Music Therapist

Position: Music Therapist

Hours: Casual Hourly paid by mutual agreement

Accountable to: Senior Music Therapist

Location: Schools, Community Settings, online and venues as
directed

Job Purpose

•  To work as part of Wandsworth Music’s music therapy service to provide music therapy to a range of clients

and organisations.

•  To promote and develop music therapy provision in schools as appropriate.
•  To continually evaluate interventions and respond to the changing needs of the client and analyse these

needs within the context of their environment, taking into account multiple approaches, including psycho-
dynamic, systemic, behavioural and educational perspectives.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical work

•  To provide clinical work in schools and community settings as directed.
•  To plan, implement, monitor and evaluate individual music therapy interventions, using advance knowledge

of the client group.

•  To regularly review and evaluate the progress of therapy in consultation with all stakeholders. This will
include the assessment of complex and changing therapeutic, sensory, education and emotional needs
where a range of viewpoints and approaches may be involved.

•  To work with a positive therapeutic stance, recognising the need to work with the whole system surrounding

the child or young person.

Liaison

•  To adhere to appropriate levels of confidentiality in regards to sensitive information relating to or arising out

of clinical work.

•  To be respectful of the client’s cultural background, considering different cultural or religious beliefs and

practices.

•  To provide regular and concise feedback to stakeholders regarding clinical progress and issues.
•  To liaise with Wandsworth children’s services and other agencies about the wellbeing and development of

young people in the borough.

•  To contribute towards the understanding and benefits of music therapy through training and presentations

to parents and other professionals.

Record Keeping

•  To maintain up to date and confidential client progress records (including the use of video and audio as

appropriate).

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•  To provide written reports as required ensuring all communication, both written and verbal is of the highest

standard possible, ensuring that reports are written with empathy and discretion as required.

Professional

•  To maintain HCPC state registration.
•  To adhere to the professional standards and ethics set out by the BAMT and HCPC.
•  To regularly update knowledge base of current professional developments.
•  To fulfil continuing professional development (CPD) as required by the HCPC and BAMT.
•  To attend meetings and mandatory training as required by Wandsworth Music and schools.
•  To recognise the emotional challenges of work and have excellent self-care and reflective practises in place.

Practical

•  To ensure that settings have sufficient equipment for the therapy sessions and that therapy rooms are kept

in good order according to health and safety.

Additional information

•  The post holder may occasionally be exposed to offensive smells and bodily fluids due to the level of

disability of the clients.

•  The post holder may occasionally be confronted with challenging behaviour by clients, which may include

physically or verbally aggressive behaviours such as swearing, hitting, scratching, biting, spitting, kicking etc.
The post holder will be supported by the care team in schools and the Senior Music Therapist to manage,
work with, and reduce and prevent such behaviours.

•  The post holder must refrain from taking any private work engagement with clients/ organisations receiving

a music therapy service from WM for the duration of employment and for at least 6 months after
termination of contract.

Generic Duties and Responsibilities

•  To comply with relevant Codes of Practice, including the Code of Conduct and policies concerning data

protection and health and safety.

•  To be committed to the promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion for others, both colleagues and clients
and maintain an awareness of the equality and diversity protocol; to work to create and maintain a safe,
supportive and welcoming environment where all people are treated with dignity and their identity and
culture are valued and respected and to report any instances of inappropriate behaviour or discrimination.

•  To understand WM’s responsibilities for safeguarding children and young people.

•  To carry out any other reasonable duties and responsibilities within the overall function, commensurate with

the grading and level of responsibilities of the post.

Person Specification

Our Values and Behaviours

Wandsworth Music seeks to inspire enjoyment & excellence in music, in all its forms.  Our vision is a borough where
everyone has access to high quality music making, enhancing and enriching the cultural life of the community, and in

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particular, the aspirations of children and young people, especially those in financial need and challenging
circumstances.

Being open. This means we share our views openly, honestly and in a thoughtful way. We encourage new ideas and
ways of doing things. We appreciate and listen to feedback from each other.

Being supportive. This means we drive the success of the organisation by making sure that our colleagues are
successful. We encourage others and take account of the challenges they face. We help each other to do our jobs.

Being positive. Being positive and helpful means we keep our goals in mind and look for ways to achieve them. We
listen constructively and help others see opportunities and the way forward. We have a ‘can do’ attitude and are
continuously looking for ways to help each other improve.

Person Specification Requirements

Essential/
Desirable

Assessed by

Knowledge
Practical knowledge of a wide range of instruments and their teaching

An understanding of the needs and issues facing children and young people with
additional needs, especially those from minority backgrounds.
Experience
Prior experience working as a music therapist with children and young people with a
range of emotional, social, physical, educational and communication difficulties.

Experience of creative music making with children in individual and group settings.
Experience of working as part of a larger multi-disciplinary team.
Experience working as a practising musician with children and families (non music
therapy).
Evidence of ongoing engagement in personal development and self-reflective
processes.
Skills
A high level of musical proficiency in a range of musical instruments, including
improvisation skills
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate
highly complex and sensitive information with empathy.
Good organisational skills with the ability to prioritise a complex workload

Good IT skills, including the ability to record and edit video and audio footage for
reporting and presentation purposes.
Personal Qualities
The ability to work autonomously as well as in conjunction with teaching staff
An enthusiastic, engaging and highly motivated personality
The ability to work collaboratively and creatively to find solutions.
Emotional strength and resilience

Qualifications
Diploma/ MA in Music Therapy

HCPC Registered

Safeguarding Level 3+ (or willingness to undertake training)
A – Application form / CV
I – Interview
T – Test

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C – Certificate

Wandsworth Music is committed to hiring a diverse workforce.

We are committed to safeguarding:

WM is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and requires all staff and
volunteers to share and demonstrate this commitment. The successful candidate will need to meet the requirements
of the person specification and will be subject to pre-employment checks including an enhanced DBS check and
satisfactory references. This post is exempt from the provision of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

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