Today is Tuesday, February 4th, and in this fifth episode I’d like to share with you some reflections on whether it is possible to make a living as a music therapist.
In other words: can you earn enough money doing this work?
Let me tell you straight away: my answer is yes.
So, how do I manage to make ends meet?
It took me a few years, but as they say, necessity is the mother of invention. So here is my personal ten-point list.
1. I learned how to sell myself.
I am a self-employed professional with a VAT number, and over time I have become quite good at finding work for myself. In other words, I am an entrepreneur of myself.
I design credible projects, with a competitive price, and I know how to convince a client that what I do has meaning.
In short: being professional — and free.
2. I invested in instruments.
Like any craftsperson, I have always put money into buying the “tools of the trade”.
My advice to all students is this: do not wait until you qualify before you start buying your first instruments.
Invest in your instruments.
3. I drive a lot.
I drive so many kilometres that I know by heart every motorway tollbooth from Verona East to Trieste, from Verona South to Milan, and from Verona North to Modena.
So: get yourself a motorway toll pass as soon as possible.
4. I have never stopped giving — or investing — part of my time in projects that at first did not bring in a single euro, but that over time turned out to be an important resource.
In other words: you sow first, and later you harvest.
5. I strongly believe in professional diversification.
So, although I have my own preferred field — older adults — I have always accepted work in any context.
And I mean any context.
Be elastic. Be flexible.
6. Very quickly, I realised that the music therapy books you study when you are learning this profession often describe an ideal world that belongs to another planet compared with everyday working life.
And, although it took some effort, I freed myself from the guilt of not doing exactly what the “Holy Founding Fathers” had written.
Be confident in what you do.
7. Every evening, I practise the chromatic accordion for at least half an hour.
It is the most recent instrument I have taken up.
This allows me to value myself more appropriately as a multi-instrumentalist, because when I work I can show clients that I can move effectively and easily from piano to guitar, from ukulele to piano accordion, and now also to chromatic accordion.
And I can do all this while singing, improvising, composing, and drawing on a substantial repertoire.
Study always. Study a lot.
8. I put my face out there — literally.
For many years now, I have used social media to create content, to say what I think, and to circulate my name online.
I started twenty years ago with a website that some of you may remember: mtonline. Then came musicoterapiascritta, then a blog, then a YouTube channel, then a Facebook page, and now, most recently, this podcast.
Become familiar with technology.
9. When I have a work meeting or an interview...
I never forget a pinch of humour.
Lightness comes first.
Learn to laugh at yourself.
10. I choose to be happy.
Always.
And this brings my ten-point list to an end: my personal guide to how a music therapist can make ends meet.
We’ll meet again on Tuesday, February 11th, with an explosive episode!
Finally, a light-hearted answer to the ancient question:
Should we say “musicoterapista” or “musicoterapeuta”?