Music Therapist

Department: Multidisciplinary Team
Location: Shirakol, West Bengal
Employment Type: Full-Time
Experience: 4+ years
Compensation: Upto 6 LPA

Role Overview

A Music Therapist is a trained professional who uses music and structured musical experiences as therapeutic tools to support the developmental, emotional, social, communicative, sensory, and behavioural needs of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The music therapist will work collaboratively with the individual, family, caregivers, educators, and multidisciplinary team to develop and implement individualized, goal-oriented music therapy interventions.

Key Responsibilities

1. Assessment & Individualized Therapy Planning

• Conduct an initial music therapy assessment to understand the individual’s strengths, needs, interests, abilities, and responses to music.
• Observe and document communication, social interaction, emotional regulation, attention, sensory responses, motor skills, and behavioral patterns relevant to music therapy.
• Identify the individual’s preferred musical styles, instruments, songs, and activities.
• Collaborate with other professionals and caregivers to understand the individual’s overall therapeutic and developmental goals.
• Develop individualized music therapy goals based on the person’s assessed needs and existing therapeutic or educational objectives.
• Design age-appropriate, developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and engaging music-based interventions.
• Adapt musical activities according to the individual’s cognitive, communication, sensory, motor, and emotional abilities.
• Establish measurable objectives and appropriate methods for monitoring progress.

2. Delivery of Music Therapy Interventions

Use evidence-informed music therapy techniques to support areas such as:

• Communication: encouraging verbal and non-verbal communication, vocalization, turn-taking, and functional communication.
• Social skills: developing joint attention, interaction, cooperation, imitation, and reciprocal engagement.
• Emotional regulation: supporting emotional expression, relaxation, self-regulation, and coping skills.
• Attention and engagement: increasing sustained attention, participation, and task engagement.
• Sensory regulation: providing appropriately structured musical experiences while considering individual sensory preferences and sensitivities.
• Motor development: supporting gross and fine motor skills through movement, rhythm, instrument playing, and coordinated musical activities.
• Cognitive and learning skills: reinforcing memory, sequencing, following instructions, problem-solving, and learning concepts.
• Behavioral support: using predictable musical structures, transitions, and reinforcement strategies to encourage adaptive participation and reduce barriers to engagement.
• Plan and facilitate individual and group music therapy sessions according to identified needs.
• Promote peer interaction, cooperation, shared attention, communication, and social participation in group settings.
• Modify activities to accommodate different abilities and levels of participation.

3. Family, Caregiver & Multidisciplinary Collaboration

• Communicate regularly with parents, caregivers, and relevant professionals regarding therapy goals and progress.
• Provide appropriate guidance on how music-based strategies may be incorporated into daily routines when clinically appropriate.
• Encourage caregivers to identify and use the individual’s musical preferences as a means of supporting engagement and communication.
• Respect family priorities, cultural practices, and individual preferences.
• Work as part of a multidisciplinary team that may include psychologists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, special educators, physiotherapists, behavioral professionals, and medical professionals.
• Participate in case discussions and contribute music therapy observations and recommendations.
• Align music therapy goals with broader intervention plans while maintaining the distinct professional scope of music therapy.
• Refer concerns outside the music therapist’s professional scope to the appropriate qualified professional.

4. Documentation, Evaluation & Professional Practice

• Maintain accurate and confidential records of assessments, treatment plans, session notes, attendance, and outcomes.
• Monitor and document progress toward individualized goals.
• Review and modify interventions based on ongoing assessment and observed responses.
• Prepare periodic progress reports for families and relevant professionals, as appropriate.
• Use appropriate outcome measures and data collection methods to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.
• Practice within the music therapist’s professional training, competence, and scope of practice.
• Maintain professional boundaries and confidentiality.
• Obtain appropriate informed consent before providing services.
• Ensure that interventions are respectful, person-centered, strengths-based, and supportive of the individual’s dignity and autonomy.
• Avoid making unsupported claims about the therapeutic effects of music.
• Engage in continuing professional development and remain informed about current research and evidence-informed practices in autism and music therapy.

5. Environmental & Session Management

• Create a safe, predictable, inclusive, and supportive therapeutic environment.
• Consider sensory factors such as volume, tempo, lighting, instruments, physical space, and unexpected sounds.
• Select and adapt instruments and musical materials according to individual safety and sensory needs.
• Establish appropriate session routines, visual or musical cues, and transition strategies where beneficial.

Key Outcomes

Depending on the individual’s needs and goals, music therapy may aim to support:

• Increased communication and social participation.
• Improved attention and engagement.
• Development of reciprocal interaction and joint attention.
• Improved emotional expression and self-regulation.
• Increased participation in therapeutic and educational activities.
• Development of motor and coordination skills.
• Improved tolerance of transitions and structured activities.
• Increased confidence, autonomy, and opportunities for successful self-expression.

Must-Have Requirements

• Professional training in Music Therapy appropriate to the scope of practice.
• Ability to conduct music therapy assessments and develop individualized, goal-oriented interventions.
• Ability to work with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and adapt interventions according to individual needs.
• Ability to maintain accurate and confidential clinical/therapy documentation.
• Ability to work collaboratively with families, caregivers, educators, and multidisciplinary professionals.
• Understanding of person-centered, strengths-based and evidence-informed practice.
• Ability to work within professional competence and scope of practice.
• Strong communication, observation and documentation skills.
• Commitment to professional ethics, confidentiality, informed consent and individual dignity and autonomy.

Preferred Skills

• Experience working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or other developmental needs.
• 4+ years of experience facilitating both individual and group music therapy sessions.
• Familiarity with multidisciplinary intervention environments.
• Ability to adapt musical activities to different cognitive, communication, sensory, motor and emotional abilities.
• Strong understanding of sensory considerations in therapeutic environments.
• Commitment to continuing professional development and staying informed about current research and evidence-informed practices in autism and music therapy.

Growth Opportunity

The role provides an opportunity to work within a multidisciplinary environment supporting individuals with autism through individualized and goal-oriented music therapy interventions.

The role may develop through increasing responsibility for individualized intervention planning, group programmes, multidisciplinary collaboration, outcome evaluation and development of music-based therapeutic approaches within IAC.

Scope of the Role

The music therapist’s role is to provide goal-directed therapeutic services using music and musical experiences.

Music therapy should complement, rather than replace, other appropriate medical, educational, psychological, speech and language, occupational, behavioral, or rehabilitation services.

Intervention goals should be individualized and developed in collaboration with the person and relevant members of their support team.

About India Autism Center

India Autism Center (IAC) is a not-for-profit organisation aiming to build a comprehensive ecosystem of support, training, research, and lifelong residential living solutions for individuals on the autism spectrum and their families.

Through our residential facility, professional training initiatives, community engagement efforts, and knowledge development work, we aspire to enable greater independence, dignity, and quality of life for individuals with autism across India.