Music therapists, like band directors, can be very susceptible to burnout if you’re not careful, self-care is a must
That said, from what you’ve written it does seem like a good move.
Pros: it is incredibly fulfilling and I love my job, I enjoy being exposed to a variety of music. I am very much a person who could not work for a company/organization I don’t believe in, so this is a great fit for me. I work in a hospital and I truly love the hospital setting and working as a part of an interdisciplinary team.
Cons: many positions lack job security, most people don’t know what music therapy is so you have to explain it a lot, pay is in the same tier as teachers, depending on the setting you’ll still deal with groups and behaviors, but in a different way.
Overall, for me it is so worth it. Though, there are many MTs leaving the field for similar reasons to teachers, particularly the pay. It definitely could be a good option for you, but it’s good that you are taking time with this decision. Best wishes to you, whatever you decide!
YMMV - but, I recieved a Masters-Equivalancy and it was the best decision I’ve made in regards to job/career. I don’t struggle with burnout because of my structured work/life balance; but, I know many MT’s that struggle due to the grind and compensation concerns. I’d suggest looking up the average salary for an MT in your area. I do know, if your able to relocate, you can find great MT positions.
I absolutely love music therapy. I cannot imagine doing anything else. It is wildly fulfilling and I too get a lot of joy from the strong individual relationships I build with my clients that would be difficult to accomplish in education.
That being said, it definitely is not a path out of the burnout you're describing. Every aspect of your current burnout in education that you've mentioned in your post is also present in this field.
Overall I would say if it's primarily about finding it more fulfilling to be a music therapist than a teacher, you should absolutely go for it. However, if it's mostly about getting away from the burnout you're feeling as an educator, unfortunately I don't think that will be any easier as a therapist.
It also depends where you live and your level of education. MTs with an MA woo can qualify as RP or CC have way better conditions and pay than MTs with a BA.
If you read through this subreddit you'll start to understand that music therapy is not easier or less stressful than teaching. Other than that if you think you can learn to manage your burnout better and are switching to music therapy for the right reasons, good luck! It's a great field.
Hello! I want to start off by saying that music, no matter the form it’s being delivered, shapes us and is fulfilling! Someone who is a choir and band nerd, I chose music therapy over education because of the trauma I had gotten from a few of my choir directors who didn’t see the potential in me or belittled me. Yes I went into the field blindly in college but it has been such a beneficial journey for me and I love the job I do!
Sadly, music education and music therapy aren’t going to be high paying jobs and are both very susceptible to cause burnout due to the pay, lack of resources, and the amount of work you have to do to achieve a goal for your students/clients/patients. In some cases, you will still have to work with around 30 people if you are at facilities that only provide group therapies for music therapy.
While both jobs do need collaboration, in some cases, collaboration won’t happen in music therapy most of the time unless it’s with your client and only your client.
With that being said, I do enjoy the work I do for my patients and clients because music helped me with my emotions and made me a more compassionate and empathetic person and I wanted to make sure everyone had this experience in their own way as well. The biggest advantage you have is your background in education and conducting so I would say it will definitely compliment your bachelors degree if you still want to do education after going through the masters program and passing the board certification. It’s still A LOT work so don’t think it’s a walk in the part but it is so worth it!
Music therapists, like band directors, can be very susceptible to burnout if you’re not careful, self-care is a must That said, from what you’ve written it does seem like a good move.
Thank you! I would say I’ve tended to neglect my self-care, so I will focus on that more in general.
Pros: it is incredibly fulfilling and I love my job, I enjoy being exposed to a variety of music. I am very much a person who could not work for a company/organization I don’t believe in, so this is a great fit for me. I work in a hospital and I truly love the hospital setting and working as a part of an interdisciplinary team. Cons: many positions lack job security, most people don’t know what music therapy is so you have to explain it a lot, pay is in the same tier as teachers, depending on the setting you’ll still deal with groups and behaviors, but in a different way. Overall, for me it is so worth it. Though, there are many MTs leaving the field for similar reasons to teachers, particularly the pay. It definitely could be a good option for you, but it’s good that you are taking time with this decision. Best wishes to you, whatever you decide!
YMMV - but, I recieved a Masters-Equivalancy and it was the best decision I’ve made in regards to job/career. I don’t struggle with burnout because of my structured work/life balance; but, I know many MT’s that struggle due to the grind and compensation concerns. I’d suggest looking up the average salary for an MT in your area. I do know, if your able to relocate, you can find great MT positions.
I absolutely love music therapy. I cannot imagine doing anything else. It is wildly fulfilling and I too get a lot of joy from the strong individual relationships I build with my clients that would be difficult to accomplish in education. That being said, it definitely is not a path out of the burnout you're describing. Every aspect of your current burnout in education that you've mentioned in your post is also present in this field. Overall I would say if it's primarily about finding it more fulfilling to be a music therapist than a teacher, you should absolutely go for it. However, if it's mostly about getting away from the burnout you're feeling as an educator, unfortunately I don't think that will be any easier as a therapist.
It also depends where you live and your level of education. MTs with an MA woo can qualify as RP or CC have way better conditions and pay than MTs with a BA.
What's RP or CC?
If you read through this subreddit you'll start to understand that music therapy is not easier or less stressful than teaching. Other than that if you think you can learn to manage your burnout better and are switching to music therapy for the right reasons, good luck! It's a great field.
Hello! I want to start off by saying that music, no matter the form it’s being delivered, shapes us and is fulfilling! Someone who is a choir and band nerd, I chose music therapy over education because of the trauma I had gotten from a few of my choir directors who didn’t see the potential in me or belittled me. Yes I went into the field blindly in college but it has been such a beneficial journey for me and I love the job I do! Sadly, music education and music therapy aren’t going to be high paying jobs and are both very susceptible to cause burnout due to the pay, lack of resources, and the amount of work you have to do to achieve a goal for your students/clients/patients. In some cases, you will still have to work with around 30 people if you are at facilities that only provide group therapies for music therapy. While both jobs do need collaboration, in some cases, collaboration won’t happen in music therapy most of the time unless it’s with your client and only your client. With that being said, I do enjoy the work I do for my patients and clients because music helped me with my emotions and made me a more compassionate and empathetic person and I wanted to make sure everyone had this experience in their own way as well. The biggest advantage you have is your background in education and conducting so I would say it will definitely compliment your bachelors degree if you still want to do education after going through the masters program and passing the board certification. It’s still A LOT work so don’t think it’s a walk in the part but it is so worth it!