AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 29-1129.02

Will AI replace Music Therapists?

Music Therapists: AI can already handle 6 of 30 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 30 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Music Therapists, from most to least exposed. 6 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Analyze or synthesize client data to draw conclusions or make recommendations for therapy. 82 Observed Standard 3.8
Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of specific treatments or therapy approaches. 80 Estimated Standard 3.7
Assess client functioning levels, strengths, and areas of need in terms of perceptual, sensory, affective, communicative, musical, physical, cognitive, social, spiritual, or other abilities. 65 Estimated Standard 4.6
Communicate client assessment findings and recommendations in oral, written, audio, video, or other forms. 65 Estimated Standard 4.2
Assess the risks and benefits of treatment termination for clients. 65 Estimated Standard 3.6
Adapt existing or develop new music therapy assessment instruments or procedures to meet an individual client's needs. 65 Estimated Frontier 3.5
Design or provide music therapy experiences to address client needs, such as using music for self-care, adjusting to life changes, improving cognitive functioning, raising self-esteem, communicating, or controlling impulses. 50 Estimated Efficient 4.9
Design music therapy experiences, using various musical elements to meet client's goals or objectives. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.9
Customize treatment programs for specific areas of music therapy, such as intellectual or developmental disabilities, educational settings, geriatrics, medical settings, mental health, physical disabilities, or wellness. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.7
Plan or structure music therapy sessions to achieve appropriate transitions, pacing, sequencing, energy level, or intensity in accordance with treatment plans. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.3
Integrate behavioral, developmental, improvisational, medical, or neurological approaches into music therapy treatments. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.2
Confer with professionals on client's treatment team to develop, coordinate, or integrate treatment plans. 50 Estimated Standard 4.2
Collaborate with others to design or implement interdisciplinary treatment programs. 50 Estimated Standard 3.8
Document evaluations, treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups. 40 Observed Efficient 4.7
Sing or play musical instruments, such as keyboard, guitar, or percussion instruments. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.9
Establish client goals or objectives for music therapy treatment, considering client needs, capabilities, interests, overall therapeutic program, coordination of treatment, or length of treatment. 30 Estimated Standard 4.7
Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to music therapy. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.6
Improvise instrumentally, vocally, or physically to meet client's therapeutic needs. 30 Estimated Standard 4.5
Gather diagnostic data from sources such as case documentation, observations of clients, or interviews with clients or family members. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Engage clients in music experiences to identify client responses to different styles of music, types of musical experiences, such as improvising or listening, or elements of music, such as tempo or harmony. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Participate in continuing education. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Select or adapt musical instruments, musical equipment, or non-musical materials, such as adaptive devices or visual aids, to meet treatment objectives. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Compose, arrange, or adapt music for music therapy treatments. 30 Estimated Standard 4.0
Identify and respond to emergency physical or mental health situations. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Conduct information sharing sessions, such as in-service workshops for other professionals, potential client groups, or the general community. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Apply selected research findings to practice. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Supervise staff, volunteers, practicum students, or interns engaged in music therapy activities. 30 Estimated Standard 3.6
Apply current technology to music therapy practices. 30 Estimated Standard 3.5
Conduct, or assist in the conduct of, music therapy research. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.3
Communicate with clients to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to musical experiences. 15 Estimated No tier 4.8

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 2 of 30 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 28 of 30. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

A standard-tier model or lower covers 79% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 96% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 4% is hands-on.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
22,640
Median annual wage
$77,930
Middle half of earners
$58,850 to $105,760
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+11.5%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034. BLS publishes these figures by SOC code, so O*NET occupations that share a SOC code show the same figures.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Music Therapists and AI

Will AI replace Music Therapists?

AI already handles 6 of the 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 42 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +11.5% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Music Therapists?

42 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 2 of the 30 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 28 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Music Therapists tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Analyze or synthesize client data to draw conclusions or make recommendations for therapy; Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of specific treatments or therapy approaches; Assess client functioning levels, strengths, and areas of need in terms of perceptual, sensory, affective, communicative, musical, physical, cognitive, social, spiritual, or other abilities. They are three of the 6 tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A standard-tier model or lower covers 79% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Music Therapists, and what do they earn?

22,640 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $77,930 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +11.5% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Music Therapists. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/music-therapists

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