The interview and audition for the master’s degree in music therapy can be a daunting prospect. I know it was for me. Here was the opportunity to get into my dream study programme, and I wanted to do everything in my power to be well prepared. In this article, I want to share with you some tips on how to prepare for both interview and audition for a music therapy master’s. I will consider knowledge about music theory as well as improvisation practice, and I am going to present some prompts for taking notes before the interview. Lastly, I will give a list of recommended readings.
Journey To Music Therapy is dedicated to sharing comprehensive information on music therapy training, while also taking the opportunity to reflect on my personal experiences of becoming a music therapist. I hope this blog inspires you to explore the possibilities of music therapy, guiding you in finding the right path for you.
Aim of the Interview and Audition
Once your written application and your musical portfolio have convinced the professors of your chosen course, you will be invited to an interview and audition. The objective of this last stage of the application process is to determine if you will be accepted into a master’s programme in music therapy. While the interview aims to test your personal aptitude to become a therapist, the audition targets your musical skills. For simplicity’s sake, I will refer to both parts of the process as “interview” hereafter. They are usually conducted together, either in person or online (the latter is offered to international applicants). The length varies: Whereas an online interview can take 30-90 minutes, it is common for in-person entrance tests to last a whole day, including interaction tasks with other applicants. Since my interviews were held online, I will give insights into the preparation for this kind of procedure.
Small Steps
I must admit that I had wanted to start preparing for the interview much earlier than I actually did. After my voluntary year, I said to myself that I would set aside time during my bachelor’s degree, but the semesters passed. I really only started in my fifth semester – five months prior to my interviews. The reason why I procrastinated for so long was that it seemed like a huge task to me. Therefore, my first tip is to break down the big construct of “preparation” into small, achievable tasks (Clear, 2018). This is one of many techniques to build routines that keep you motivated – along with habit stacking, time blocking, and habit tracking – described by James Clear in his book “Atomic Habits”. In concrete terms, I identified four areas which I wanted to improve: music theory, improvisation, knowledge about music therapy, and reflection on my motivation, skills, and personality.
External Structures
Another relevant aspect for me was to create external structures (Clear, 2018). An external commitment which aligns with your goals can increase your feeling of responsibility and, thus, the probability that you follow through with it (Clear, 2018).
One such framework was the Music Therapy Foundation course by University of Roehampton. The online course furthered my understanding of music therapy and encouraged me to improvise music in a group. Moreover, it aided me in the reflection on my motivation for becoming a music therapist. The lecturers provided us with free access to recommended literature throughout the course. A substantial part of my reading was derived from these recommendations. Towards the end, there were dedicated sessions to simulate the interview. Keeping a reflective journal kept me engaged with the course contents and increased my self-awareness.
Concerning the learning of music theory, I implemented two structures. Firstly, I attended university courses on basso continuo and harmony and on fundamental music theory. Since my university at the time didn’t offer music courses, I participated as a guest student at a neighbouring university one day per week for one semester. We were given homework which gave me the opportunity to solidify my knowledge. The biggest benefits of the university course were improved sight-reading, better understanding of harmony, and acquiring the ability to compose four-part scores. In addition, I watched a three-hour long YouTube video on music theory by Woochia (Charly Sauret). I broke the course down into small watching sessions, e.g. while I was eating. That way, I slowly but steadily covered the whole course in about one or two weeks. To revise the most important points, I created a two-page learning sheet. You can watch Woochia’s complete course on music theory here:
Music and Reading Habits
Without external structures you can also make a commitment to yourself (Clear, 2018). Pick a date and time for the habit you want to cultivate and treat it like an important appointment (Clear, 2018).
I committed to improvising every day for a month before my first interview. My musical comfort zone is recreating songs and songwriting, therefore my principal aim was to shed the expectation of creating “good” music. I didn’t follow specific improvisation techniques and I hadn’t read much about improvisation at that point. In hindsight, I would definitely recommend checking out the chapter on “Musical Techniques” in Tony Wigram’s book “Improvisation: Methods and Techniques for Music Therapy Clinicians, Educators, and Students” (see reading suggestions below). The advantage of most techniques is that they limit the musical material. When I worked through the techniques one by one, it eased the pressure and I noticed improvement. Another tip is to practice pentatonic scales. This is especially helpful when aiming for a harmonious sound and for developing melodies.
The second habit I established was reading to deepen my knowledge about music therapy. I started by searching my university library catalogue for books on music therapy. I found an encyclopaedia, covering the history of music therapy, training programmes, music therapy techniques, client populations, and related concepts. I read the articles recommended by the short course as well, and some literature from my bachelor’s degree had relevance for music therapy. I have compiled a list of reading suggestions at the end of the article. Don’t worry, I haven’t nearly read all of them! Most books, I have only come across during my studies. However, some resources can only be accessed through a university library license.
