Music Therapy Licensure, an Introduction

Attention Colorado music therapists, music therapy students, and supporters of music therapy! On February 24, 2026 music therapists across this beautiful state of Colorado will be heading to the state capitol to speak with our legislators about an important bill being introduced in the 2027 session…a bill that will require music therapists to be licensed in the state of Colorado.

Here at Mountain Melodies, we understand that this conversation has a lot of nuances that can be hard to navigate. To help summarize the conversation our founder, Pamela Potzer, will be writing a blog post series with the purpose of clarifying some of the details of the music therapy profession, the importance of licensure, and more.

To start this series, Pamela will be discussing licensure, why it’s important, and the pertinent organizations to know.

Importance of Licensure, A Hard Lesson from the Funeral Homes

It is the month of October in the year 2023. News of over 100 improperly stored bodies at a funeral home in Fremont county took the nation by storm as news outlets, such as NBC and ABC published their articles reporting of this gross neglect of human remains.

As people who live, work, and recreate in Fremont County as a river guides, both Alfredo and I were also horrified at this news, and mourned with members in our community who entrusted their loved ones remains to this funeral home.

But how could this have happened? To answer that question, you have to time-travel back to 1983. The state of Colorado made the decision to de-regulate funeral practitioners, making it difficult to regulate any sort of funeral professionals in the state of Colorado. Because of deregulation, anyone could start a funeral business in this state.

Unfortunately, it took something horrific to bring attention to this issue. Namely, 115 Colorado loved ones remains being mishandled in Fremont County. No one should have to experience the pain and betrayal of discovering a loved ones remains were horrifically neglected, but that is what happens when certain professions, such as the funeral industry, are not carefully regulated.

On May 24, 2024, seven months after this crime was unveiled, Governor Jared Polis signed bills requiring the regulation of funeral directors, cremationists, mortuary science professionals, and embalmers. As this 9 News article reports, it took the victims’ families lobbying for legislation to be passed and to pressure the Department of Regulatory Agencies to enforce these new rules.

Which leads to the next question…

What is DORA?

The Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) is the umbrella regulatory agency for the state of Colorado that manages licensing and registration for many different professions and business. DORA exists to protect consumers. So, how exactly does DORA protect consumers? Well, there are a few services:

• Check a License: The resource allows consumers to make sure that licensed professionals in Colorado have credentials that are valid.
• Colorado Health Professional Check Program: This resource allows clients and patients to check state-licensed health care providers “to help you make well-informed healthcare decisions for yourself and your family”
• File a Complaint: Since we’ve been talking about funeral services, let’s say your loved one’s remains have been neglected by a funeral home. By January 1, 2027, all funeral service providers will be required to hold a licensure, meaning, if a licensed funeral service neglect’s your loved ones remains, you can report them to DORA and have their licensed go under review.

The above list is only a few examples of services that DORA provides. To learn more, visit their website https://dora.colorado.gov/

Now that you know a bit about DORA, the next question would be…

What Professions does DORA Regulate?

The following are just a small portion of professions that DORA regulates:

• Psychologists
• Occupational Therapists
• Speech-Language Pathologists
• Physical Therapists
• Wholesale Drug Outlets
• Veterinarians
• Addiction Counselors
• Licensed Professional Counselors
• Accounting Firms
• Architects
• Barber Shops
• Household Goods Movers
• Nail Technicians
• And many more professions (130 total)

I would encourage you to visit their webpage and look for yourself all the professions the DORA regulates to ensure that consumers know what services they are getting in the state of Colorado. You will notice if you scroll down to “M,” you will not see music therapists listed

Music Therapy – Why Licensure?

No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, I would wager that you would want to be sure that if you are paying for any service that you are getting what you pay for. This can be as serious as getting your child with autism a qualified occupational therapist, or making sure your heart surgeon is licensed in the state of Colorado. Or, maybe it’s as simple as making sure you don’t pay someone for a horrendous haircut that a licensed barber has been trained not to do. Regardless of what it is, DORA is there to make sure these services are regulated to ensure the best service is given to you, the consumer.

But Music Therapy is not on the List

Right now, in the state of Colorado, anyone can legally go around an advertise that they are a music therapist. What does that mean for you? Well, let’s pretend for a minute that I, Pamela, were just a nice lady that knew how to play the guitar, and not a board-certified music therapist with a bachelor’s degree in music therapy. I figure out how to use WordPress, Canva, and Instagram, and advertise my super cool-looking music therapy business. Legally, I can do that, with absolutely no requirement to have 1200 supervised clinical hours, a bachelor’s degree, or a board-certification, that I actually have as Pamela Potzer, MT-BC.

