The History of Music Therapy & AMTA

group-music-therapy-students-with-disabilities-square-high-quality

AMTA IconPreserving Our History

The AMTA Archives

The AMTA Archives offer online records that bring the history of music therapy to your fingertips. Many hard-to-find historic records have been digitized and are now accessible online, from the comfort of your home or office. You’ll discover an inventory of materials dating back to 1729, a portion of which you can view online today.

The archives accept donations of materials from AMTA and its predecessor organizations, the National Association for Music Therapy (NAMT) and the American Association for Music Therapy (AAMT), as well as other items relevant to the profession.

Do you have records or materials that future music therapists would value? Please contact AMTA’s Archivist, Lindsey Wilhelm, at Lindsey.Wilhelm@colostate.edu for information about donating materials.

Monetary donations also make a difference. They provide the resources needed to continue archival development and digitization as this collection keeps growing.

Access the AMTA Archives
group-music-therapy-students-with-disabilities-square-high-quality

AMTA IconShaping the Profession

A Brief History of Music Therapy in America

The modern music therapy profession took shape after World War II, when musicians performed for veterans with physical and emotional trauma. Positive patient responses showed the need for clinically trained musicians, leading to college programs and helping establish the profession today.

Earliest References

The first known reference to music therapy appeared in 1789, in an unsigned article in Columbian Magazine titled “Music Physically Considered.”

In the early 1800s, two medical dissertations explored the therapeutic value of music. Edwin Atlee published the first in 1804, and Samuel Mathews followed in 1806. Both were students of Dr. Benjamin Rush, a physician and psychiatrist who strongly supported using music to treat medical conditions.

The 1800s also brought two firsts:

  • The first recorded music therapy intervention in an institutional setting, at Blackwell’s Island in New York
  • The first recorded systematic experiment in music therapy, through Corning’s use of music to alter dream states during psychotherapy

Early Associations

Interest in music therapy continued to build in the early 1900s, leading to several short-lived associations:

  • 1903: Eva Augusta Vescelius founded the National Society of Musical Therapeutics
  • 1926: Isa Maud Ilsen founded the National Association for Music in Hospitals
  • 1941: Harriet Ayer Seymour founded the National Foundation of Music Therapy

These organizations produced the first journals, books, and educational courses on music therapy. Even so, they were not able to build a lasting, organized clinical profession.

Early Educational Programs & Advocates

In the 1940s, three figures emerged as key innovators in shaping music therapy into an organized clinical profession:

  • Ira Altshuler, MD, a psychiatrist and music therapist, promoted music therapy in Michigan for three decades.
  • Willem van de Wall pioneered music therapy in state-funded facilities and wrote the first “how to” text, Music in Institutions (1936).
  • E. Thayer Gaston, known as the “father of music therapy,” advanced the profession from both an organizational and educational standpoint.

The first college training programs also began in the 1940s. Michigan State University established the first academic program in music therapy in 1944. Other universities soon followed, including the University of Kansas, Chicago Musical College, College of the Pacific, and Alverno College.

The American Music Therapy Association

AMTA was formed in 1998 through a merger between the National Association for Music Therapy (NAMT) and the American Association for Music Therapy (AAMT). This union brought the profession together for the first time since 1971.

Today, AMTA serves as the intellectual home for member music therapists, students, graduate students, and supporters. Our mission is to advance public knowledge of the benefits of music therapy and to increase access to quality music therapy services in a rapidly changing world.

To support that mission, AMTA:

  • Publishes two research journals and a line of publications
  • Advocates for music therapy at the state and federal levels
  • Promotes the profession through social media
  • Provides research bibliographies, podcasts, scholarships, and newsletters to members

AMTA is the single largest music therapy association in the United States, representing music therapists across the country and in more than 30 countries around the world.

