E-Book of Articles - World Federation of Music Therapy

Wheeler, Barbara: WMFT Proceedings of the Education Symposium
as graduate programs. Unfortunately, the institutional and financial support
required for the establishment of a Master’s program was not available in
either city. Faced with the choice of music therapy training at a college, in
the case of Capilano, and at the undergraduate level, in the case of UQAM,
or no music therapy training program at all, the decision was self-evident. In
contrast, the programs at Wilfrid Laurier and University of Windsor were
conceived of and developed as undergraduate programs.
The belief in the importance of graduate training for music therapists
is as strong as ever in Canada, but whereas the earlier view had been that
entry-level training should occur at the graduate level, conflicting views
now co-exist. It has become more widely accepted to view graduate training
as advanced training, that is, training that follows entry-level
undergraduate training. There are some, however, who still believe that
entry-level training should occur at the graduate level. Whatever the view,
the emphasis on the need for graduate training has prevailed. This has led
to several attempts, in different parts of the country, to establish a Master’s
program. The Open University in Vancouver, the degree-granting institution
for the undergraduate program at Capilano College, did succeed in setting
up a Master’s program with a creative structure which, unfortunately, could
only be sustained for one cohort of students. There are currently two other
Master’s projects being proposed, one at Wilfrid Laurier in Ontario and the
other at UQAM in Montreal. The latter is a proposal for a joint music therapy
option within the context of a Master’s in Creative Arts Therapies program
(Université du Québec à Montréal and Concordia University).
The Canadian Association for Music Therapy (CAMT) has been
supporting these efforts by developing the Standards and Procedures for the
Approval of Graduate Music Therapy Programs document (May, 1999). The
stated objectives for graduate training specify that this level of training
represents advanced music therapy training, that students will be able to
make original contributions to the field of music therapy both through their
clinical work and through research, and that they will be prepared to take
on roles as supervisors and educators within the field of music therapy. In
this way, graduate training is designed to both deepen and expand the
music therapist’s skills.
CAMT has recommended competencies to be attained during graduate
training. These consist of advanced competencies in the areas of music
therapy theory, methods and clinical skills, including a focus on
multicultural issues. In the area of related knowledge, counseling theory
and skills and group process theory and skills are emphasized, as are
research methods and design. In the area of professional skills, the
document emphasizes advanced understanding of ethical issues and the
capacity for ethical decision-making, supervisory skills, sophisticated intraand
inter-professional communication, and the capacity to manage conflict
through conflict resolution skills.
The Canadian Association for Music Therapy, the professional
association representing music therapists nationally, has developed
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