FAQs
How flexible is it? Can I take it at my own pace?
Flexibility is built into the program. The Standards Module (SM) can be taken either online, over 9 months, or on location in one week.
OSM – Online Standards Module – Online module students have one month to view the current lesson DVDs, download and complete that month’s assignments. Once a month, the students come together on a conference call to listen to either a keynote speaker or meet with their on-line classmates and mentor, receive new information and discuss the assignments. There will be various “call-in” times to choose from depending on time zones. Therefore, if you are unable to attend one of the calls, you can join another call.
ASM – Attendance Standards Module – Students who choose to attend the one-week module will also have comparable assignments to complete at a comfortable pace. This attendance module is being planned for the winter months in San Diego.
ESM – Experiential Specialty Module – The Experiential Specialty Module requires in-person attendance for all students. This is a week long Module. The ESM is scheduled at venues in many countries; however, you can choose to take that module in any country or location. This allows the program to be quite flexible and moderately paced for all students.
Prep School – Finally, students may join the PREP school and take extra time to prepare musically for the following year. Or, having missed the starting date in September, there is much that the student can accomplish while waiting for the program to begin again.
How much of it is done alone at home?
Nine months of study is done at home (slightly less for those choosing to take both modules in person). Students complete assignments on their own; however, each student will have an assigned approved mentor whom they can turn to with questions. The Atennding Standards Module and Experiential Specialty Module are a group classes. The internship practicum is also done in your own area unless you would like to come to San Diego Hospice for a 2 week internship and receive a certificate from the Hospice. It is a rewarding and enriching experience!
Do I record myself playing and then send in recordings?
Yes, for the music development portion of the program you will record your lessons and send them to your mentor. Your mentor will then evaluate your lesson and let you know if you are grasping the techniques and patterns. You can send cassettes, DVDs or best yet, online recordings. These recordings are 3 to 4 minutes in length and contain one of the songs within the lesson and then segue into an improvisation that is in the same key, mode and tempo. You will employ at least two of the left hand patterns from the lesson, alternating bringing interesting accompaniment to your music. You will perform these as if you are playing for someone who is ‘transitioning’.
How much of the course is written essays and book-learning, compared with playing and giving practice treatment sessions?
Depending on which learning track you select, you will be responsible for a number of quizzes, papers, and book reports, as well as documenting your internship with a journal.
The written work is about 1/3 of the program, playing music and developing your music skills another 1/3 of the program and practice treatment sessions with patients (or in your area of specialty) is another 1/3 of the program.
Do I get hands-on experience with real patients?
Yes, this will happen once you have taken the ESM after you understand the process of Inclusive Attention (IA) and finding Resonant Tone (RT). Some may start their practicum before the Experiential Specialty Module but 40 hours must be reserved for after the ESM.
Should I practice on my friends?
Absolutely! Verbal feedback is a bonus while learning.
Are there any scholarships available?
Each year the Jan Pennington Scholarship fund awards a $500.00 scholarship. Applications are due by November 1st. At least one person in a Therapeutic Harp Program is awarded the scholarshop. You can get the application form here.
Apart from the compulsory practical section that happens face-to-face, are there other optional opportunities to meet up with tutors or fellow students?
For on-line students, in addition to getting our class together for the ESM, blogging and communicating via the internet, plus photos and backgrounds will be shared so that our monthly conferences will take on a family unit. By the time we come together, it will feel like old home week! We also have Conference CEU days that anyone can attend added to some of our Experiential Specialty Modules in the various countries. You are encouraged to come and meet folks while at the same time earning CEUs.
If you are in the attending modules, you will meet your students in class.
For the on-line program will I have fellow classmates? Will I be able to communicate with them? Is that expected/required?
Yes, you will have fellow classmates and will be able to communicate through our monthly meetings, blogs, facebook, twitter and of course personally through your own means. It is not expected or required but encouraged. We learn from each others questions and answers.
How is the course assessed?
As a course approved by the National Standards Board for Therapeutic Musicians, the IHTP has been evaluated through an extensive process by an independently hired committee and certified for meeting the stringent standards set forth by the NSBTM.
Student recordings, quizzes, papers, and portfolio are assessed by mentors, and their practicum is supervised by an independent healthcare professional. Each student creates 2 portfolios – one for the IHTP office and one for your own personal use to present to potential employers. If you are a foreign student, your portfolio can be done in your own language with key parts in English for the mentor to evaluate. Eventually we plan to have mentors in various countries making translation easier.
Does everyone graduate?
Not everyone chooses to finish the program. For students experiencing difficulties, the mentors will outline a course of action that will enables the students to draw on their strengths. Some students may be advised that their talents might be more suitable for nursing homes rather than hospice. In a rare case, you may be advised that your ambitions are best realized in other ways.
Can I repeat or re-sit sections? At what extra cost?
