Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

A Descriptive, Cross-Sectional Study of Former Music Therapists’ Workplace Attitudes

Résumé

Researchers have largely failed to examine why music therapists are leaving the profession and there is minimal research on career longevity within the field of music therapy. However, between the years 2020 and 2021 almost 300 music therapists, out of a total of 9,594, left the field in the United States (Certification Board for Music Therapists [CBMT], 2022). The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine workplace attitudes of former music therapists. Understanding workplace attitudes may help those in the music therapy profession at large understand the factors behind why music therapists—specifically new professionals—may leave the field. One hundred former music therapists located in the United States participated in the survey, which was an adapted version of the COPSOQ III (Burr et al., 2019). This study identified six main themes associated with leaving the music therapy profession: lack of safety in the workplace, lack of community and support, role ambiguity, high rates of demand, little possibility for development, and high rates of burnout. Prioritizing safety and support within clinical practice may help to address all six areas of concern. Additional research into what professions former music therapists pursue following their departure from the field, and similar analyses of related fields (social work, child life, etc.) is recommended to develop an understanding of this nuanced and challenging issue.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank all the incredible people who helped to make this research a reality: Gray Baldwin, Dr. Sharon R. Boyle, Spencer Hardy, Dr. Virginia D. Driscoll, and Dr. Tracy Richardson. This study was completed as part of the Master of Art in Music Therapy program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. I am incredibly grateful for my professors and thesis committee members who provided unwavering support and guidance throughout the program and research process. I would also like to thank my family and friends, without whom this would not have been possible. Special thanks to my cats—Fig, Fearne, and Arizona—who helped keep me company during all those late nights of writing.