AMTA IconBuilding the Profession

Organizations, Certification & Professional Standards

music-therapy-teen-down-syndrome-drum-session
icons-30

AMTA and the Certification Board for Music Therapists

The Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) is a separate and independent organization from AMTA. Incorporated in 1983, CBMT works to strengthen the profession by assuring the competency of credentialed music therapists. The first board examination was administered in 1985, and CBMT has been fully accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies since 1986. More than 10,000 certificants hold the Music Therapist-Board Certified (MT-BC) credential.

icons-32

National Association for Music Therapy (NAMT)

NAMT was founded in New York City on June 2, 1950. It succeeded where earlier associations had not by creating a constitution and bylaws, developing standards for university-level education and clinical training, making research and clinical training a priority, establishing registry and certification requirements, and publishing research and clinical journals. NAMT operated from 1950 to 1997 and helped grow the profession from a few dozen practitioners to thousands.

icons-16

American Association for Music Therapy (AAMT)

Originally called the Urban Federation of Music Therapists, AAMT was established in 1971. Many of its goals echoed those of NAMT, although the organizations differed in philosophy, education, and approach. Beginning in 1980, AAMT published its own research and clinical journal, Music Therapy. The association continued to support the development of music therapy and expand its professional community, growing to 700 members by 1997 as music therapy continued to grow.

AMTA IconA Journey Through Sound

60 Years of Music Therapy History

From its earliest stirrings to a thriving modern profession, music therapy’s story spans decades of growth, innovation, and milestones. Here’s a decade-by-decade look at how it all unfolded. Each era reflects changing ideas, expanding research, and a deeper understanding of music’s healing potential.

The Early Days

In the early twentieth century, physicians, musicians, and psychiatrists began to recognize music as an effective treatment aid. After WWII, the need to treat veterans created strong demand for trained hospital musicians, particularly in VA hospitals and state facilities. By the mid-1940s, music therapy curricula had emerged at several colleges and universities. Music organizations also took interest, and at the 1949 MTNA meeting, Ray Green led a discussion about forming a national organization for music therapy.

1950s

In 1950, California advertised state music therapist positions paying $268–325 per month. On June 2, delegates met in New York City and elected Ray Green as the first President of the National Association for Music Therapy (NAMT). The first annual conference followed in Washington, D.C. The Registered Music Therapist (RMT) designation was established in 1956, setting educational and clinical standards. Clinical training also advanced through new internship sites, while Clive Robbins and Paul Nordoff began their pioneering work on the Improvisational Model.

1960s

As the cultural landscape shifted, so did the profession. Music therapists expanded their work to include people with developmental and physical disabilities and sensory impairments. Helen Bonny’s work led to the development of the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM). The decade also brought two major milestones for the growing profession: the NAMT National Office was established in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1961, and the first issue of the Journal of Music Therapy was published in 1964.

1970s

The Urban Federation for Music Therapists (UFMT) was founded in 1971, with its office at New York University. The Certification Program launched in 1972, and UFMT became the American Association for Music Therapy (AAMT) in 1975. Music therapy continued expanding into nursing homes, rehabilitation, medical care, prisons, and education. Mary Priestley developed her theories of Analytic Music Therapy, while students began meeting at conferences, laying the foundation for what would eventually become AMTAS.

1980s

Information about music therapy expanded rapidly during the 1980s. New publications included AAMT’s Music Therapy, NAMT’s Music Therapy Perspectives, the International Newsletter of Music Therapy, and the first Monograph Series. The NAMT National Office moved to Washington, D.C., in 1982. The Certification Board for Music Therapists was founded in 1983, followed by the first National Music Therapy Board Certification Examination in 1985. In 1989, AAMT established the Advanced Certification in Music Therapy.

1990s

The road toward unification began in 1990 with an AAMT/NAMT task force. Following joint conferences and continued collaboration, both memberships voted to unify at a 1996 conference in Nashville. Led by AMTA’s first President, David Smith, the transition resulted in the founding of the American Music Therapy Association in 1998. Other milestones included the documentary Music Therapy and Medicine: Partnerships in Care, growth of the Fultz Research Fund, and the 1999 World Congress of Music Therapy in Washington, D.C.

2000 – 2010

The new millennium brought significant growth as AMTA expanded its publications, research, advocacy, and government relations efforts. The profession responded to national events through initiatives supporting those affected by 9/11, Gulf Coast hurricanes, and military service. The AMTA Research Priority launched in 2006, followed by the AMTA Pro podcast in 2009. In 2010, AMTA published its first online magazine, Imagine, and the Library of Congress featured music therapy in a special presentation as AMTA celebrated 60 years.

The Years Ahead

The history of music therapy is still being written. Research, reimbursement, advocacy, scholarships, publishing, and the Fultz Research Award continue to advance, while partnerships with the neuroscience community and other fields grow stronger. Recognition by public and government agencies reflects the profession’s ongoing progress. Approaches, models, and philosophies continue to evolve, leading music therapists into new territory. The past is to be honored, but the future of the profession is still to be shaped.