Results of medical and hospice music therapy internship directors’ views of advanced guitar skills needed for interviews

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine which guitar skills beyond the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) functional guitar skill competencies are important for prospective music therapy interns to perform during the medical and hospice music therapy interview process. Participants (n = 32) for this study were medical or hospice music therapy internship supervisors from AMTA approved and university-affiliated internship sites that were asked to rate eight advanced guitar skills on their importance during the internship interview process. Of the 64 internship directors to whom the survey was sent, 32 (50%) participants representing five of the seven AMTA regions responded. The majority of internship directors (94%) reported the guitar as the primary instrument for therapy at their facility. Results indicated that four of the eight advanced guitar skills in question were considered important for interns to perform during the interview process, suggesting students should learn these advanced skills before applying to a medical or hospice music therapy internship. These findings are consistent with previous research suggesting the use of advanced guitar skills to meet musical demands within contemporary music therapy practice.