by Jim DeStefano
Introducing Music Therapy to masses: A companion piece to our interview with Tatiana Penagos MA, MT-BC.
We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Tatiana Penagos MA, MT-BC. Tatiana is a Music Therapist, who was happy to share stories about her career, and the role music has played in shaping her life.
After positive feedback, we decided to go one step further and outline a few of our recommendations for Music Therapy Programs from this list of top schools featured at music-colleges.com.
We hope this list, as well as our previous blog: Introducing Music Therapy to masses, assist our prospective students in making big decisions about their musical future.
#1. Florida State University
- Best Music School In Florida
- Second Best Music School in The South
- Best Music Therapy School in the USA
- Ranked #12 Music School in the USA
Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida is widely regarded as having one of the leading Music Therapy programs in the U.S., offering a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD program and boasting a 100% placement rate among graduates, both in clinical and educational settings. Its connection to the local medical community and integration within FSU’s strong classical music program provides top notch experiential learning opportunities, practicum and internship connections, and strong networking experience. MT bachelor students are able to interact and learn from students in the graduate program while those graduate students gain instructional experience and a better understanding of the practice.
Music Therapy – Florida State University College of Music (fsu.edu)
#2. University of Miami – Frost School of Music
- Third Best Music School in Florida
- Fifth Best Music School in The South
- Second Best Music Therapy School in the USA
- Ranked #17 Music School in the USA
University of Miami Frost School of Music in Coral Gables, Florida is an exceptional music school, known as one of the best Jazz Studies, Conducting, and Piano schools in the nation. Because of this, students in the Music Therapy program receive an exceptional core music education to complement their clinical studies at the world-famous Miller School of Medicine. Frost provides training and research opportunities in many regional hospitals and clinics for students pursuing a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD in the field.
Music Therapy School | Frost School of Music | University of Miami
#3. University of Georgia – Hugh Hodgson School of Music
- Best Music School in Georgia
- Sixth Best Music School in The South
- Third Best Music Therapy School in the USA
- Ranked #19 Music School in the USA
Ranking as the best school in Georgia in most core music categories, University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia offers an exceptional music core curriculum for its Music Therapy students, while providing intensive, hands-on clinical instruction and providing teaching and performance experience through one of many of the music school’s community outreach programs. The large and active Music Therapy department also holds an annual ‘Music Therapy Musicale’, which allows students to showcase their music therapy activities and educate an audience about the practice of music therapy while polishing their own skills and ideas.
Music Therapy | Hugh Hodgson School of Music (uga.edu)
#4. New York University (NYU) – Steinhardt
- Ranked #9 Nationwide
- 5 Star School ranked on musiccolleges.com
- 9th Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the USA
- Ranked #9 Music School in the USA
New York University is a very large not-for-profit college offering a number of disciplines along with music programs and located in New York City, New York. The school was opened in 1831 and is currently offering bachelor’s, master’s, certificates, and doctoral degrees in 6 music programs. From their Music Therapy program’s website, linked below, “Use music to improve the quality of life for individuals with a wide diversity of challenges across the entire lifespan. Through small classes with internationally renowned faculty and hands-on clinical internships, you’ll gain the skills you need to become an effective music therapist.”
Music Therapy | NYU Steinhardt
#5. Drexel University
- Ranked #29 Nationwide
- 5 Star School ranked on musiccolleges.com
- 5th Best Music Therapy School in the USA
- One of the top programs in the nation
“The Master of Arts in Music Therapy and Counseling is a 90 quarter-credit program that integrates advanced music therapy and general counseling coursework with hands-on clinical experience and research opportunities, preparing graduates for a variety of career paths in the music therapy profession. Faculty include dedicated, knowledgeable music therapists as well as other creative arts therapists, clinical psychologists and counseling educators, offering a curriculum focused on in-depth study of foundational and innovative music therapy and mental health theories and approaches.”
Music Therapy- Drexel University
Additional Resources:
The American Music Therapy association’s website has a plethora of information about how to go about becoming a music therapist, or even finding a music therapist in your area if you are interested in participating personally in music therapy.
Visit the American Music Therapy Association’s website for more information.
Contact Us
Did you find this blog helpful? Do you want to attend a music collage or conservatory? If the answer to that is a “yes”, your next step is simple. Visit insidemusicschools.com and allow our team of industry insiders to guide you towards your goal of being a professional in the music industry. Through expert counseling, and real-world experience, we will make sure you are prepared for the journey.
Founder & President at Inside Music Schools | Insidemusicschools.com
Head of admissions and faculty member at Berklee College of Music for 40 years, Steve Lipman and our team at Inside Music Schools speak music as their primary language. We approach each client contact with open eyes, ears, and minds. As the country’s premier music school consultant, he has advised students from the United States, Canada, the U.K., India, Singapore, Dubai, China, Australia, Turkey, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Israel, Italy, Russia and elsewhere.