Credit: Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital
From helping NICU babies connect to their parents to guiding near-death patients through their final breaths, music therapy is a powerful tool that touches a variety of participants. Yet currently, Pennsylvania lacks a process for trained music therapists to become state-certified.
Senate Bill 579, introduced by state Senators Elder Vogel, Jr. (R-47) and Carolyn Comitta (D-19), would enable music therapists in Pennsylvania to obtain a professional license under the State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors. In the state House of Representatives, there is a companion bill, House Bill 563, sponsored by Rep. Eddie Pashinski (D-121).
Dr. Nicole Hahna, music therapist and co-chair of the PA Music Therapy Task Force, said, “We’ve been working on this for a long time, and we’re very excited to have both of these bills in our current legislative session.”
Music therapy is an evidence-based treatment that involves the use of sound, rhythm, and harmony to improve well-being. During a music therapy session, a patient and therapist may create music, sing, play an instrument, dance, discuss lyrics, or listen to music together.
Ranging from mental health to the medical field, music therapy can be employed in diverse capacities. Nicholas Zaborowski, owner of Sky Music Therapy and a Philadelphia native, practices neurological music therapy. It involves using music-based interventions to rehabilitate motor, speech, and cognitive functions.
“It could look like walking to the piano to help someone get their gait back,” Zaborowski said. “Or being able to sing a phrase like ‘I love you’ to help someone be able to talk to their granddaughter on the phone.”
Music therapy is effective because, when we engage with music, the whole brain activates. By inducing neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt and form new synaptic connections, music can essentially ‘heal’ the brain and allow people to learn much quicker.
For instance, Zaborowski may aid an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s disease by creating a song with her address, phone number, and children’s names. “It’s the same reason why kindergarteners learn the alphabet via the ABC song,” Zaborowski said.
But neurological work is only one avenue in the broader field of music therapy.
Audrey Hausig is a Philadelphia-based music therapist with almost 25 years of experience. When her high school guidance counselor asked her career goals, she knew she wanted to do both music and social work.
“When I learned there was a job that really combined both of those things, I was like, well, this is perfect,” Hausig said.
After graduating from Temple, Hausig interned at a nursing home and worked at Inglis House, a facility for adults with physical disabilities, before transitioning into mental health work. She now runs her private practice, Philadelphia Music Therapy, through which she provides services at substance use facilities, inpatient and outpatient group homes for individuals with persistent mental illness, senior centers, schools, and nursing homes.
Hausig adapts her session structure to the context but typically begins with a check-in and lets patients choose a theme. She may suggest listening to music and discussing related lyrics, or creating original songs to express emotions.
“Nobody needs to have prior experience,” Hausig said. “Some people are skilled musicians. Some people have never touched an instrument since grade school, or never at all. But we make the instruments so they're accessible to everybody, regardless of experience or ability.”
Hausig shared stories of using an adaptive drumstick that a patient with a physical disability could control with their mouth, and of composing songs by asking the patient to blink “yes” or “no” in response to different musical choices.
“The music can tell their story without them having to say a word,” Hausig said.
Drexel, Temple, Duquesne, and West Chester are among the ten universities in Pennsylvania that offer undergraduate music therapy programs. According to a press release from the Senate Republican Communications Office, Pennsylvania has the country’s greatest number of music therapy higher education programs, even though professional licensure for this specialty is not currently offered in the state.
This absence leads to a brain drain of highly trained music therapists who end up settling in neighboring states where they can be licensed, such as New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. Zaborowski shared how one of his former employees moved to Maryland because of more ample job opportunities.
By establishing licensure in Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth could regain approximately $7 million by keeping graduates in the state.
“If this bill were to be passed, there would be so much economic growth for the hundreds of music therapists that currently work in Pennsylvania, and it would bring the jobs back from our neighboring states to boost our economy,” said Zaborowski.
Further, most insurance companies deny coverage to music therapists because they lack a state license. According to the PA Music Therapy Task Force, this results in more than $93 million in lost revenue annually for businesses, therapy practices, and healthcare facilities in Pennsylvania.
Establishing a process for state licensure is also crucial for the protection of Pennsylvania residents seeking out trained music therapists.
In the absence of a state license, there’s no way to ban someone from practicing music therapy. The Certification Board for Music Therapists can request that someone stop practicing, but if the profession isn't regulated by the state, there is no formal oversight. This puts vulnerable populations in dangerous situations; for example, music therapy for NICU babies requires extensive training. Without it, too much music for premature infants can cause neurological damage.
“Right now, there is no way to protect consumers from either unethical things that might be happening, or people claiming they’re music therapists who might not have the extensive training needed for certain populations,” said Madison Frank, the other co-chair of the PA Music Therapy Task Force.
Though introduced by state Senators Vogel and Comitta, the bipartisan bill is co-sponsored by 14 senators, including ten Democrats and four Republicans. Senate Bill 579 is now before the Consumer Affairs and Professional Licensure Committee, awaiting review.
“Music therapy can be a powerful tool to promote healing, well-being, and recovery,” said state Senator Comitta in a statement. “And licensing our highly trained music therapists will not only reduce public health costs and improve access to care, but it will also boost our economy, increase tax revenue, and help create jobs.”
