Taking the CBMT Exam

I have been meaning to take the time to write a post about my experience taking the CBMT (Certification Board for Music Therapists) exam and hopefully can offer any pointers to those seeking to take the exam in the near or distant future.

In order to be certified through CBMT, you need to take the exam.  Once you meet requirements, you can register for the exam through the CBMT website.  When you are approved they will contact you letting you know and you will have a window of three months to make an appointment at your nearest testing site.  Finally, once you pass the exam, you will hold the MT-BC (Music Therapist-Board Certified) credential.

Making the appointment once you receive approval is very simple and takes a brief amount of time.  You go to the AMP website and select the "Schedule an appointment" link on the left hand side and follow the directions.  You will receive an email confirmation including directions to the site and what to bring (Two forms of ID- I brought my driver's license and social security card).

The test is 150 questions and 20 of them are "pretest questions" and are thrown out before scoring.  In order to pass, you need about 73% or 95 correct answers.  You have 3 hours to complete the test.  At my center, the test was on a computer and I had the option to return to previous questions and double check my answers.

Preparation for the Exam

The CBMT has a self examination you can purchase.  I highly recommend taking advantage of this tool.  I've heard it is an easier version of the exam, however, it helps you to get used to the language they use in the actual exam.

Another thing I made sure to look over was the CBMT Self Examination Bibliography, it has readings that is very helpful when studying for the exam. The AMTA code of ethics, professional competencies, standards of clinical practice, and the CBMT Board Certification Domains are important to look over.

Another source I took advantage of was the Music Therapy Exam Secrets Study Guide and the flashcards which are sold seperately. This source is published by Mometrix and not associated with CBMT.

On Amazon the book and flashcards are $39.99 each,  I purchased both.  The flashcards are essentially the Study guide book but written out onto flashcards, so it was not worth the extra money.  If you are interested in purchasing this book, I would either choose the book OR the flashcards depending on your learning style.  

Overall, I felt this book was very similar to the Suzanne Hanser's The New Music Therapist's Handbook.  The text language was different to what I was used to reading in the required music therapy text books from class. However, it's slogan is that it guarantees to "raise test scores." All in all, I think it was helpful to read the text because it helped me absorb the material from the Hanser book better even though the language was different.

Music Theory- Some key factors I made sure I reviewed were: a blues progression, transposition between instruments, scale degrees (ex. supertonic, sub mediant, mediant, etc.), and the types of scales (dorian, lydian, etc.).

If I could choose the top two books I thought were important to study from I would choose: 

1. Hanser, S. B. (1999). The new music therapist's handbook. Boston: Berklee.

2. Darrow, A. (2004). An introduction to approaches in music therapy (1st ed.). Silver Spring, MD: American

I felt it was really important to understand all of the different approaches to music therapy.  For example, if you were asked a question in a Psychodynamic model, to answer the question in accordance with that aproach.

Other Helpful Information

I attended a session at AMTA's 2011 National Conference in Atlanta, GA about taking the exam. It was extremely helpful. If you attend a conference keep your eyes out for a session about taking the exam.

If you are preparing for the exam- make sure to check out Michelle Strutzel's blog! She has a post about Taking the test!

I hope this is helpful to you, if you have any questions please comment below!

Next Chapter: Graduate School

I am returning to the scene of blogging. New year, new blog!

And so the path continues...
After my internship, I graduated and was accepted into graduate school for Music Therapy. I officially started my life as a Master's student this past summer. I also took the board certification exam for music therapists and passed! A lot has happened in the past year. I plan on starting my thesis next semester and hope to graduate in the summer with my M.M. degree.

The one question I keep receiving is, and then what? My response is always, "I'm not quite sure." The one thing I do know is that I will start applying for jobs and see what the future holds..

It's wonderful to be back!

End of Internship/National Conference

My internship is over... and I passed!

I had so many bumps along the way, but it all worked out in the end. I am anticipating what my future holds. One thing I plan on doing is applying for graduate school for fall 2012.

