I remember my professors in college talk about job prospects for music therapists. It was the first time I felt the uncertainty in their voices, the reality that these magical musical moments might not be enough to carry me through my career.

They talked about how we can always find a music therapy job if we move. They said it in a way that was supposed to disguise the fact that moving is hard and moving is not everyone’s first choice. It was enough that we may have to move for an internship, but for a job too? WHAT?

I suppose it’s the same for any job where you get paid a lot of money and you’re sought out for your specialty - doctors, professors, scientists, etc. But for a job as colloquial as music therapy, an essential service that we would hope to see in every school, hospital, rehab facility, psych center, and community, it doesn’t feel like we - music therapists - should have to move for a job.

But that IS reality.

And an unfortunate one.

If we keep thinking about this subject, though, we’ll see that there are other options. We are creative professionals, after all. If we have the energy, time, space, and support, we can creatively find our way through anything.

So…

What do you do if there are no music therapy jobs in your area?

We already know that the first option is to move - find a job in another area, apply, interview, audition, and pack your bags.

But what else?

The only reason a job exists is because someone somewhere created it.

So, you can too.

This field was born out of people exploring music, seeing its benefits, and shaping those two things into an education and profession.

The “pioneer” music therapists in my area were school-based, thus, many of the jobs here are school-based music therapy jobs.

In other places I’ve lived, most of the music therapy jobs were in eldercare and hospice, directly linked to the earlier music therapists in the area.

All of this to say, you can start something that will sustain your life and career and last for years to come.

But it’s hard. And it takes time.

Here are a few ways to create a job.

[if you can’t find one in your area]

If you are financially stable (if you have a partner or family helping support you financially or you have an amazing savings account), you can do anything! Namely, you can take steps to create your own job - employee or contract based (refer to my episode “From Student to Professional” on this) - with much less hassle.

Employee based job - You work for a company/organization, you are paid a salary, you are entitled to benefits, your employer can set aside part of your paycheck for taxes

Contract Based - you are a business owner and work with clients or organizations/companies outside of your own, you are paid by contract, you are responsible for setting aside money for taxes

If you are not yet financially stable, you can still take these steps but most likely it will be at a slower pace as you’ll need to supplement your income with a paying job - any paying job to start out. There are many jobs you may be suited for, jobs that may still feel fulfilling, and jobs that may bring out another passion of yours that you don’t access in music therapy.

Let’s say you are financially stable enough to start something new - at whatever pace you can depending on your current circumstances.

You can create an employee based position OR take steps to start a business

Create an employee based position

To create an employee position you have to do the following, in any order, and this is not an exhaustive list:

Do they have a music therapist? find out if the company/organization you’re interested in working at has a music therapist or contracts with one (if they do, it’s best practice to leave them alone or contact the music therapist and start a conversation)
do your best to establish a relationship with them - find a point person or advocate you can talk with. You’ll need someone within the company on your side if you want your efforts to move forward.
follow their steps, whatever the company/organization asks of you to help create a position or program (this may or may not be a proposal - sometimes you don’t have to go through the whole process of putting together a proposal, so it may help to wait to find out)
music therapy proposal - as mentioned above, you may or may not need a full proposal. It can be helpful to have one ready if needed, but it would be a shame to spend all of that time and effort on creating one if the facility does not require this. Figure out for yourself if this step feels necessary before you establish a relationship with the site.
put together a budget (which may be part of the proposal). The company hiring you (and creating a whole, new position) will need to know how much they’ll be setting aside (or investing) for a music therapy position or program.
stay in communication - however long it takes. I’m currently 3 years into a relationship with a hospital. We’ve been through various shapes and sizes of proposals, but they thought of me when a new physician came around wanting music therapy. Fingers crossed it continues moving forward!
get the support you need. It is really hard creating a position or program from the ground up. There are things that may come up that make you scratch your head and wonder. It may take much longer than expected (3 years so far, in my case). You may grow tired and weary and wonder if the pursuit is still worth it. This is where a trusted friend, MT buddy, mentor, supervisor, or coach enter with the encouragement you need!
develop the position and program - how will you accept referrals? Will you be able to document within the facility’s system? Where will your instruments be stored? Will you have an office or desk space? Will they reimburse you if you have to travel for the job? There are so many questions to ask and answers to seek out when first developing a program.
and finally, enjoy the feeling of having a job where you don’t have to track taxes for yourself.

Sometimes the stars align and you won’t even have to take all these steps, as the company is already wanting to create music therapy position or program. Other times, it may be a much longer, rockier road.

Take steps to start a business

Subcontracting, contracting, private practice, sole proprietor, DBA (doing business as), etc.

Call it what you want, these are all avenues of business ownership. In other words, you have to track and pay your own taxes (the company you work for is now your own). And I will stress this again, if you are subcontracting, you are a business owner and have to think about taxes. If you contract with a company meaning you are not considered an employee, you are a business owner. I know it sounds different than going into business and opening up a private practice, but it’s really all the same thing, and my hope is that the more music therapists hear this, the fewer music therapists will struggle financially when it comes to tax time. I don’t want you to be surprised like I was!

Taking steps to start a business may look like the following, in any order, and this is not an exhaustive list:

pick a business name
sign up for a business type (sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation, etc.)
Use software like quickbooks or freshbooks to track your financials OR start creating spreadsheets.
Track Expenses
Track Mileage
Track Income
Create an Invoice Template or use one in software like quickbooks or freshbooks
For legal purposes:
- Create a Contract or Agreement - the thing you and your client signs to agree upon services
- Set up policies and procedures for your business (cancellation policy, payment schedule, etc.)
- Sign up for liability insurance (and make sure it covers all the areas of your work you need it to)
Do other things to legitimize your business: Vision, mission statement, Branding, Marketing, write out your goals, Write out how to measure success.

Hopefully some of these steps help you on your career journey! There are some additional thoughts on the podcast, episode #14 of Not Your Average Music Therapist .

Please let me know if you have any questions or feedback on these suggestions!

I will leave you with one of my favorite resources of all time: Therapy Business Blueprint by Kimberly Sena Moore. It’s only $17 and will serve you for many years. Plus, you get to support two music therapists when buying (the author and Music Therapy E-Books)! The book may look a bit outdated (is it back in style now then?), but it is full of steps you need to take to get set up as a business owner.