Bachelor of Music (BM), Music Therapy concentration
For more than 50 years the ECU School of Music Music Therapy program has been providing academic and practicum training for music therapists, and graduates of our program are employed around the world in hospitals, assisted living centers, clinics, schools, community treatment, music therapy higher education and private practice as they use clinical and evidence-based music interventions designed to promote wellness, manage stress, alleviate pain, express feelings, enhance memory, improve communication or promote physical rehabilitation.
Undergraduate Degree
The Bachelor of Music degree with a concentration in Music Therapy provides students with a firm, data-driven foundation on music therapy techniques and theories to prepare them, as future clinicians to engage in the therapeutic process, including clinical training. At ECU, the program emphasizes connecting knowledge throughout all coursework, understanding the physical and psychological effects of music and impact on clinical work, and overall success of both patients/clients and the student through 100% supervision by a board-certified music therapist.
A six-month internship is required which follows coursework and four semesters of hands-on practicum experience with various populations (such as special education, gerontology, mental health, and medical care). Music Therapy majors are welcome to participate in graduation ceremonies prior to internship. The degree is conferred after satisfactory completion of the internship. Degree-holders are eligible to sit for the national certification exam administered by the Certification Board for Music Therapy.
American Music Therapy Association
The ECU Music Therapy Organization is an active pre-professional group through which you will attend conferences, develop leadership through community service and advocacy, and make life-long friends in your chosen area of study. Student members of the American Music Therapy Association are also members of the American Music Therapy Association for Students in which many ECU alumni have served as offers at the regional and national level.
For more information about Music Therapy and whether it’s the right career for you, visit the American Music Therapy Association website.
Music Therapy Clinic
The MTC@ECU seeks to increase access to future-focused, innovative, patient-and family-centered music therapy services for those with a variety of health and wellness needs, across the lifespan from infants through older adulthood throughout Pitt County and the surrounding ENC region. We seek to increase access to underserved populations and regions and to increase opportunities for student training and collaboration within the community. Please click the link below if you’d like to learn more about the Music Therapy Clinic at East Carolina University.