MUSIC THERAPY BOARD
CERTIFICATION EXAM
Music therapy -ANSWER✅✅✅✅"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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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) -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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) -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅An innate speech tendency used with infants
that is characterized as high in pitch, exaggerated in affect and speech contour, and
drawn out
Preoperational -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The mode of playing during which two or more children
engage in the same activity without interacting with each other
Beat competency -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The ability to follow and maintain a simple, steady
beat
Concrete operations -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅Pitch, intensity, duration, and timbre
Functions of music -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅Referring to the sense of touch
The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A music
therapy approach created by Hellen Bonny that involves listening to classical music
from a relaxed state and experiencing internal imagery while a music therapist provides
verbal guiding interventions in order to expand self-awareness, enhance creativity,
develop spirituality, and achieve a healthier state of being
Attention -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The act of attending to a stimulus of interest; this can be
shifted, divided, or sustained
Perception -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The brain's way of processing information received
through the senses; involves recognition, organization, synthesis, filtering, and meaning
Good Gestalts -ANSWER✅✅✅✅According to Gestalt psychology, the principle that
figures and patterns tend to be perceived in the most stable form as sensory input will
allow; a whole
Memory -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The storage and retrieval of information in the brain
Retrieval -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The re-accessing of long-term memories stored in the
brain
Encoding -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The storage of memories
Mnemonic device -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A memory tool
Long-term memory -ANSWER✅✅✅✅Information that is rehearsed and stored in the
brain and is accessible for a long period of time, sometimes throughout life
Safety valve function -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The use of music to express disapproval of a
social reality or deep-felt emotions
Extramusical associations -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A thought, emotion, or sensation
experienced in response to a sound that represents something nonmusical; e.g. linking
a bell tone to the end of class
Cultural convention -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A set of common standards or social norms in a
group of people; e.g. in Western music, the dominant triad leads to the tonic triad
, Referentialist philosophy -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The principle that music finds its meaning
in the symbolic representation of nonmusical ideas or events
Iconicity -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The use of musical structures to represent a feeling, object,
or event; i.e. word painting, tone painting, text depiction
Isomorphism -ANSWER✅✅✅✅In Gestalt psychology, the principle that there is a
parallel between Gestalt perception of a pattern and the actual experience of the pattern
structure in the brain; in music, the principle that the structural characteristics of music
can mimic human emotions or behaviors
Association through contiguity -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The connection between two events
that occur in proximity; e.g. hearing a piece of music that stimulates memories of an
event during which the piece was heard
Expressionism -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The philosophical concept that the elements of
music itself enable music to elicit emotional responses and take on meaning
Optimal complexity theory -ANSWER✅✅✅✅Proposed by Berlyn in 1971; the belief
that a balance of familiarity and complexity can elicit a pleasurable emotional response
from music
Theory of expectations -ANSWER✅✅✅✅Proposed by Leonard Meyer; the belief that
musical surprises elicit pleasurable emotional responses
Cue Redundancy model -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A theory proposed by Balkwill and
Thompson in 1999 that some musical cues are universal while other musical cues are
culture specific
Intellectual disability -ANSWER✅✅✅✅Originally referred to as mental retardation; a
developmental disability marked by decreased intellectual capacity and impaired
adaptive behavior that manifests before age eighteen; causes are biomedical,
environmental, and educational and can occur prenatally, perinatally, or postnatally; IQ
is 70 or less
Down's Syndrome -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A developmental disability caused by the genetic
mutation trisomy 21, causing intellectual disability and physical abnormalities
Fetal alcohol syndrome -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A disorder that is caused by alcohol
consumption of the mother during gestation, resulting in intellectual disabilities, attention
problems, growth deficiencies, and/or facial deformities
Fragile X syndrome -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A disorder that is caused by genetic mutation
on the X chromosome, causing intellectual disability
CERTIFICATION EXAM
Music therapy -ANSWER✅✅✅✅"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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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) -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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) -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅An innate speech tendency used with infants
that is characterized as high in pitch, exaggerated in affect and speech contour, and
drawn out
Preoperational -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The mode of playing during which two or more children
engage in the same activity without interacting with each other
Beat competency -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The ability to follow and maintain a simple, steady
beat
Concrete operations -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅Pitch, intensity, duration, and timbre
Functions of music -ANSWER✅✅✅✅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 -ANSWER✅✅✅✅Referring to the sense of touch
The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A music
therapy approach created by Hellen Bonny that involves listening to classical music
from a relaxed state and experiencing internal imagery while a music therapist provides
verbal guiding interventions in order to expand self-awareness, enhance creativity,
develop spirituality, and achieve a healthier state of being
Attention -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The act of attending to a stimulus of interest; this can be
shifted, divided, or sustained
Perception -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The brain's way of processing information received
through the senses; involves recognition, organization, synthesis, filtering, and meaning
Good Gestalts -ANSWER✅✅✅✅According to Gestalt psychology, the principle that
figures and patterns tend to be perceived in the most stable form as sensory input will
allow; a whole
Memory -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The storage and retrieval of information in the brain
Retrieval -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The re-accessing of long-term memories stored in the
brain
Encoding -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The storage of memories
Mnemonic device -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A memory tool
Long-term memory -ANSWER✅✅✅✅Information that is rehearsed and stored in the
brain and is accessible for a long period of time, sometimes throughout life
Safety valve function -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The use of music to express disapproval of a
social reality or deep-felt emotions
Extramusical associations -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A thought, emotion, or sensation
experienced in response to a sound that represents something nonmusical; e.g. linking
a bell tone to the end of class
Cultural convention -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A set of common standards or social norms in a
group of people; e.g. in Western music, the dominant triad leads to the tonic triad
, Referentialist philosophy -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The principle that music finds its meaning
in the symbolic representation of nonmusical ideas or events
Iconicity -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The use of musical structures to represent a feeling, object,
or event; i.e. word painting, tone painting, text depiction
Isomorphism -ANSWER✅✅✅✅In Gestalt psychology, the principle that there is a
parallel between Gestalt perception of a pattern and the actual experience of the pattern
structure in the brain; in music, the principle that the structural characteristics of music
can mimic human emotions or behaviors
Association through contiguity -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The connection between two events
that occur in proximity; e.g. hearing a piece of music that stimulates memories of an
event during which the piece was heard
Expressionism -ANSWER✅✅✅✅The philosophical concept that the elements of
music itself enable music to elicit emotional responses and take on meaning
Optimal complexity theory -ANSWER✅✅✅✅Proposed by Berlyn in 1971; the belief
that a balance of familiarity and complexity can elicit a pleasurable emotional response
from music
Theory of expectations -ANSWER✅✅✅✅Proposed by Leonard Meyer; the belief that
musical surprises elicit pleasurable emotional responses
Cue Redundancy model -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A theory proposed by Balkwill and
Thompson in 1999 that some musical cues are universal while other musical cues are
culture specific
Intellectual disability -ANSWER✅✅✅✅Originally referred to as mental retardation; a
developmental disability marked by decreased intellectual capacity and impaired
adaptive behavior that manifests before age eighteen; causes are biomedical,
environmental, and educational and can occur prenatally, perinatally, or postnatally; IQ
is 70 or less
Down's Syndrome -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A developmental disability caused by the genetic
mutation trisomy 21, causing intellectual disability and physical abnormalities
Fetal alcohol syndrome -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A disorder that is caused by alcohol
consumption of the mother during gestation, resulting in intellectual disabilities, attention
problems, growth deficiencies, and/or facial deformities
Fragile X syndrome -ANSWER✅✅✅✅A disorder that is caused by genetic mutation
on the X chromosome, causing intellectual disability
