Hello everyone!
I hope that you all have had a wonderful week. I know I have! This weekend was the American Music Therapy Association National Music Therapy conference and it was a blast. Music Therapy Connections had a booth at this conference which gave me several opportunities to talk with professionals and students, building connections and growing my communication skills. It has been an exciting time and it’s always so interesting to hear other people’s stories and their experiences. Also, I was able to see and talk with many friends from school, which was wonderful because I missed all of them dearly.
Besides talking with professional MT-BC’s and other students, I had the opportunity to attend several sessions; at these sessions, music therapists gave presentations about current research, collaboration between music therapy and other professions, and even shared their methods and intervention ideas. It was a great learning experience, especially now that I am completing my internship.
I believe that attending conferences is extremely important and essential in the growth of the music therapy profession. As I continue in my education and continue building my skills, I am realizing just how important it is to network with other music therapists and students. I am learning that when you have these relationships and connections, you can discuss ideas for interventions, research, best practice methods, and help in the growth of the profession. I love talking with my friends from school and learning about their experiences in their life as a professional music therapist because I can ask for suggestions and guidance; they may have experience in a different area and I can learn from them.
Collaboration, not just with other professions, but with other music therapists and students is important and wonderful. In my personal opinion, if we work together, learn from each other, and support one another, then the field of music therapy will continue to be a strong profession and grow even more. Attending conferences allows us to do just this-grow, work, and learn from each other. School is another excellent place to build relationships. When you are a student, build connections with everyone in the program because you never know what the future holds; you may work with a few peers and they can be excellent resource sources!
I am going to spend this week reflecting on my experience at this conference and determine how I can use what I learned in my practice as an intern. I look forward to attending future conferences, especially next year in St. Louis!
Thanks for reading!
Sammy Springer
