Business Education for Music Therapists: A Qualitative Exploration

The number of music therapy private practices in the United States is growing. While it is thought that improving business skills can improve business success, it is not clear what business education was received by music therapy business owners (MTBOs). The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to explore MTBOs business education in the United States and their views on business education for music therapists and music therapy students. Following an interpretivist theoretical framework, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 MTBOs representing all seven regions of the American Music Therapy Association. Using thematic analysis, we created five themes with supporting subthemes. Our findings indicate that the amount of business education participants received as students did not match the amount of business education they perceived necessary to be business owners, and that they sought out additional training from a variety of sources. Participants' views on music therapy business education and skills important for business ownership in the field of music therapy are explored.