Frequently Asked Questions
About the MA in Music Therapy
Dear MA in Music Therapy applicant,
Thank you for your interest in the MA in Music Therapy. Please find below answers to frequently asked questions that have arisen over the years since the course commenced.
All good wishes,
Professor Jane Edwards
NB: To ensure your application is considered, please remember to make a copy of the application that you submit to the Graduate Admissions Office and send the copy to triona.mccaffrey@ul.ie or Tríona McCaffrey, Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick, Limerick. Very occasionally applications to the Graduate Admissions Office go astray and a copy to the Course Director ensures that you can definitely be considered. If you have not received a receipt from the admissions office then you must contact them to ensure your application has been received.
What is the closing date for applications?
The closing date is the 31st of March every year. Occasionally printed materials have an incorrect date so please contact the Course Director for clarification if you are confused in any way about this.
I do not have a primary degree in music or psychology, can I still apply?
Anyone can apply for the course however usually the course is over-subscribed and a pre-audition selection process is undertaken. A short-list of applicants is created for the audition schedule. Usually only a proportion of those auditioned are offered a place. If you do not have a degree in music or psychology you will need to demonstrate relevant degree level qualifications (and these would be reviewed on a case by case basis) as well as exceptional activity in music including performing publicly and/or community music activity such as group leadership in music. This means you must make an effort with the original application. Have you highlighted relevant experience? Have you indicated why you want to do the course? Have you included information about the instruments you play and your musical experience? Please note that you only compete against the people applying the year your application is made so it is not possible to give equivalence to people based on past reference points of successful applications.
I have not received formal qualifications in music, can I still apply?
If you have an excellent music knowledge base including the ability to read and write music, play by ear as well as sight read and are sought out by people in your community to play music then you probably have the type of skills in which we are interested.
I have a very busy life, is there a way to do the course part-time?
The course is full-time for two years and 100% attendance is required. It is difficult to complete the course unless you are free to undertake it on a Monday to Friday basis. It is the experience of teachers in the course that students who keep heavy weekly work schedules and/or who live a significant commute away from the course report consistent tiredness, stress and inability to take the demands of the course in their stride. Students are encouraged to find money to fund the two years without needing to do onerous amounts of paid part-time work while studying full-time. While classes are usually only two to three days per week there is a large amount of work to be undertaken including practicing every day, researching for and writing assignments. It is a pity to fail assignments and the course because the time commitment to part-time work is too heavy.
I do not have the funds to do the course, is there a scholarship for which I can apply?
There are currently no specific music therapy scholarships. You are advised to examine the scholarships page on the Irish World Academy web page and to investigate scholarships available to people in your country or county if you are in Ireland (most local students have success with VEC scholarships but please note there is no information available about this through the Irish World Academy and requests for this information will not be replied to; you must contact your local County office). Students from Northern Ireland may apply to the Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust directly for funding support http://www.nimtt.org/index2.htm
I would like to specialise in work with a particular population (such as hospice patients or children with autism) during the course, how do I organise that?
You cannot specialise in any particular work population or context during the course. The course has the responsibility to provide music therapy education to the standard of entry level to the profession. Specialist qualifications can be gained later either through professional experience or through further study. You will be sent on placements each semester and you must do the placements you are assigned. It is better to come into the course with an open mind about where you might work in the future rather than have your mind made up.
I would like to live in Dublin/Cork/Belfast while I am doing the course. Is it possible to guarantee that I have my placements in that city?
As per the previous answer, your placements will be assigned by the music therapy course director. You must do the placements you are assigned. Please note comments above about students who choose to live a significant commuting distance from the course. There is no leeway or sympathy given to students who subsequently have difficulties completing the course because they commute a couple of hours either way each day of classes.
What type of things can I do to perform well at the audition/interview?
On receipt of the application, candidates are short-listed according to relevant experience and qualifications and if you are not short-listed for audition you will be advised soon after the closing date. The audition/interview comprises three sections. You will attend an audition followed by an interview with the same panel and if successful will then also attend an interview assessment with a psychotherapist.
- Audition – you must prepare three pieces to the best standard on your first instrument. You must also prepare a song to be accompanied by you on guitar and a song to be accompanied by you on piano. The song can be a rock/folk/pop/religious song or any other type of song. You will also be asked to improvise a short piece of music. Applicants who do well in this section usually show wonderful music skills at a high level including demonstrating musical flexibility and enjoyment and manage to control their nerves well.
- Interview – you will be questioned on your previous experience relevant to music therapy. You can prepare for this section by ensuring you can answer questions about your relevant experience with people who have additional needs. How did this work have an effect on you? Did you change any of your ideas about people with disabilities/diagnoses by the work you did? Candidates who do well here usually have had extensive experience working voluntarily or in paid work with people who have additional needs.
