How Much Does a Music Therapist Earn?
- Starting annual salary for music therapists is in the $30,000 range. Therapists just out of college can work for hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, schools and health service agencies, usually with the guidance of a more experienced music therapist or health care director.
- Music therapy clinicians with experience can earn $46,000 to $53,000 per year working in the same facility types as those starting out. As in most medical professions, therapists with more experience are able to work with more complex cases and therefore command a higher salary. Mid-range salaried therapists often have additional degrees in education or special needs therapy.
- Music therapists who run a private practice, own their own clinic or who specialize in advanced health needs can make $ 45,000 to over $100,000 per year. Clinicians making the top pay either work in high-paying areas or have other music therapists working under them on a salaried or contract basis.
- According to SalaryExpert, a data publishing website affiliated with ERI Economic Research Institute, average salaries for music therapists will vary according to where the therapist lives and practices. Out of 10 major metropolitan areas, music therapists in Houston, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia averaged about $31,500 per year. On the higher end, music therapists working in the Manhattan borough of New York City averaged $41,200 with Charlotte, North Carolina coming in at $37,100.