Yes, taking a program a second time around seeing how each step fits together and builds on the whole is advantageous. The fee is reduced for returning students.
What is the qualification I will receive, and by whom is it recognized?
You will hold the title of Certified Therapeutic Harp Practitioner (CTHP). This is recognized the National Standards Board of Therapeutic Musicians (NSBTM).
What are the vocational prospects?
The vocational prospects are wide and varied. Most people are working in senior homes, hospitals, hospices however, others work in birthing rooms, children’s hospitals, cancer support centers, private sector, at-risk teen centers and centers for children with developmental needs. Some people have worked in prisons and others with animals. We serve the critically and chronically ill and the dying. See our OPPORTUNITIES page to see what awaits you!
Will I get advice and training in getting work in this arena?
You will receive marketing skills and materials to help you obtain employment. But it is important to note that most people who have successfully carved out employment have done so based on their musical skills, personality and entrepreneurship. IHTP does not control jobs or income and it is the responsibility of the graduate to obtain their own employment.
What percentage of previous graduates have gained work?
IHTP graduates consistently fall into three categories: 1/3 are employed in facilities, 1/3 serve in volunteer situations* and 1/3, while certified, choose to use their qualifications only for their own personal and musical growth.
*We stress that there are areas where it is appropriate and inappropriate to do volunteer work. In a facility where there is a trained music therapist, music thanatologist or other trained therapeutic musician, volunteering might undercut this person’s rightful employment. We require our graduates to abide by a strong ethics code that prohibits causing harm to other music healing professionals.
Do I need insurance?
As an intern you are covered by the IHTP. Practitioners must obtain their own insurance and it can be obtained by the ABMP here. Membership to the Harp Therapy Journal will award you a discount for your insurance.
Are there case histories I can read?
Yes, we have compiled a page for you called OPPORTUNITIES. You can access this page by clicking HERE
What is a CTHP relationship to a Music Therapist?
Certified Therapeutic Harp Practitioners are NOT Music Therapists. Music Therapists study a 4-year curriculum bachelor’s degree program and have a different scope of practice. We strongly urge our students to educate employers, the public, and the media about the difference between Music Therapists and Therapeutic Musicians. A description of the differences can be found at TherapeuticMusician.com
What qualifications and experience do student they tend to have prior to starting the program?
We have had college students majoring in medicine and music take the program all the way through life-long learners in their 70’s. The person who takes this course is usually someone who has a great sense of wanting to serve humanity and they have seen quite a few of life’s scenarios and have come to know that music has a powerful effect on people. Many people have been music majors and find that they are looking for more than the gratification of receiving applause at the end of a performance. Others come from care-giving professions and have a love of music and want to add another dimension to their modalities of helping others.
Most importantly, people who come to harp therapy learn quickly that it is not about entertaining people (although from the outside perspective, it may seem that way to some). Instead, harp practitioners intentionally use the power of sound to support healing. By matching a listener’s resonance, their mood, their breathing tempo and musical preferences, the CTHP can induce the relaxation response, increase the patient’s oxygenation levels, leading to less anxiety and pain. Our interactive approach also elevates the mood of the patient, increasing these benefits. See our HEARTMATH site to view how we can measure this. HERE
IHTP does not discriminate in any way on the basis of age, creed, ethnicity, gender, marital status, national origin, race, sexual orientation, or the like in the administration of its policies and programs. We do require that participants are 18 years of age. We have a special teen program, IHTP-TAP for ages 13-17.
What are the requirements for people who have completed other programs, such as Therapeutic programs, Music Therapy, Music Thanatology?
We offer a cross-training for graduates of other programs, i.e. music therapy, music-thanatology, or other programs who have met the basic standards that the National Standards Board of Therapeutic Musicians. These students required to meet the music development Creative Harping DVD Lesson requirements, a portfolio, attended and submit a paper for the Experiential Specialty Module (ESM), and complete a 40-hour internship (half the normal requirement.) A reduced fee applies for these graduates. A review of the standards module may be taken for a reduced fee.
Do I need to: be able to read music? already play the harp? have some therapeutic experience or understanding?
We have two tracks in the program.
The beginner track is for those who have limited skills on the harp. Usually these people are care-givers who are interested in learning the instrument with the goal of using it therapeutically. We encourage this beginner to engage a teacher who will teach them via Skype lessons in the comfort of their own home.
The intermediate/advanced track is for those with better harp skills who are in need of knowledge or skills in these areas: hospital procedures, the effects of medications, counseling conversations, resonant tone identification, modulations, and improvisation. These students may study the Creative Harping DVDs, improving their improvisation skills and repertoire, as they work their way through the IHTP program.
How much will all this cost if I don’t already have it (over and above the cost of the course itself)? What materials, instruments and equipment will I need to successfully complete the course?