Now let’s say you come along. You have a loved one that has had a stroke, and discover this wonderful profession of music therapy. You google “music therapists in Colorado” and my business pops up. You purchase my services, and I provide “music therapy” for your loved one with absolutely no professional training.

Do You See the Problem?

Because music therapists are not required to have licensure in Colorado, the DORA does not regulate people calling themselves music therapists. I have run into this multiple times during my career as a music therapist. People who are music lovers, music performers, or music enthusiasts will call themselves music therapists without having the extensive training that I, and other board-certified music therapists, have acquired to maintain our board-certification. This leaves you, the consumer of music therapy, vulnerable to selecting a “music therapist” that does not have the proper training.

Well, Then Who Oversees Music Therapists?

If you are looking for a music therapist in Colorado, there are three important organizations you should be aware of…

1. American Music Therapy Association
2. Certification Board for Music Therapists
3. Colorado Association for Music Therapy

American Music Therapy Association

The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) is “501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to advance public awareness of the benefits of music therapy and increase access to quality music therapy services in a rapidly changing world” (taken directly from their website).

AMTA supports the profession of music therapy in the following ways:

• Publication of peer-reviewed music therapy research
• Oversees university programs and internships for the education of music therapists
• Publishes literature relating to music therapy
• And so much more!

Along with the CBMT (I’ll talk about them next), AMTA has done a lot of work with advocacy for the profession of music therapy, and government relations. You can check out their Government Relations Webpage for more information about their work in this area.

Certification Board for Music Therapists

The Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) is the board that oversees the Music Therapist-Board Certified credential, which is what I currently hold (Pamela Potzer, MT-BC).

Ironically, they were established in 1983 (the same year Colorado de-regulated funeral services). You can check out their About Page for more information about their mission, vision, and accreditation information.

The CBMT works closely with AMTA to help with both public and government advocacy efforts about our profession. They have a State Licensure page on their website that 1) lists all the current states that require music therapy licensure, state certifications, or state registries and 2) a list of FAQs regarding music therapy state licensure.

Colorado Association for Music Therapy

CAMT was founded in 1984, and has the goal of “educating community members and fellow healthcare professionals about the benefits of music therapy” (taken directly from their website). They have tons of great resources, including a page that talks about Music Therapy in Colorado, where they give more specifics on the music therapy practice in the state of Colorado. They also have some great facts sheets about music therapy that you can go check out!

Colorado Music Therapy State Task Force

In addition to all the amazing work mentioned about, CAMT has a group of dedicated MT-BCs that work hard to increase state recognition of the MT-BC credential, and Mountain Melodies would like to take a moment to thank those members for all the hard work they have done over the years.

The Colorado State Task Force was established in 2008, and they are still working hard at advocacy and public education. My fellow Colorado music therapists, be sure you are checking your inbox for emails from them, because there will be a very important bill in 2027…

We Need Your Help!

This is where I offer a rally cry to my fellow music therapists, music therapy students, and supporters of music therapy. In order for this bill to pass, those who represent us in the state of Colorado need to know that you, their constituents, want this bill to pass. Your opinion matters, so make it known to those who represent you!

Call Your Legislators!

Who are my Legislators?

To find out who your legislators are in Colorado, click this link and input your residential information.

What if I Have Questions?

I would be surprised if you did not have questions! The best place to direct them is the Music Therapy Task Force, and the best email is amandabrigham.cmts@gmail.com to reach Amanda Brigham, MM, MT-BC, NMT

What do I tell my legislators?

Tell them that you support the bill being introduced in 2027 to license music therapists! For more details, reach out to the Colorado Music Therapy Task Force.

Let’s learn our lesson from the Colorado Funeral Homes. The last thing we want is for a horror story like this to bring attention to this important issue. Music therapists serve vulnerable populations of people in Colorado. To ensure that you or your loved one is getting the best service, make sure your advocate for music therapists to be licensed in the state of Colorado.

Stay Tuned!

Mountain Melodies will be launching a blog series with the purpose to educate the public about the profession of music therapy. Subscribe to make sure you don’t miss the next blog post!