Some universities even require reading about music therapy for the application, reflected in the requirements for the personal statement. For more information on the prerequisites for a music therapy master’s application, have a look at my dedicated guide:
Besides reading, a great way to learn about music therapy topics is to listen to podcasts. I can recommend the “Music Therapy Conversations” by the British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT). The majority of episodes are interviews with music therapists and related professionals. The conversations revolve around their field of expertise, training, and research.
Prompts for the Interview
Here are some questions which are likely to be addressed in interview:
-How would you introduce/describe yourself?
-What is your motivation to become a music therapist?
-What is your interest in this course (at this university, in this country)?
-What is your understanding of music therapy?
-What have your learnt about music therapy from literature?
-What is your biographical background?
-What qualities do you bring to the course/profession?
-What could be challenging for you in the course/profession?
It can be helpful to consult your personal statement for ideas and formulations. A big recommendation is to not only write down your answers to these questions but also to practice their verbal articulation. You can do that alone or with a partner who listens and gives feedback.
If you’re like me and have had the wish to become a music therapist for a long time, it can be difficult to be in touch with your initial motivation. To access your motivation, think about how you first came to hear about music therapy. What sparked your interest? Imagination exercises can be beneficial, too. Imagine yourself during your studies, after graduation, and 10 years into the job. What do you like about your studies? Where do you work, with which client population(s), and in what position? This task can even strengthen your motivation to prepare for the interview. Since explaining your motivation to the professors sets a high bar, you could start by picturing family or friends as your conversation partner in the interview. How do you explain your passion to them? And how could you adapt this for the interview?
It’s good to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses, as this shows self-reflection. If you have difficulty coming up with these, asking yourself how family members, close friends, teachers, and colleagues would describe you – or actually asking them – can provide direction. I would say that you don’t need to worry about saying something compromising regarding your weaknesses. In my experience, the professors appreciate your honesty, which counts towards your strengths. The same goes for mentioning past struggles in your biography.
The interview can create the impression that you need to convince the professors of yourself. But this is also your opportunity to find out if the university is a good fit for you, e.g. by asking about details of the course that the website is lacking. Asking insightful questions emphasises your interest and can help you decide between multiple courses.
Before the Interview
An important measure to take before an online interview is checking the technology. In the e-mail invitation for the interview, you will usually find the meeting link. If you can’t find the link anywhere, don’t hesitate to reach out. An Anecdote: for one of my interviews, I only looked for the link on the day of the interview and found that it was missing, which resulted in the interview being postponed for three weeks (eventually, I didn’t do it because I had already decided for another university). Familiarise yourself with the platform which is being used. Whether it’s Teams or Zoom, you can create your own meeting with a friend or family member beforehand to ensure that the sound is good. Specifically try out if your music performance comes through. On Zoom, you can enable the setting “original sound for musicians” (see sources below). If you have recording equipment, think about whether you want to use it for the meeting or not.
My final recommendation is that you try not to stress yourself too much the days before and the day of the interview (I know it’s easier said than done). Two times, I was lucky and the interview was in the morning. The third time, I was waiting for an interview scheduled for late afternoon. I tried to keep calm by reading and doing yoga on the day of the interview. It might also help to remind yourself of positive affirmations and to hear supportive words from the people around you. Think about previous challenges that you have mastered and remember that you’re well prepared. You can do it!
Continue The Journey
I hope this article can support you in your preparation for an interview and audition for a music therapy master’s degree. Please feel free to comment any topic suggestions for the future – I would be happy to take them into account. Before I share my experience of the interviews with SRH University Heidelberg and the University of Limerick with you, I would like to dedicate the next article to my visit of the International Day at HAN University, Netherlands.
References:
Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits. An easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. Avery.
Zoom (n.d.).Configuring professional audio settings for Zoom Meetings Available online: https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0059985. 2025-03-22.
Reading Suggestions:
Bruscia, K. (1991). Case Studies in Music Therapy. Barcelona Publishers.
Bruscia, K. (2013). Defining Music Therapy. Barcelona Publishers.
Heiderscheit, A., & Jackson, N. (2018). Introduction to Music Therapy Practice. Barcelona Publishers.
Pasiali, V. (2014). Music therapy and attachment relationships across the life span. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 23(3), 202–223.
Wigram, T., Bonde, L. O., Bonde, L. O., & Ole, B. L. (2002). A comprehensive guide to music therapy: Theory, clinical practice, research and training. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Wigram, T. (2004). Improvisation: Methods and Techniques for Music Therapy Clinicians, Educators, and Students. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.