Music Therapist Resume Examples & Templates for 2025

More Music Therapist Resume Examples

Explore our music therapist resume examples to effectively highlight your therapeutic skills and relevant experience. These mental health resume samples will guide you in crafting a compelling resume for various music therapy roles.

Advice for Writing Your Music Therapist Resume

Explore our advice section on how to write a resume for a music therapist position and discover how to highlight your therapeutic skills and passion for music healing. Tailor your resume with tips that resonate with the unique aspects of this rewarding career and make your application stand out.

Write a strong professional summary

A professional summary on a resume introduces hiring managers to your professional persona, providing a quick overview of your qualifications. When writing your resume, you have the option to craft either a professional summary or an objective. Each serves its own purpose and should be selected based on your career goals and level of experience.

The typical length of a professional summary is three to four sentences, where it emphasizes your experience, skills, and achievements. This approach is particularly effective for experienced applicants who want to highlight their professional identity and the value they offer.

In contrast, a resume objective focuses more on your career aspirations. It’s particularly useful for entry-level job seekers, those changing careers, or individuals with employment gaps. Essentially, while a summary highlights “what I’ve accomplished,” an objective addresses “what I aim to contribute.”

Next, let’s explore examples of both summaries and objectives customized for various industries and experience levels. See our library of professional resume examples for additional inspiration.

Music therapist resume summary examples

Music therapist resume objective examples

Include relevant certifications and training

Listing certifications and training is key for a music therapist. It shows you have the right skills to help people through music. Certifications tell employers you know what you’re doing and can be trusted with clients’ well-being. Having specialized training also means you are up-to-date with the latest techniques in music therapy. Here are a few examples of certifications for your resume:

• Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC)
• Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Certification
• Neurologic Music Therapy Training
• Harmonizing Health Care Certificate
• GIM Fellow (Guided Imagery and Music)

Adding these certifications to your resume helps you stand out as a skilled music therapist. They show potential employers that you are serious about your career and ready to provide top-notch care. Make sure to list them clearly in a dedicated section so they catch the eye of anyone reading your resume.

Example of a certifications section

Showcase your work experience

Showcasing relevant work experience for a music therapist on a resume is important because it helps potential employers understand your history and expertise in the field. By listing past jobs, you demonstrate your ability to apply music therapy skills effectively in real-world settings.

This section provides insight into how you’ve used music to support clients’ emotional, cognitive, and social needs. Employers look for evidence of how you’ve impacted clients’ lives through your work, so highlighting these experiences can set you apart.

When detailing your work experience, list each job in reverse chronological order. Start with your most recent position by including your job title, the employer’s name, location, and dates of employment. Use clear and action-oriented language to describe your responsibilities and achievements.

For example, instead of saying “helped clients,” use “developed personalized music therapy programs for clients with autism.” Show measurable results where possible—like “increased client engagement by 30% over six months”—to highlight your contributions.

Include core responsibilities such as assessing clients’ needs, creating treatment plans, leading individual or group sessions, and evaluating patient progress. Mention specific skills like communication abilities or musical skills that are essential for a music therapist.

By providing detailed yet concise descriptions of your past roles, you give employers a clear picture of your capabilities and successes in the field of music therapy.

5 music therapist work history bullet points

• Developed personalized music therapy programs for 50+ patients, improving emotional well-being and leading to a 25% improvement in patient satisfaction scores.
• Facilitated weekly group sessions that integrated diverse musical activities, improving social interaction skills among participants by 40%.
• Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to integrate music therapy into broader treatment plans, resulting in a 15% increase in holistic patient care outcomes.
• Conducted research on the impact of rhythm-based interventions for anxiety reduction, contributing to a published study and increasing therapeutic efficacy by 30%.
• Trained and mentored new music therapists, streamlining onboarding processes and reducing training time by 20%.

Match your resume with the job description

Tailoring resumes to job descriptions is key because it helps you stand out and get noticed by employers. When you customize your resume, it increases your chances of getting through the initial filter used by applicant tracking systems (ATS), which scan resumes for specific keywords from job postings.

An ATS-friendly resume includes keywords and phrases that match the skills needed for the job. By aligning these terms with your own abilities, you can ensure hiring managers see how well you fit the role. To identify important keywords for a music therapist’s resume, carefully review job postings and take note of skills, qualifications, and responsibilities that appear repeatedly.

Common examples may include patient care, therapeutic interventions, treatment planning, and collaboration with healthcare or multidisciplinary teams. Incorporate these keywords naturally throughout your resume.

For instance, if a posting mentions “Provide high-quality patient care,” you could rephrase it in your experience section as “Delivered high-quality patient care through individualized music therapy sessions to support emotional, cognitive, and social development.”

This approach ensures your resume aligns with the job description while clearly demonstrating your hands-on skills and impact as a music therapist. Targeted resumes are more likely to be compatible with ATS and catch the eye of hiring managers, giving you a better chance at landing an interview.