With a degree in music therapy, learn to use music and all of its facets to help clients improve their physical and mental health by becoming a professional music therapist.

Approved by the American Music Therapy Association, the bachelor of music therapy program is a rigorous, 4 ½-year course of study that includes a six-month internship with a board certified professional and prepares students to sit for music therapist national certification. Students develop musical proficiency in voice, piano, guitar and percussion; build entry-level competencies in psychology, neuroscience, anatomy and health care practice; and gain experience alongside a professional music therapist.

 

Pacific University music therapy graduate Joshua Pearl '19 poses with a ukulele
"As music therapists we observe what a client or group is presenting and we musically match it rather than trying to change it. We try to resonate at the same tempo or find the musical quality.”

— Joshua Pearl '19

 

Music Training & Performance

Receive individualized performance instruction with faculty members and adjunct instructors. Perform in a wide range of ensembles and enjoy award-winning facilities — including a 400-seat recital hall, a piano lab with Kawai electronic units, a Mac-based MIDI lab, practice rooms with pianos, a percussion studio and rehearsal space that replicates the recital hall. Travel with performance groups to major cities in the U.S. and abroad.

 

Pacific University offers Music Talent Scholarships for incoming students — whether they plan to major in music or anything else! Submit your application and audition materials for the chance to earn $2,000 to $7,000 per year in scholarships! Apply for a Music Scholarship

 

Upcoming Events

Apr
29
7:30 p.m. | Saturday, April 29, 2023
Forest Grove, Taylor-Meade Performing Arts Center
May
5
7:30 p.m. | Friday, May 5, 2023
Forest Grove, Taylor-Meade Performing Arts Center
May
25
All Day | Thursday, May 25, 2023 to All Day | Saturday, May 27, 2023
Forest Grove

Headlines

The Autumn Choreographers Concert and Jazz Nite are approaching. Get your tickets now for in person and virtual performances!

Samantha Thompson

Samantha Thompson ’21 was named Pacific University’s Outstanding Senior in Music Therapy.

Joshua Pearl

Joshua Pearl' 19 learned about the therapeutics of music in the hardest possible way: He was afflicted with an autoimmune disease that caused him severe pain. He turned to the piano as a form of treatment, and it helped lessen the need for painkillers he had been prescribed. Recognizing that music could do for others what it did for him, Pearl became a music therapist.