience, she has experience as a composer, author, researcher, book reviewer, and presenter. She has presented at various American Music Therapy Association Conferences, the 2002 World Federation of Music Therapy Conference in Oxford, the Healing Symposium of the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival in 2004, and the World Federation of Music Therapy Conference in Buenos Aires in 2008. She has served as book reviewer for the journal, The Arts in Psychotherapy. Her research on dementia of the Alzheimer's type appears in the 1997 Canadian Journal of Music Therapy. She received a grant from the Helen Bader Foundation to conduct this research while employed at the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is the author of the rhythm-based violence prevention project for children, The Drum Trail Project. Her most recent research, The Soul Song Project, is a ten-year longitudinal investigation to determine the effects of singing in choirs on participants' mood, stress, and energy levels. She has written many children's and folk songs, including the published choral work for women's voices, Namaste, which premiered in Poland. A trip to Brazil's Amazon River inspired her instrumental ensemble piece, Dusk on the Amazon, in which instruments imitate the animal and bird sounds emanating from this rich and endangered territory. Because teaching the next wave of music therapy professionals became her joy and way of life during the past 23 years, Chris composed less frequently. Now in a 'pivoting position' away from the academy and teaching, Chris looks forward to again composing music and writing more about her music therapy experiences.

Editorial Reviews

"..A thorough and worthwhile overview of education and career paths in music therapy.." Kirkus Review

"..The Music Therapy Profession: Inspiring Health, Wellness & Joy was a rewarding experience. Christine Korb gives readers the tools they will need to participate in the musical therapy field.. this is a book about the profession that uses music to heal, how one can step into it, and how one can educate themselves further. With this mission, I think, Christine Korb succeeds.." Literary Titan Review

"..I highly recommend this amazingly well-written and thoroughly researched book to everyone looking to add a spin to the music world. ..anyone who possesses the gift to help others who are suffering from an illness that affects their neurology, should draw their focus to researching and signing up for a course. Music will always have a way for people..

Rae C. Bernard, Pacific Book Review

"..Korb also shares a glimpse of her personal journey as a former folk singer-songwriter and sing-along volunteer at senior living homes, as well as music therapy experiences leading a drum circle for homeless and challenged youth and working with veterans.. peppered with essays written by those applying to therapy programs.. They are well-written and presumably helpful to those wanting to break in the field.."

Blueink Review

From the Publisher

2020-09-22
A music therapy teacher explains her profession to aspiring practitioners.

In this debut career-planning book, Korb draws on decades of work in music and as the director of a university music therapy program to explain the field to readers considering it as a possible occupational path. The author addresses the training involved in becoming a music therapist, different environments where these experts may work, and the professional organizations and communities that are available. The volume identifies the types of clients who generally benefit from music therapy—neurodiverse children, older people, hospice patients, and veterans, among others—and covers specific details like the technical and performance admission requirements for training programs. Korb also includes a number of essays, written by students applying to her program, which deliver a variety of perspectives on the backgrounds of music therapists, how and why they decided to pursue the profession, and the range of environments they ended up working in. The author sees music therapy as a profession with both spiritual and practical components (“I believe it is a calling of the Spirit, sounded by the soul’s lament”), and many of the students’ essays reflect a similar sense of mission and calling in explaining why they have chosen the field. The book also covers the more science-driven aspects of music therapy, making it useful for both spiritual and nonspiritual readers. The student essays, while intriguing, can be lengthy and repetitive, and the inclusion of so many (more than two dozen) means that Korb’s own narrative makes up a relatively small portion of the text. But they do provide a valuable resource for allowing students to envision themselves in various areas of the profession. The author is passionate about the possibilities offered by and for music therapists, and her enthusiasm is evident throughout the volume. Students exploring career options in the field will likely find this a helpful introduction to a lesser-known industry.

A thorough and worthwhile overview of education and career paths in music therapy.

Kirkus Reviews