Musicians and medical professionals both long have recognized the connection between music and the mind, as well as the physical effects music can have on the body as a whole. People interested in this connection can seek careers as voice therapists — also called speech-language pathologists — or music therapists.
Voice Therapist Salary
The average annual pay for a speech-language pathologist as of 2009 is $68,350, says the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As the bureau normally assumes 2,080 hours per year, this equates to an hourly wage of $32.86. Voice therapists in the lowest 10th percentile make $42,310. In the 90th percentile, pay is $101,820.
The bureau’s figures are comparable to figures from another source, the SalaryExpert website, which is associated with the Economic Research Institute. This source shows salaries between $74,712 and $103,937.
Music Therapist Salary
Music therapists make $43,323 per year annually as of 2009, according to the Florida Area Health Education Centers Network. The Bureau of Labor Statistics usually assumes that annual salaries include 2,080 hours of work. Using this assumption, the hourly rate for music therapists would be around $20.83.
Reasons for Wage and Salary Differences
A major reason for differences in compensation between a speech-language pathologist and a music therapist is that a music therapist is not as specialized as a speech-language pathologist. A voice therapist only works with problems of the vocal mechanisms; they must have medical knowledge of the respiratory system, throat, jaw and other “resonator” bones and related tissues, as well as auditory physics. Music therapists, by contrast, might work with individuals with a wide variety of medical and psychological issues. Although music therapists often are highly skilled in music techniques and theory, their work is guided by the general healing principles of music and the physical act of music making, not necessarily by medical expertise. Additionally, music therapists are less likely to be employed full time by a medical facility the way a speech-language therapist is; their income depends on their ability to network and freelance.
Considerations
For both music therapists and voice therapists, geography plays a large role in compensation. For example, the highest paying state for musicians and singers as of 2009 is California, where pay is $35.02 per hour. For a speech-language pathologist, the best pay is in Nevada, where pay is $46.23. Additionally, education level matters. Music therapists generally have at least a bachelor’s degree, but a voice therapist usually has a master’s — people with master’s degrees generally out-earn those with less education. A music therapist may make a wage closer to what a voice therapist earns by seeking a graduate degree. Both voice therapists and music therapists may be employed in different sectors — for example, hospitals and nursing homes — that all pay different rates.
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