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Also called activity therapist, board certified music therapist, certified music therapist and community music therapist.
$77,930
Median pay a year
22,640
People do this work
6
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Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
An example
A Music Therapist resume, filled in
Every line below comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Music Therapist
1 certification
Summary
Music therapist planning and directing clinical music therapy interventions to address clients' physical, psychological, cognitive, and behavioral needs in various settings
Experience
Music Therapist
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Designed and provided music therapy experiences to address client needs in various settings
Customized treatment programs for specific areas of music therapy, including mental health and geriatrics
Communicated with clients to build rapport and reflect upon their reactions to musical experiences
Documented evaluations, treatment plans, and progress reports related to individual clients
Assessed client functioning levels and areas of need in terms of various abilities
Engaged clients in music experiences to identify responses to different styles and elements of music
Collaborated with professionals to develop and coordinate integrated treatment plans
Skills
Developing non-medical treatment plans, Maintaining medical knowledge, Recording medical histories, Treating patients with therapy, Gathering medical histories, Collecting medical professionals, Conducting research, Monitoring patient progress, Evaluating health, Evaluating treatment options
Education
Bachelor's Degree Your college, Year
Certifications & Licenses
State license for this work Your state board, Year
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What to put on a Music Therapist resume
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What did you do each day?
Choose what fits, or say your own.
Designed music therapy experiences for client needsSang or played instruments during therapy sessionsCommunicated with clients to build rapportCustomized treatment programs for specific client areasDocumented evaluations and treatment plans for clientsAssessed client functioning levels and areas of need
becomes
On your resume
Designed music therapy experiences to address individual client needs and goals
Communicated with clients to establish rapport and trust
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Add how many clients you designed experiences for each week
The line
Designed music therapy experiences for several clients each week to meet their individual needs and goals
Add how many clients you designed experiences for each week
Pick one that fits
Several clients each weekA few clients every sessionMost of my clients regularly
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In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Show what improved in client relationships because of your communication
The line
Communicated with clients to establish rapport and trust
Show what improved in client relationships because of your communication
Pick one that fits
Clients felt more comfortable sharingTrust led to better engagementImproved client feedback on sessions
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
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What it is made of
Skills for a Music Therapist resume
What this work is made of. Rung offers these and keeps the ones you claim.
What are you good at?
Developing non-medical treatment plans
Maintaining medical knowledge
Recording medical histories
Treating patients with therapy
Gathering medical histories
Collecting medical professionals
Conducting research
Monitoring patient progress
Evaluating health
Evaluating treatment options
Analyzing patient data
Analyzing quantitative data
The work itself
What a Music Therapist does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Plan, organize, direct, or assess clinical and evidenced-based music therapy interventions to positively influence individuals' physical, psychological, cognitive, or behavioral status.
What it pays
How much does a Music Therapist make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$58,850
Median
$77,930
75th percentile
$105,760
About 22,640 people do this work in the United States.
What it pays in each state
State
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
AL
$55,840
$68,270
$78,900
AR
$53,300
$61,920
$88,070
AZ
$49,300
$63,750
$80,850
CA
$70,730
$81,760
$105,140
CO
$56,160
$65,080
$93,300
CT
$40,080
$47,300
$77,480
DC
$81,020
$127,010
$130,000
DE
$68,410
$90,120
$104,000
FL
$55,710
$64,600
$84,360
GA
$50,220
$59,380
$84,630
HI
$65,650
$99,560
$99,560
IL
$65,750
$116,200
$193,760
IN
$50,510
$61,720
$74,120
KS
$59,900
$76,740
$103,270
KY
$64,080
$75,060
$112,070
LA
$56,690
$64,530
$96,170
MA
$57,540
$69,050
$83,210
MD
$46,540
$49,400
$80,380
MI
$50,860
$57,970
$67,680
MN
$62,440
$75,360
$82,010
MO
$48,990
$60,990
$67,980
MS
$41,570
$44,280
$46,520
NC
$52,040
$60,400
$67,870
NE
$65,570
$86,900
$128,310
NH
$43,630
$69,040
$82,850
NJ
$78,080
$100,250
$131,690
NV
$36,830
$38,260
$41,400
NY
$65,190
$77,980
$95,790
OH
$51,580
$70,700
$117,370
OK
$51,850
$60,090
$103,260
OR
$72,940
$81,860
$101,150
PA
$51,420
$62,310
$73,220
RI
$78,210
$86,400
$91,000
SC
$59,990
$90,980
$129,040
TN
$47,050
$56,690
$73,370
TX
$47,620
$74,750
$100,360
UT
$52,110
$61,770
$76,290
VA
$51,740
$70,890
$103,320
WA
$89,690
$98,550
$98,550
WI
$47,900
$59,420
$66,010
WV
$44,040
$67,580
$90,250
Other names
Other names for this job
activity therapist, board certified music therapist, certified music therapist, community music therapist, creative arts music therapist, creative music therapist, expressive music therapist, home care music therapist, hospice music therapist, licensed creative arts therapist, LCAT, music art therapist.
More names for this work
music dance therapist, music rehabilitation therapist, neurologic music therapist, public school system music therapist, therapist, mt bc, music therapy specialist.
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This page is about the occupation Music Therapists. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.