SU Launches New Music Therapy Major

By SU Public Relations

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University students are the first in the University System of Maryland to be able to combine their passion for music and their goal of helping people through the new music therapy major.

The degree, pending National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) approval, offered through the Charles R. and Martha N. Fulton School of Liberal Arts, trains students to use music within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals.

“The arts connect people in different ways, and one of the compelling qualities of the new Music Therapy major is its mission to demonstrate the healing power of the arts,” said Dr. Maarten Pereboom, dean of the Fulton School. “This new opportunity will enable students with a passion for music to help those in need.”

Music therapy can help, not only from a psychological perspective, but also physiological.

“Music taps into the natural rhythms in our body. We are already primed for walking with a rhythm. We talk with a rhythm,” said Janice Schreibman, assistant professor and music therapy coordinator. “So when there's an accident or illness or something that impedes us from being at our optimum, music therapy can help that individual regain some of the things they might have lost due to that injury or illness.”

At the time of graduation, students will have completed an internship in the field, accrued 1,200 hours of clinical training, and be eligible to sit for the Certification Board of Music Therapy exam and apply for state licensure.

SU is partnering with practices in the area, however students will be able to conduct their internship in any location. Students will complete their internship over the course of a semester after they have completed their course work, making the program a nine-semester commitment, but giving freedom for the internship anywhere in the world.

The degree can lead to employment in general hospitals, community centers, adult day centers, schools, private practice, and more.

For more information about the program, visit the major’s webpage.

Learn more about SU and opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours at www.salisbury.edu.