New AMTA Professional Competencies
June 29, 2026 10:13 AM
Dear Music Therapy Community,
We are thrilled to share a historic milestone nearly a decade in the making! On May 19, 2026, the AMTA Assembly of Delegates officially approved the new American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) Professional Competencies. This achievement marks a transformative step forward for our profession, ensuring our educational and clinical training frameworks remain dynamic, inclusive, and forward-looking.
In this message, we share some history, information on changes, and contact information.
How We Got Here: Seven Years of Collaboration
The path to these revised competencies began in November 2017, when the AMTA Board of Directors formed the Competency Review Task Force (CRTF) to address critical shifts in the profession and declining CBMT board certification pass rates. What followed was a rigorous, deeply collaborative, seven-year community effort.
Composed of dedicated clinicians, educators, and internship directors from every AMTA region, the CRTF worked diligently across three formal Board charges:
- Aligning Frameworks: Reviewing Professional and Advanced Competencies for consistency.
- Bridging Gaps: Comparing CBMT Board Certification Domains directly to AMTA competencies.
- Modernizing Standards: Updating and revising competencies to reflect our profession's rapidly expanding knowledge base.
From 2018 through 2024, across hundreds of meetings, subgroup sessions, and virtual retreats, the CRTF consulted extensively with vital leadership bodies. Key insights were integrated from the Academic Program Approval Committee (APAC), the Association Internship Approval Committee (AIAC), the Commission on Education and Clinical Training, the DEI Committee, the Assembly of Delegates, and the Board of Directors.
A Modern, Developmental Framework
The resulting framework is thoughtfully organized around four essential domains:
- Musical Development
- Integrative Clinical Practice
- Personal Development
- Professional Growth
What Makes This Framework Distinct:
- Developmental Continuum: Progression is explicitly mapped across three key stages: Readiness for Internship → Readiness for Entry to Practice → Readiness for Advanced Practice.
- Pedagogical Precision: Bloom’s Taxonomy guides the language of knowledge, skills, and attitudes at every level.
- Cultural Humility: Principles of cultural humility are intentionally woven throughout the fabric of the entire document.
- Intentional Terminology: The term 'client' was carefully selected and operationally defined in a dedicated preamble, reflecting deep deliberation across multiple professional frameworks.
Why It Matters: Key Benefits
The revised competencies elevate our professional standards by providing:
- Greater Clarity: Clear, actionable benchmarks for students, clinical trainers, and educators alike.
- Enhanced Flexibility: Adaptable musical experiences that support students as they progress through their training.
- Contemporary Alignment: Dynamic integration with emerging research and contemporary clinical practices.
- Seamless Certification Integration: Direct alignment with CBMT Board Certification Domains, successfully bridging documented gaps between academic curricula and certification exam requirements.
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Implementation Timelines at a Glance
To ensure a smooth transition, AMTA has established realistic, phased implementation timelines for both academic programs and clinical training sites.
Academic Programs
- Transition Period: Approved university programs have up to 5 years to achieve full compliance. APAC will prompt programs to complete a brief report outlining their compliance plan.
- Pending Applications: Programs currently under APAC consideration, or applying within 6 months of adoption, may continue under the previous competencies.
- New Applications: Applications received 6 months or more post-adoption must utilize the new competencies.
- Reapprovals & Substantive Changes: Applications submitted within 1–3 years post-adoption may follow current competencies; all applications submitted 3 years post-adoption must follow the revised competencies.
Clinical Training Sites
- National Roster Internship Programs: Current programs must resubmit compliance documentation to AIAC—including updated competency-based evaluations and orientation materials—within 2 years of approval.
- New Applicants: Newly approved National Roster sites will have up to 1 year following site approval to submit any required revisions.
Looking Ahead
To ensure this framework remains living and relevant, the new competencies will undergo ongoing review by an Ad Hoc workgroup appointed by the AMTA President. This diverse panel will feature academic program directors, clinical training directors, professionals across all career stages, individuals with diverse abilities and lived experiences, an AMTAS member, and aspirational representation across all AMTA regions.
Resources & Support
We are committed to supporting you through this exciting transition. Please make use of the resources below:
- The new competencies and timeline can be viewed here: https://www.musictherapy.org/about/competencies/
- For academic program inquiries: Contact APAC or reach out to Dr. Laura Beer, Education and Clinical Training Coordinator, at lbeer@musictherapy.org.
- For clinical training inquiries: Contact AIAC.
This is a monumental moment for music therapy, reflecting the profound dedication of an extraordinary group of task force members, reviewers, and community contributors. Thank you for your continued commitment to excellence and for shaping the future of our profession.
Warm regards,
Laura Beer, PhD, MT-BC
Education and Clinical Training Coordinator, American Music Therapy Association
Leslie Orozco Henry, MM, MT-BC
President, American Music Therapy Association
Peter Bendoris
Interim Chief Operating Officer
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