CBMT Practice Test Questions
and Answers (Grade+)
A 17 year old is demonstrating a sudden decline in grades, increased unexcused absences,
and inability to concentrate when in school. Facial affect has changed from friendly to flat.
When approached, the student states he is fine. Reports indicate the client responds to
music, so a music therapy referral is requested. To assess possible causes of the change in
behavior, a music therapist should FIRST—ANSWER--identify current stressors in the
student's life.
A 52-year-old woman hospitalized for ovarian cancer requests music therapy to help her
relax and sleep. During the initial session conducted at bedtime, the client shares her fears
and life story before the use of any music intervention. After validating the client's feelings,
the BEST direction for the music therapist to take is to—ANSWER--improvise soft guitar
music to help the client go to sleep.
i
Behaviors that are observed are considered to provide ______ information.—ANSWER--
objective
A 7-year-old girl with a severe developmental disability is receiving music therapy in a
residential setting. She is nonverbal and prone to be fearful and anxious in new situations.
,When brought into the therapy room for her first session, she actively resists and begins to
cry. The music therapist, working in an improvisational model, might do which of the
following?—ANSWER--1. Meet the child by playing music to express the intensity of her
crying.
2. Reflect the child's sound and breathing with careful musical phrasing.
4. Sing without words so the child hears another voice that corresponds to how she is
feeling.
the goal isn't to change the mood of the client, but to allow them their full range of emotion
while also making it musical
_________ refers to quantity and quality of interpersonal interaction—ANSWER--
psychosocial
_______ refers to expressive and receptive language skills.—ANSWER--communicative
When playing a familiar song with a young client, which of the following therapeutic
exercises will MOST effectively increase sustained attention?—ANSWER--changing note
duration
This focuses on the basic auditory attention function of making the exercise increasingly
longer by lengthening/augmenting the notes.
The four components of a SOAP note are...—ANSWER--Subjective, Objective, Assessment,
and Plan
© 2026 Copyright. All Rights Reserved. This document is
protected by copyright law, Copyrighted By Brittie Donald
, Evidence-based practice (EBP) principles require music therapists to take which of the
following into account when planning treatment? 4 things—ANSWER--best available
research; patient characteristics, culture and preferences; and clinical expertise
A music therapist working with a group of four children at an early intervention facility
arrives to find the class is very excited, having just come in from the playground. Which of
the following is the MOST important consideration when choosing a music selection to begin
the session?—ANSWER--a song with an allegro tempo. it's most important to meet the
children where they are
_________ refers to the therapist's reaction to the client based on past personal
experience—ANSWER--Countertransference refers to the therapist's reaction to the client
based on past personal experience
A music therapist is conducting a group of clients playing a I-IV-V chordal accompaniment on
tone bars. The music therapist arranges the clients in three groups, one for each chord.
Which of the following is the MOST important conducting gesture?—ANSWER--tempo
During a music therapy assessment, a client with late-stage dementia changed her facial
expression several times, hummed parts of a familiar melody, made eye contact with the
therapist, and attempted to play a hand drum. She was unresponsive to other stimuli in the
environment. Which of the following is the BEST treatment recommendation for this
client?—ANSWER--individual sessions emphasizing sensory awareness and stimulation
sensory stimulation and awareness should be target because the client doesn't respond to
anything that isn't music
and Answers (Grade+)
A 17 year old is demonstrating a sudden decline in grades, increased unexcused absences,
and inability to concentrate when in school. Facial affect has changed from friendly to flat.
When approached, the student states he is fine. Reports indicate the client responds to
music, so a music therapy referral is requested. To assess possible causes of the change in
behavior, a music therapist should FIRST—ANSWER--identify current stressors in the
student's life.
A 52-year-old woman hospitalized for ovarian cancer requests music therapy to help her
relax and sleep. During the initial session conducted at bedtime, the client shares her fears
and life story before the use of any music intervention. After validating the client's feelings,
the BEST direction for the music therapist to take is to—ANSWER--improvise soft guitar
music to help the client go to sleep.
i
Behaviors that are observed are considered to provide ______ information.—ANSWER--
objective
A 7-year-old girl with a severe developmental disability is receiving music therapy in a
residential setting. She is nonverbal and prone to be fearful and anxious in new situations.
,When brought into the therapy room for her first session, she actively resists and begins to
cry. The music therapist, working in an improvisational model, might do which of the
following?—ANSWER--1. Meet the child by playing music to express the intensity of her
crying.
2. Reflect the child's sound and breathing with careful musical phrasing.
4. Sing without words so the child hears another voice that corresponds to how she is
feeling.
the goal isn't to change the mood of the client, but to allow them their full range of emotion
while also making it musical
_________ refers to quantity and quality of interpersonal interaction—ANSWER--
psychosocial
_______ refers to expressive and receptive language skills.—ANSWER--communicative
When playing a familiar song with a young client, which of the following therapeutic
exercises will MOST effectively increase sustained attention?—ANSWER--changing note
duration
This focuses on the basic auditory attention function of making the exercise increasingly
longer by lengthening/augmenting the notes.
The four components of a SOAP note are...—ANSWER--Subjective, Objective, Assessment,
and Plan
© 2026 Copyright. All Rights Reserved. This document is
protected by copyright law, Copyrighted By Brittie Donald
, Evidence-based practice (EBP) principles require music therapists to take which of the
following into account when planning treatment? 4 things—ANSWER--best available
research; patient characteristics, culture and preferences; and clinical expertise
A music therapist working with a group of four children at an early intervention facility
arrives to find the class is very excited, having just come in from the playground. Which of
the following is the MOST important consideration when choosing a music selection to begin
the session?—ANSWER--a song with an allegro tempo. it's most important to meet the
children where they are
_________ refers to the therapist's reaction to the client based on past personal
experience—ANSWER--Countertransference refers to the therapist's reaction to the client
based on past personal experience
A music therapist is conducting a group of clients playing a I-IV-V chordal accompaniment on
tone bars. The music therapist arranges the clients in three groups, one for each chord.
Which of the following is the MOST important conducting gesture?—ANSWER--tempo
During a music therapy assessment, a client with late-stage dementia changed her facial
expression several times, hummed parts of a familiar melody, made eye contact with the
therapist, and attempted to play a hand drum. She was unresponsive to other stimuli in the
environment. Which of the following is the BEST treatment recommendation for this
client?—ANSWER--individual sessions emphasizing sensory awareness and stimulation
sensory stimulation and awareness should be target because the client doesn't respond to
anything that isn't music
