MUSIC THERAPY BOARD CERTIFICATION EXAM 2026 SPRING TEST QUESTIONS WITH
ACCURATE SOLUTIONS
Music therapy
"The clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individual
goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed
an approved music therapy program" (AMTA, 2015).
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
Public Law 94-142; passed in 1975 to call for mainstreaming of students with disabilities
into public schools in the United States ("free and appropriate" education)
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Developed in 1978 through IDEA to improve the education of students with disabilities who
are qualified for special education in the United States; written plan that includes an
assessment of the student's strengths and limitations, concrete goals and objectives for
education, a list of the people administering the program, related services, and methods
for evaluation
American Music Therapy Association (AMTA)
The national organization that represents the field of music therapy in the United States
today; promotes awareness of the profession, advances clinical and scientific knowledge
in the field, and sets and maintains the standards of music therapy practice
Iso principle
,The concept that music should be chosen to initially match the mood state of a client and
adjusted gradually to the desired mood state; described in Kircher's (1602-1680) theory of
temperaments and affections, in the dissertation of Samuel Mathews in 1806, and by
Esther Gatewood in 1920; termed in the 1940s by Ira Altshuler
National Association for Music Therapy
Established in 1950; first national organization to represent the field of music therapy;
signaled the birth of the music therapy profession
American Association for Music Therapy
Established in 1971; originally called the Urban Federation for Music Therapists (UFMT); the
second national organization that represented the field of music therapy; merged with the
NAMT in 1998 to form the AMTA
Board Certification exam
Established in 1985 by the NAMT and the AAMT to increase the credibility of the field of
music therapy; an exam taken by a music therapy student to measure his or her knowledge
of music therapy principles and foundations, clinical theories and techniques, general
knowledge about music, and professional roles and responsibilities
Sensorimotor
The first stage of Piaget's theory of development that takes place between the ages of zero
and two; the child learns through his or her senses and motor movements
,New musical activities: listening to lullabies, listening to speech and environmental
sounds, being rocked, vocal play, babbling, and moving rhythmically to music
Infant-directed speech
An innate speech tendency used with infants that is characterized as high in pitch,
exaggerated in affect and speech contour, and drawn out
Preoperational
The second stage in Piaget's theory of development that takes place between the ages of
two and seven; the child's language and conceptual skills and interpersonal awareness
increase
New musical activities: playing musical instruments, coordinating gross and fine motor
movements to music, singing songs, improvising melodies, and participating in musical
games
Parallel play
The mode of playing during which two or more children engage in the same activity without
interacting with each other
Beat competency
The ability to follow and maintain a simple, steady beat
, Concrete operations
The third stage of Piaget's theory of development that takes place between the ages of 7
and 11; the child can think systematically and solve problems within his or her reality
New musical activities: learning and playing an instrument, reading musical notation,
performing in an ensemble
Formal operations
The fourth stage of Piaget's theory of development that takes place between the ages of 11
and adulthood; the child can think abstractly; new musical activities: composition
Elements of music
Pitch, intensity, duration, and timbre
Functions of music
Proposed by Alan Merriam in 1964; physical engagement, communication, emotional
expression, aesthetic enjoyment, entertainment, integration of society, conformity to social
norms, validation of social institutions and religious rituals, symbolic representation, and
continuity and stability of culture
Tactile
Referring to the sense of touch
ACCURATE SOLUTIONS
Music therapy
"The clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individual
goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed
an approved music therapy program" (AMTA, 2015).
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
Public Law 94-142; passed in 1975 to call for mainstreaming of students with disabilities
into public schools in the United States ("free and appropriate" education)
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Developed in 1978 through IDEA to improve the education of students with disabilities who
are qualified for special education in the United States; written plan that includes an
assessment of the student's strengths and limitations, concrete goals and objectives for
education, a list of the people administering the program, related services, and methods
for evaluation
American Music Therapy Association (AMTA)
The national organization that represents the field of music therapy in the United States
today; promotes awareness of the profession, advances clinical and scientific knowledge
in the field, and sets and maintains the standards of music therapy practice
Iso principle
,The concept that music should be chosen to initially match the mood state of a client and
adjusted gradually to the desired mood state; described in Kircher's (1602-1680) theory of
temperaments and affections, in the dissertation of Samuel Mathews in 1806, and by
Esther Gatewood in 1920; termed in the 1940s by Ira Altshuler
National Association for Music Therapy
Established in 1950; first national organization to represent the field of music therapy;
signaled the birth of the music therapy profession
American Association for Music Therapy
Established in 1971; originally called the Urban Federation for Music Therapists (UFMT); the
second national organization that represented the field of music therapy; merged with the
NAMT in 1998 to form the AMTA
Board Certification exam
Established in 1985 by the NAMT and the AAMT to increase the credibility of the field of
music therapy; an exam taken by a music therapy student to measure his or her knowledge
of music therapy principles and foundations, clinical theories and techniques, general
knowledge about music, and professional roles and responsibilities
Sensorimotor
The first stage of Piaget's theory of development that takes place between the ages of zero
and two; the child learns through his or her senses and motor movements
,New musical activities: listening to lullabies, listening to speech and environmental
sounds, being rocked, vocal play, babbling, and moving rhythmically to music
Infant-directed speech
An innate speech tendency used with infants that is characterized as high in pitch,
exaggerated in affect and speech contour, and drawn out
Preoperational
The second stage in Piaget's theory of development that takes place between the ages of
two and seven; the child's language and conceptual skills and interpersonal awareness
increase
New musical activities: playing musical instruments, coordinating gross and fine motor
movements to music, singing songs, improvising melodies, and participating in musical
games
Parallel play
The mode of playing during which two or more children engage in the same activity without
interacting with each other
Beat competency
The ability to follow and maintain a simple, steady beat
, Concrete operations
The third stage of Piaget's theory of development that takes place between the ages of 7
and 11; the child can think systematically and solve problems within his or her reality
New musical activities: learning and playing an instrument, reading musical notation,
performing in an ensemble
Formal operations
The fourth stage of Piaget's theory of development that takes place between the ages of 11
and adulthood; the child can think abstractly; new musical activities: composition
Elements of music
Pitch, intensity, duration, and timbre
Functions of music
Proposed by Alan Merriam in 1964; physical engagement, communication, emotional
expression, aesthetic enjoyment, entertainment, integration of society, conformity to social
norms, validation of social institutions and religious rituals, symbolic representation, and
continuity and stability of culture
Tactile
Referring to the sense of touch
