Find out how a quality music therapy program can make your business stand out over the competition.

I can personally attest to the fact that 90% of the time when someone hears the term “music therapy”, and that it is something that I do for a living, they perk up with curiosity. Most people are unfamiliar with the profession, but the term itself is intriguing. It involves something to which we all relate and rely on–music, and intrigues the altruistic side of all of us with the idea of using music to support others.

The moment an agency can legitimately claim that they offer music therapy as part of their programming, they begin to stand out in their community. For those who are familiar with its power, it will affirm the fact that the agency offers high quality and well rounded programming. For those who are unfamiliar, it will pique interest and naturally speak to an impressive standard of innovation and care. And this is only the first step.

Once a program has been underway for several months, patients and interested parties will see the positive results of the service through patient progress. Because music therapy yields such powerful results, it will help the company to gain a reputation for quality care and innovation. In many cases this results in increased referrals  as the positive results are shared via in-services, presentations, and word of mouth.

This can be seen and substantiated with examples in hospice music therapy programs. According to Dr. Russell Hilliard in his book Hospice and Palliative Care Music Therapy: A Guide to Program Development and Clinical Care, 

The agency gains an advantage over its competitors when an innovative program such as music therapy is effectively added to the interdisciplinary team. While all hospices provide the basic services mandated by Medicare, innovative hospices offer progressive services that show the community the hospice is a leader in providing palliative care. Marketing professionals may use this program to increase census in various ways, with music therapy in-services to referral sources being the most effective marketing tool. One of the responsibilities of the music therapist is to give regular in-services using live music experiences as demonstration tools. These in-services offer a time where participants (referral sources) can clearly see how music therapy benefits hospice patients and their families, and a by-product of this educational in-service is additional referrals. The question is asked “What separates your agency from others?” The answer most remembered is “music therapy.”