MSc Music Therapy (Nordoff-Robbins)

This course will be of interest to people who have musical ability and who may wish to use this to help others. Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy is an established approach to personal and group therapy which utilises the potential of music as an effective communicative medium. Creating and improvising music with the client, the therapist seeks to draw her/him into active musical involvement in order to establish a working relationship.

Music therapists work with clients through improvised musical activities, aiming to gain and maintain contact in order to establish a dynamic working relationship. Both therapist and client are engaged in a series of interactive therapeutic experiences from session to session, with the therapist supporting each stage of the client’s creative development.

The music itself is regarded as the main agent of change. While the central methodology will be that developed by Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins, students will have the opportunity to learn from, observe and work alongside music therapists from other training backgrounds. It is necessary, therefore, to ensure that all students who follow this course will receive provision leading to a clear theoretical and methodological understanding, and the application of creative musical skills for therapeutic purposes.

EXIT AWARDS: MSc (180 credits) PGDip (120 credits), PgCert(60 credits)
Delivery: At QMU
Single Modules: It is not possible to study single modules

Duration: Full-time: 2 years
Start date: September
Application deadline: The deadline for all overseas applicants who require a visa to study in the UK should apply no later than the 30th June 2013.
Teaching, learning and assessment: Teaching will take place in the form of lectures, seminars, workshops and experiential work. Student-centred learning and independent study is a key feature of this course. You will also attend two placements located in contrasting settings. The main forms of assessment are written assignments, case study presentations and practical performance (placement and QMU-situated). In Level One, you will be on placement one day per week in a school setting and in Level Two you will spend one day per week on placement in an adult setting. You will be required to meet costs for travel and to provide recording equipment.It is a requirement of the Health Professions Council that all students undertaking an arts therapy course should receive regular personal therapy. The educational justification for this is that it allows students to learn about therapy by having the opportunity to learn through therapy. Depending upon the availability of different accredited therapists, students will normally have the choice of which form of therapy to attend. This work is non-assessed and represents a confidential arrangement between therapist and student. Each student, however, must attend personal therapy for a period of time between 40 and 60 hours.

Teaching hours and attendance: Each module which you study on-campus will require you to attend classes and carry out independent work. Your attendance requirements at QMU will depend on which module you are studying.
Links with industry/professional bodies: This course satisfies the requirements of the Health Professions Council and the International Trust for Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy and allows you to apply to register as a Music Therapist.