- Assessment interview with a psychotherapist – this only applies to canditates who have been successful in the audition/interview process. The psychotherapist is assessing your capacity for future therapy work. You will be asked about your own life experience and background. Your maturity and ability to consider situations from a range of perspectives will be evaluated.
Do I really have to bring a song accompanied on both piano and guitar? I only play piano/guitar?
Yes.
I live overseas, how can I audition for the course?
If you live in the UK you will be expected to attend the interview/audition at the Irish World Academy. If you live in another country it is possible to audition via recording and telephone/Skype interview however the psychotherapy interview must be conducted in your country and a report supplied in English. Candidates applying from countries outside of Ireland (except for the UK) are required to find the relevant psychotherapy practitioner and advise the course director as to the person’s qualifications. They also are obliged to pay the fee for this work.
I am not available at the dates I have been advised for the audition, can I do the audition at a different time?
You will be advised the audition dates and you must make yourself available at that time.
Who has the best chance of getting into the course?
It is difficult to answer this question as each person brings a different set of skills and experience to the audition/interview. Candidates who demonstrate flexibility, openness, can manage their nerves well, are friendly and interested in the programme and in the Irish World Academy seem to do the best at the interview/audition. In terms of study in the course students who come into the course should be psychologically stable and have the ability to relate well to people including the teaching staff, placement supervisors and the clients with whom they work during placements in the programme. They should be able to manage their stress and personal circumstances without these disrupting their involvement in the programme. They should have time and be committed to developing their music skills to the highest level relevant to therapy work and be open to new theoretical and practical skills and knowledge.
It is also important that students in the programme are prepared to work therapeutically on their own psychological development. It is an advantage for students to have completed a course of therapy sessions themselves prior to coming into the programme and students are required to be in an ongoing process of therapy during the course (see personal development FAQ further down page).
Unfortunately we cannot offer places to all who apply or who are offered an audition. The selection process is competitive and so candidates are advised to use every opportunity to indicate their skills and experience from the submission of the application onward.
What are the personal development requirements of the programme?
Students are required to attend a minimum of 30 psychotherapy sessions over the duration of the programme. These costs are borne by the student. This is to develop the student’s understanding of the therapeutic process as well as to develop self-awareness and insight which is crucial to effective therapeutic practice.
I definitely know I want to be a music therapist but I don’t really know what it is or how music therapists work
Good candidates who attend for interview should be able to answer questions about what interests them about music therapy. Some of the ways you can find out more –
- Read about music therapy at www.voices.no , www.musictherapy.org/ and www.bamt.org/
- Check with the Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists whether there are any seminars or open days coming up – www.iacat.ie
- Check on the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance web site for any music therapy seminars and make sure you are on the postal list for the Course Director who will send you information about any future seminars – triona.mccaffrey@ul.ie
- Check the online events brochure on the Irish World Academy website for upcoming seminars and events.
- Find out where the music therapy conferences are in your region.
- Use the web! Be active and then you can provide an impressive report on these activities if you get an interview.
Does this qualification allow me to work in other countries?
Most countries have their own regulations which are required to practice as a music therapist. The qualification provided through the University of Limerick allows graduates to join the Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists as full members. Graduates have gone on to successfully register with the Health Professions Council in the UK; which is the only way a music therapist can be employed in the UK including Northern Ireland. Other graduates have been successful attaining recognition in Canada and Australia for the purposes of being eligible to practice there.
Over the years many people have asked why the course is not accredited by the HPC in the UK. Please note that under EU law it is not permitted for bi-lateral agreements to be developed. At the future stage when there is a European registration for practice it will be possible to register and then be eligible to practice anywhere in Europe.
Is there a minimum age to study the course?
There is currently no minimum age. However, without experience in voluntary or paid work with people who have additional needs/disadvantage, you have almost no chance of getting into the programme. People who intend to undertake such work between the end of their undergraduate degree and the start of the MA are rarely considered unless such work has characterised their summer work placements or regular weekly commitments during their prior studies.
Can you tell me the timetable for the course so I can organise my part-time work commitments for next year?
The timetable for all university students is advised in the first week of semester. 100% attendance is required at all classes. Occasionally unexpected seminars or guest lectures are scheduled outside of the regular class times. In this case students are required to attend except where it conflicts with another course commitment (such as fieldwork placement day or individual psychotherapy).
I have further questions, what should I do?
Please check the web site for the course. Fees and accommodation queries should be directed to the admissions office admissions@ul.ie
Any additional questions should be directed to Tríona McCaffrey, Acting Course Director, MA in Music Therapy triona.mccaffrey@ul.ie
Do not send requests for funding support or scholarship information to the Irish World Academy or the MA in Music Therapy staff.
Good luck in your quest to study with us at the Irish World Academy