Clinical teletraining in music therapy: Two educators’ perspectives

ABSTRACT Introduction The coronavirus pandemic began to spread in the United States in March of 2020. Concerns about the virus prompted widespread restrictions at higher education institutions, which resulted in a sudden shift to remote learning. Though music therapy education integrated online components prior to the pandemic, few courses were mostly or completely online. Consequently, the unexpected transition to remote learning presented challenges for both music therapy faculty and students. Among these challenges was the impact of the pandemic on clinical training, as pandemic restrictions limited in-person contact and prompted music therapists to shift to telepractice. These changes in service delivery also prompted changes in clinical training, leaving some music therapy faculty to simultaneously learn, teach, and supervise telepractice. However, many music therapy educators had little experience with telepractice, and information was limited on teletraining and supervision. Method In this article, we present two case examples of music therapy training/supervision practices in the United States. We outline how we developed these practices for individual and group-based clinical teletraining for pre-intern music therapy students. Results Included are strategies related to technology, music interventions, and pre-internship supervision, along with the frameworks that supported our decisions as we developed the teletraining and supervision models. Discussion The information presented in these case examples highlights the need for effective teletraining and supervision strategies to help students acquire music therapy competencies remotely. We hope the lessons we learned will help others generate innovative ideas and methods for remote learning, particularly in relation to clinical training.