I attended national conference a few weeks ago in Atlanta, Georgia. I learned so much and reunited with some of my peers. One session covered music therapy and social media. I realized now that some people look for answers about music therapy online. They may even come across a blog or facebook page. If we are creating something that gives a face to our profession we need to portray the information in a professional and informative way.

After creating this blog, it opened my eyes to other educational music therapy blogs. I wish to continue this blog to write about my journey and new path to a professional. Hopefully soon it will say "Keeping up with the MT-BC." :)

One. Week. Left.

A lot has happend since my last post. I completed my rotations on the Oncology Unit, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and now am running the whole hospital! I apologize for the amount of time since my last post.

Oncology- I learned so much about the different phases of treatment for cancer patients. I was also able to observe procedures such as: Lumbar puncture, radiation treatment, port access, re access, and suture removal.  I provided procedural support and collaborated with child life. This unit is very unique because patients have frequent hospitalizations and you follow them during their treatment process.

PICU- I loved my rotation on the PICU. The staff on this unit provide appropriate referrals and understand the purpose of the music therapy profession. I'm more included in rounds and have the opportunity to contribute to patients care.

I'm currently in charge of the whole hospital. It is very difficult to be one therapist in charge of four different units. I have learned a lot about prioritizing patients and time management. I don't know how my supervisor does it! I have so much respect for her and look up to her. She has accomplished so much with her position and I hope to be as successful as her one day.

Pediatrics Surgical Unit

I completed my rotation on the PSU last week. I worked with patients pre-op and post-op. One common goal was decreasing anxiety and pain. During rounds I identified who was going to surgery and assessed their coping prior to the procedure. I often used music as distraction or relaxation to decrease pre-op anxiety.

During post-operation I was there to help with pain management. I would educate patients with pain management techniques using music. I incorporated iso-principle and guided imagery during interventions. Upon arrival I asked the patient to rate their pain (using Wong Baker Faces or Likert Scale). I assessed music preference and a place they like to go to relax. With the Q-Chord, I provided patient preferred music using iso-principle and led into the guided imagery. In my experience, iso-principle and guided imagery was effective in decreasing pain as evidenced by a decreased pain level rating following the intervention.

I love the feeling of going into a patient's room and already having their preferred music. Music learning doesn't take up a majority of my time anymore, I can dedicate it to learning medical concepts and treatment plans. As Olivia put it, we are a personal pandora station to patients. :)

Mastering the Q-chord

I usually get sick at least once a semester. I was surprised that I've gone about four months without catching anything. Well, sadly I missed two days this week because of a sore throat. I actually tried to go to work today and my supervisor sent me home to rest.

With the extra time on my hands I went through the manual and learned all about the Q-chord. I already knew the basics and used the Q-chord once during procedural support with an older patient. The patient had very high anxiety and the Q-chord helped promote relaxation. Sometimes the guitar can be a barrier and having alternate interventions in your bag can make you stronger as a therapist. In a future blog (and once I feel better) I will reflect on how the Q-chord and skills I learned this week benefited me in future sessions. I might just post a video tutorial on the basics of the Q-chord, so stay tuned!

New Way of Thinking

My supervisor has helped me look at music therapy in a whole new way. When I go into a room I have to explain how what I did is different than a volunteer. Everything I do in a session must have a purpose. So the answer to patients or staff in the hall who ask us, "Oh, do you just play music for patients?" Is of course no. Or it can be bothersome when some people ask us if we are volunteers. We have to explain to inquirers that no, we don't just play music. When we have the time we go in depth of what we do and how it is different than a volunteer. It is tough when I get asked "Do you play music to patients?" I say, "Yes" because technically I do but it's much more than that.

At the hospital we have a lot of nursing students learning from the staff and doing case studies with the patients. It can be overwhelming with the amount of people at the nursing station. The other day I was in a room during a session and they asked that same question. I took the time to educate them about music therapy and the importance of it. It was refreshing that I could explain this concept to them because I remember one day when it wasn't so easy.

One exercise my supervisor had me do is write out two definitions for music therapy. One is written for staff using their language. Another is for patients/family with understandable terms. It's good to plan what to say beforehand so you sound confident and articulate in what you do.