Postgraduate (24 months full-time)
September
Course duration: 24 months full-time.
Teaching times: two days a week plus two days on a clinical placement (Year 1). One day a week on campus plus a placement of least one day a week (Year 2).
There are only 15 places available on this training course. These will be filled in order of acceptance, after which, if your application is successful, you will be offered a place on a waiting list. We advise you to send us your application by 31 March 2021 as we cannot guarantee available places after this date.
Apply directly to ARU
Qualify to work as a music therapist in the UK and overseas on this Health and Care Professions Council-accredited course, and become eligible for registration with the HCPC in the UK. Study music therapy in the Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research, a centre of world-leading research. Discover the most recent effective music therapy approaches and try them out in your own clinical practice on at least two clinical placements.
When you graduate, you will be eligible to register with the Health and Care Professions Council in the UK, and ready to work as a professional music therapist. This registration is being valued increasingly in other countries.
You will undertake at least two clinical placements during the course, giving you a chance to try out different approaches to your clinical practice. These placements take place in schools, hospitals, hospices, specialist treatment services and community settings, under the supervision of qualified music therapists. This will give you invaluable experience of working in a multidisciplinary team, as well as providing important preparation for your future career.
We have strong relationships with a large range of placement settings, from which we select the specific placements which meet your learning needs and location. Some examples of placement settings we work with include East London Foundation (Mental Health) NHS Trust; Arthur Rank Hospice, Cambridge; MHA Care Homes for people living with dementia; Cambridge and Peterborough Foundation Trust; many mainstream and special schools; Evelyn Community Head Injury Service (ECHIS) Cambridge; The Royal Hospital for Neurodisability, London; Chiltern Music Therapy; Addenbrookes Hospital Child Development Centre and Paediatric wards; East Anglian Children's Hospices (EACH); Rampton Special Hospital; Great Ormond Street Hospital, London; and many others. Gaining a range of different experiences will prepare you for your future career, and several of our graduates gain employment within these placement settings after qualifying.
Our links with other health professions and practitioners, the British Association for Music Therapy, our International Research Consortium and visiting specialist lecturers will help you make important contacts in the profession. Through these relationships you can gain professional advice, in addition to employment and research opportunities.
Qualifying as a music therapist will allow you to work in many different areas, including the NHS, hospices, social services, education and the voluntary sector. The NHS Agenda for Change has led to satisfying career paths for music therapists at levels similar to, or higher than, those of other allied health professions.
You can also choose to work privately or on a freelance basis, with a client base including adults and children with learning difficulties, mental health and other special needs, or with specific communities such as refugees or the homeless.
Successfully completing this course will allow you to register with the Health and Care Professions Council – a legal requirement for practising music therapists in the UK.
Jamal Glynn, Outreach worker with Ministry of Health in Trinidad and Tobago and the first MA Music Therapist in the world using the steelpan.
Rosie Axon, founder of Chiltern Music Therapy, an award-winning not-for-profit organisation that provides music therapy and community music to people of all ages across the UK. Together with co-director and fellow ARU alumnus Rebecca Atkinson, they now employ over 50 practitioners.
Rachael Finnerty, past president of the Music Therapy Association of Ontario, founder of the Ontario Music therapy Academy and recipient of the Woman of Distinction Award for Healthcare in 2015.
Spela Knoll set up the first Music Therapy study course in Slovenia and is founder of the Institute Knoll for music therapy and supervision.
Modules are subject to change and availability.
You will be assessed through a range of methods, including case presentations, demonstrating improvisation skills, written work including essays and a major project, and clinical portfolios.
Using our creative expertise and industry connections in Cambridge and beyond, we create experiences that entertain, educate, inspire and improve lives.
At Cambridge School of Creative Industries, we believe in the importance of experimentation and risk-taking to create experiences that entertain, educate, inspire and improve lives.
Whether writing bestselling fiction, creating challenging documentaries or sharing a piano with people on the autism spectrum, the expertise of our staff goes far beyond teaching. Their research produces significant funding success, leading to important publications and international conferences.
Our campus is close to the centre of Cambridge, often described as the perfect student city.
You'll work in our purpose-built therapy centre, which includes state-of-the-art therapy rooms and a large hall. The centre is used for all of our teaching and for our professional therapy consultations, and offers a large range of musical instruments specifically chosen for clinical work, as well as high-quality recording and videoing equipment in the therapy rooms.
