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VUMC
Nashville, Tennessee

Term Music Therapist (6 mo. Assignment) | FT - Days | VUH

Counselor 8.0 Work-LifeFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not disclosed

Listing transparency2 of 6 stated

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting and weekend coverage.

Employment & setting
Full-Time
Call expectations
Includes call
Weekends
Not specified
Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center: Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization

Patient & Family Centered Care Music Therapy

Job Summary

The Term Music Therapist provides direct services for patients by using music as a tool to help them attain and maintain their maximum levels of functioning in the areas of physical, cognitive, communication and social/emotional health. Program planning will be designed to reduce stress, increase adaptive coping, promote social interaction and provide normalization through therapeutic experiences in a safe environment..

Position Details

  • Six (6) month assignment
  • FT – Dayshift | 40 hours per week | M – F (8:00 AM – 4:30 PM)
  • Location: Medical Intensive Care Unit & Corresponding Stepdown Units

Key Responsibilities

Uses music therapeutically to support patients, families, and caregivers, incorporating professional expertise and knowledge related to human development and healthcare experiences.

Designs and implements music therapy sessions based on patient/family strengths and needs, using music improvisation, receptive music listening, song writing, lyric discussion, music and imagery and music performance.

Coordinates, trains, and supervises volunteers and students in majors related to music therapy during field work/internship experiences

Contributes to the organization by actively participating in process improvement initiatives and shared decision making

The responsibilities listed are a general overview of the position and additional duties may be assigned.

Technical Capabilities

Individual Therapy (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of individual therapy in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering results without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.

Group Therapy (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of group therapy in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering results without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.

Cognitive/Behavioral Intervention (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of cognitive/behavioral intervention in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering results without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.

Coping Strategies (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of coping strategies in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering coping strategies services without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving technical instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.

Music Therapy (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of music therapy in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering music therapy services without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving technical instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.

Core Accountabilities

  • Organizational Impact: Performs tasks that are typically routine that may impact team's performance with occasional guidance. * Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Utilizes some discretion and research to solve routine problems. * Breadth of Knowledge: Applies knowledge of standards, established processes and procedure that apply to your own job. * Team Interaction: Provides guidance to entry level co-workers.

Core Capabilities

Supporting Colleagues: Develops Self and Others: Continuously improves own skills by identifying development opportunities.- Builds and Maintains Relationships: Seeks to understand colleagues' priorities, working styles and develops relationships across areas.- Communicates Effectively: Openly shares information with others and communicates in a clear and courteous manner. Delivering Excellent Services: - Serves Others with Compassion: Invests time to understand the problems, needs of others and how to provide excellent service.- Solves Complex Problems: Seeks to understand issues, solves routine problems, and raises proper concerns in a timely manner. - Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Listens carefully to understand the issues and provides accurate information and support. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Checks work quality before delivery and asks relevant questions to meet quality standards. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Demonstrates basic knowledge of conditions that affect safety and reports unsafe conditions to the appropriate person or department. Managing Resources Effectively: - Demonstrates Accountability: Takes responsibility for completing assigned activities and thinks beyond standard approaches to provide high-quality work/service. - Stewards Organizational Resources: Displays understanding of how personal actions will impact departmental resources. - Makes Data Driven Decisions: Uses accurate information and good decision making to consistently achieve results on time and without error. Fostering Innovation: - Generates New Ideas: Willingly proposes/accepts ideas or initiatives that will impact day-to-day operations by offering suggestions to enhance them. - Applies Technology: Absorbs new technology quickly; understands when to utilize the appropriate tools and procedures to ensure proper course of action. - Adapts to Change: Embraces changes by keeping an open mind to changing plans and incorporates change instructions into own area of work.

Position Qualifications

Responsibilities:

Certifications

Music Therapist Board Certified - Certification Board for Music Therapists

Work Experience

Music Therapist

Experience Level

  • Education:
  • Bachelor's (Required)

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Bachelor's degree and be a Board Certified Music Therapist. The role requires professional experience in music therapy and the ability to work effectively in a clinical healthcare environment.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree
Experience
2+ years of experience

Certifications

Board Certification

Key Skills

Clinical documentationVolunteer coordination

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Term Music Therapist (6 mo. Assignment) | FT - Days | VUH at VUMC a 8.0 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as excellent. This places the position in the top 10% in Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) — ranked against 7,850 active Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings on WeekdayDoc.

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 32% are remote, 40% have no call, 64% require no weekends.

Mental Health Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is up 6.4% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Tennessee is 91.9 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 58.6% of Tennessee clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Location & Logistics

Tennessee has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states.

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Salary Distribution32 jobs · 31 employers

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Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks30 jobs

401k / retirement match
80%
CME allowance
50%
Sign-on bonus
13%
Loan repayment
13%
PSLF eligible
13%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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+ 34 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

8.0/ 10
Listing-based score

Top 10% in Mental Health Therapy (Counseling)

  • Includes call

Living in Nashville

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$413k
Typical market rent
$1,834/mo
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
96.3
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026).

BEA 2024 · Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

VUMC logo

About VUMC

Hospitals and Health Care
Nashville, Tennessee
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
Retirement
Wellness Program