The total IHTP tuition cost is $2500.00* and includes this comprehensive array of subject areas:
◦ Psychology/Counseling
◦ Living Anatomy
◦ Inclusive Attention
◦ Resonance – and Resonant Tone
◦ Hospital Etiquette/Self Care
◦ Death and Dying
◦ Music Therapy practices for mental health services and rehabilitation
◦ Scientific Developments in Sound Research
◦ Acoustics
◦ Music Development – including repertoire, improvisation, balancing energies with sound
Students have access to:
◦ Keynote speaker on conference calls.
◦ Independent study with supervisor and their payment
◦ Evaluations and mentorship on Video study
◦ In-Hospice Experience
◦ On-line downloads to music and support materials
Not included in this cost are private music lessons (if needed), required and elective text books, and the 10 Creative Harping Music Development DVDs. These total approximately $800.
*a discounts of $100.00 are granted for those paying the tuition in full by the given dates – see TUITION COSTS under GET STARTED on Menu bar.
Any harp can be used in your practice of becoming a Certified Therapeutic Harp Practitioner. The larger harps have a bass resonance that the smaller harps lack. However, the portability of smaller therapy harps make them much more convenient in a room and ideal for interactive work with the patient or their family members. Most of our graduates find that a professional quality therapy harp is an investment that pays off in their daily work at facilities.
Do I require special software or top-grade computer and recording equipment?
You will need to have a computer in order to access the downloads. At this time we are refraining from implementing Webinars (until they are more accessible by many people) and asking people to view videos in their web browser. For online students, conferences can be accessed by phone or by computer. Please review the COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS under GET STARTED on the Menu Bar. It will be your responsibility to have these requirements in place.
How many years has the course been running (in whatever form)?
The program began in 1994 in Vermont (Fletcher Allen Medical Center- Burlington). By 1996 we grew to include Florida (Shands Hospital, Gainesville) and Oregon (St. Charles Hospital, Eugene) and in 1997 added our San Diego site. In 1998, we became incorporated in the State of California and have built a strong affiliation with San Diego Hospice since that time. In 2004 we began our International affiliates with Japan and the UK and in 2009 expanded to Europe.
Are all my instructors and mentors truly experienced in the field? Are they the best in their field? Can I read their CVs/resumés?
Yes, all mentors are graduates of the program and have been carefully selected for their ability to effectively teach and impart the knowledge that you will be gaining through this program. You can find CVs and resumes of the instructors under the instructor page and you will receive information from your Mentor on their background.
What is the difference between the instructor, the mentor, the supervisor and the SKYPE teacher?
The instructor teaches through either keynote lecture or the DVDs that you will be watching on-line and through the Experiential Module.
The mentor is a graduate of the program who will be collecting and evaluating your recording submissions, your reading reports and your papers. Your mentor will also be responsible for keeping you on track and holding onto your materials and finally reviewing your portfolio. Your mentor is paid through your tuition payment starting with the first $200.00 deposit that engages your mentor.
Your supervisor is the person who lives in your own locale who will oversee you for 2 sessions in the facility that you choose to do your Practicum. They will receive a lovely gift pack from IHTP for their service that can be shared with their facility or kept personally . The supervisor can be a chaplain, nurse, hospice volunteer, local music teacher. They are responsible for viewing your interaction with the patient and receiving feedback on the session.
The teacher who teaches through SKYPE (for beginners) will be a teacher we recommend who has gone through the program and will help you develop to the point where you can enter into the program. You are responsible for the cost of these lessons.
What is the continuing requirement for on-line education?
CHTP’s are encouraged to remain current on research and new developments in the use of therapeutic music. 20 CEU’s every 2 years are required. Attendance to conferences, webinars, book reports, approved workshops are all ways of gathering these CEU’s. Every 2 years, the graduate submits their collection of CEU approvals to the IHTP office for recognition.
Please let me know what the role of the mentor is so that I utilize her as a resource effectively and appropriately. Most important, I don’t want to ask anything outside of her scope…..
The mentor is responsible for listening to your recordings after each of the lessons and making an evaluation. The mentor also collects your book reports and papers and final portfolio. We estimate that the mentor will spend about 20 hours in a 2-year period gathering and evaluating your work. It is certainly fine to ask your mentor questions but it is not their role to be coaching students in terms of teaching. Their role is to remind you that your work is due and keep you on task. If you need more coaching in order to complete your lessons, then you should hire an appropriate teacher (we can recommend one for you).
I am interested in the harp therapy program, but feel that I will need a year to prepare for numerous reasons. Does your program start in the fall of each year, for example, will the next enrollment be available in September 2011?
Yes, the course starts in the fall of each year. By joining our PREP program, you can engage a mentor for $350.00 without committing to the program. The mentor can evaluate your work to make sure you are on track, thus preparing you to take the program the following year. Having the year to work on the required DVD lessons and do the readings will lighten your load for the following year.
