
Music Therapy Degree (B.M.)
Part of the
Music Department
Part of the
Music Department
Making music for good.
Transform your passion for music into a career as a Board-Certified Music Therapist
The Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy prepares students for an engaging career as professional music therapists using the power of music to improve clients’ lives by addressing physical, emotional, psychological, social, and educational needs. A growing field, music therapists work in a wide variety of settings such as schools, hospitals, mental health and recovery clinics, physical rehabilitation, hospice and palliative care, and nursing homes.
The music therapy program at Westfield combines specialized and versatile musicianship with cutting-edge research for real-world application in clinical music therapy.
As music therapy majors, students become flexible and adaptable musicians through coursework in areas like singing, guitar and piano, digital music production, songwriting, and improvisation, alongside in-depth study of music history and music theory. At the same time, students learn the science and art of applying their musical skill and knowledge for improving wellbeing through courses in music therapy, psychology, cultural studies, and health sciences.
Throughout their degree, students gain extensive clinical experience with the mentorship of professional music therapists providing music therapy to real clients in the community. Upon completing the music therapy degree, graduates are qualified to sit for the national board-certification exam for music therapists, thereby earning the professional credential Music Therapist – Board-Certified (MT-BC).
Westfield State University is the first public institution in Massachusetts offering a degree program in music therapy. The Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy is fully approved by the American Music Therapy Association and the National Association of Schools of Music.
The degree program is designed to be completed in four years plus internship. Transfer students or students with an Associate’s degree in music typically take two years of full- or part-time study plus internship. In consultation with the music therapy faculty, all courses of study are individualized to each student’s unique set of backgrounds, skills, and interests.
For more information, contact the Music Therapy Program Coordinator, Tim Honig, at thonig@westfield.ma.edu.
Application for admission into the Music Therapy degree program includes three steps: an application to the university, audition with the music department, and meeting with the music therapy faculty.
Applicants to the Music Therapy program have two options for their audition:
Or,
At the meeting, prospective students will also have a chance to play music with the music therapy faculty. No preparation is needed, though applicants are welcome to prepare a well-known song of their choice with or without accompaniment.
The Audition and Meeting with the Music Therapy Faculty may be scheduled for the same date. Students who elect to complete the audition by submitting a video recording should schedule the Meeting with the Music Therapy Faculty by emailing Prof. Honig at thonig@westfield.ma.edu. Students may choose to complete this meeting in person or online.
Tim Honig is a board-certified music therapist and Fellow of the Association for Music and Imagery. He is Assistant Professor in Music Therapy at Westfield State University in Westfield, Massachusetts, USA where he directs the Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy degree program.
As a music therapist, Tim has worked in inpatient and outpatient psychiatry, cancer care, general medical, and private practice. His clinical practice has centered on improvisation and imagery. His research focuses on music therapy in mental healthcare, particularly in the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music. Tim presents his work regionally, nationally, and internationally, and his publications appear in journals including the Journal of Music Therapy, and the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy. He serves on the editorial board for the Journal of the Association for Music and Imagery and is a part of the editorial team for Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Tim is a member of the Executive Board of the New England Region of the American Music Therapy Association.
A doctoral researcher at Aalborg University, Denmark, Tim holds a Master of Music Therapy degree and post-graduate certificate in Expressive Arts Therapy from Appalachian State University. Prior to his training in music therapy, Tim received a Bachelor of Music from the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music. He has additional training in music psychotherapy and clinical music therapy improvisation.
Prior to joining the faculty at Westfield State, Tim served on the faculty in the music therapy programs at Drexel University, Rowan University, and Appalachian State University. Formerly the music therapy internship director at Rockford Center, a psychiatric hospital in Delaware, he provides clinical supervision to undergraduate, graduate, and professional music therapists.
Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy
Requirements for Music Therapy Major – 101 Credits
Music Core – 24 Credits
Applied Music Requirements – 8 Credits
Music Therapy majors are required to complete four semesters of applied lessons. Applied music study requires a jury examination every semester. Students taking applied music must also register each semester for MUSC 0280 - Music Studio.
Clinical Musicianship – 18 Credits
Ensemble Requirements – 4 Credits
Four semesters of participation in one of the following primary ensembles, as assigned by the department, to run concurrently with four semesters of applied lessons:
Four semesters of participation in secondary ensemble:
Two semesters from the following list as assigned by the department, recommended to run concurrently with two semesters of applied lessons:
Two semesters of the following, as assigned by music therapy faculty:
• MUSC 0240 – Performance Ensemble (Music Therapy): 0.5
Music Therapy - 17 Credits
Music Therapy Clinical Fieldwork – 5 Credits
All music therapy students complete five semesters of supervised clinical fieldwork: four semesters of Clinical Practicum in Music Therapy followed by one semester of Clinical Capstone in Music Therapy. Students must enroll in MUS 03XX Music Therapy Practicum Seminar concurrent with each of their four semesters of MUSC 03XX Clinical Music Therapy Practicum. After completing all other coursework, students complete a required 1,010-hr internship at an approved internship site.
Variable credit option 0-12 credits, selected upon advisement
Clinical Foundations - 25 Credits
Or a department approved research methods substitution Credits: 3
Additional Graduation Requirements
All students must meet the University Graduation Requirements and complete a common core of studies, distributed among the different academic areas as detailed in the Common Core.