You’ll also have access to the extensive range of facilities offered by Cambridge School of Creative Industries, including a recital hall, a suite of computer music studios and music practice rooms, a fully-equipped drama studio and two large drama rehearsal spaces.
You can see regular performances by professional musicians at our on-campus Mumford Theatre, including our free lunchtime concert series.
Our music therapy staff members are internationally renowned researchers and consultants and our research is recognised as world-leading. We hold regular international conferences and support a vigorous community of PhD and postdoctoral research students.
£9,200
£14,500
Personal therapy sessions:
Budget £1,500-£3,000
External supervision during placements:
Budget £700-£1,500
Travelling to placements:
Budget £500-£2,500
You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in instalments – though you won't need to pay until you've accepted an offer to study with us.
How to pay your fees directlyYou can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will also ask you for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter. Details will be in your offer letter.
Paying your feesIt’s important to decide how to fund your course before applying. Use our finance guide for postgraduate students to learn more about postgraduate loans and other funding options.
We offer a fantastic range of ARU scholarships and bursaries, which provide extra financial support while you're at university.
As well as a number of scholarships, we offer an early payment discount. Explore your options:
As this is a professional therapy training, we'll ask you to attend an interview if you're shortlisted. The day will include experiential music therapy group work with other candidates, as well as an individual interview and discussion with lecturers. These will allow us to consider your suitability and readiness for training, and also give you the chance to experience some of the teaching methods we use, so you can decide whether they're appropriate for your needs.
For the interview and audition, you’ll need to prepare a brief piece of your choice on each of your instruments. If you only play one instrument, you should prepare two short contrasting pieces on that instrument. If piano is not one of your main studies, you’ll be asked to demonstrate your keyboard skills. Please be ready to improvise as directed on the day. If voice is not one of your main studies, you’ll be asked to sing a short song of your choice. We’ll provide an accompanist if you need one.
Two satisfactory references are required. These should be:
and/or
and/or
In exceptional cases if you live overseas, we may consider interviewing you over video conference. You’ll only be offered this if you give clear reasons why it’s impossible for you to attend the interview/audition, and you have access to professional video conferencing equipment.
If you are an international applicant, you will need to supply a music portfolio video containing ten to 15 minutes of varied music. This should be on your first and second study instruments, and should include contrasting pieces which you feel best demonstrate your instrumental playing. The choice of pieces is therefore up to you. You may also include any other instruments you play if you feel this would be helpful but some keyboard playing must be included. The purpose of this portfolio is for you to demonstrate your instrumental playing standard and to convey something of your overall musicianship. If possible, please post this portfolio online and let us know the URL, or email it to us as a PDF. We will also accept DVDs sent by post to our International Admissions Office, but please note that these will not be returned to you.
Whether you're studying entirely online or through a blend of on-campus and online learning from September 2020, you'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course. A small number of our courses require additional technical specifications or specialist materials. Before starting the course, we recommend that you check our technical requirements for online learning. Our website also has general information for new students about starting university in 2020-21.
Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements. Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course, please email answers@anglia.ac.uk for further information.
Due to national restrictions all universities in England, including ARU, are only able to provide face to face teaching on campus for a limited number of courses.
In response to the COVID-19 global pandemic all our students can choose to either study face to face on campus or online only, and students are able to change their mode of delivery at given dates throughout the trimester.
For on-campus teaching, we offer at least four hours face-to-face teaching related contact time per week for our undergraduate full-time courses, supported by online learning using our established online learning systems. The number of contact hours vary course by course, and you can contact us for further information. The provision offered is subject to change due to the possibility of further Government restrictions, however we remain committed to delivering face-to-face teaching and ensuring a COVID-19 secure environment.
In the event that there are further changes to the current restrictions that are in place due to the pandemic, we may need to move some courses online only at short notice to remain in line with Government guidelines and ensure the continued safety of our students and staff.
We welcome applications from international and EU students, and accept a range of international qualifications.
Whether you're studying entirely online or through a blend of face-to-face and online learning from September 2020, you'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course. Before starting the course, we recommend that you check our technical requirements for online learning.
If English is not your first language, you'll need to make sure you meet our English language requirements for postgraduate courses.
Check the standard entry requirements for IELTS requirements for this course.
If you don't meet our English language requirements, we offer a range of courses which could help you achieve the level required for entry.
We also provide our own English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT) in the UK and overseas. To find out if we are planning to hold an ELPT in your country, contact our country managers.
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