I have just finished my second week of internship! It has been a little bit different that what I expected, mainly due to COVID-19 procedures, but it has been very exciting! Being an intern during a global pandemic certainly makes for an interesting time.
Throughout these two weeks, I have had a few unexpected circumstances come up. The weekend before I was scheduled to start, I was informed that I had possibly been exposed to COVID-19, which is not unexpected during these times. As a result, my first week was spent at home where I began via Zoom and online classes. During my second week, one of the locations where I was supposed to observe decided to remain fully remote rather than going back in person. Therefore, a good portion of my schedule was put on pause.
As this pandemic does not look like it is going to end any time soon, I am choosing to find the good. It can be really hard to not worry about how the pandemic can and will be affecting your life for the next six to seven months. There are certainly some days where I can get wrapped up in my head. During those times, it is important to find the good. I found three things to help me navigate these tough times.
Be Flexible
I am so fortunate to have a team that is supportive and understanding of the situation. When I was possibly exposed, my supervisors adjusted my first week to make sure I could still get hours even though I was unable to come in. During my second week, one of the locations I was going to observe decided to stay remote until further notice. As a result, my schedule changed once again. Hopefully my schedule will begin to settle out in the next week or two but until it does, I am ready for whatever life throws my way!
Enjoy Current Opportunities
This past week has been a big adjustment for me. Some of my days are fairly full and I have a lot of music to learn and assignments to complete. While I currently have a lot of free time in my schedule, I know that this will not be the case in a few weeks. Because of that, I am taking advantage of the free time I have to learn as much music as I can, work ahead, and adjust to being an intern. Although I am excited to (hopefully) meet some new clientele in the next few weeks and months, I appreciate the free time I have in my current schedule.
Find the Good
While I am unable to spend full days with clients in-person, I am learning how to do music therapy in other ways. Two methods I am learning are music therapy via Zoom and recorded videos. Both methods have their pros and cons, and I definitely prefer Zoom over recordings. However, both methods are great ways to provide telehealth services during the pandemic.
Even though my internship is looking differently than I expected a few months ago, I am excited to see what it has in store over the next few months.
Thanks for reading and I hope you all stay healthy this upcoming week!
Hello everyone! My name is Cicely McCain and I am the new music therapy intern here at MTC! I am so excited to start my journey with this group. As this is my first blog post, I should probably tell you all a little about myself.
I am from the small town of Petersburg, IL. I have a younger sister and two little brothers. I also have a pet gecko named Lil A (his full name is Alexios). In my free time, I like to paint, play piano, and watch TV shows. My favorite to watch is anything Star Trek.
For the past four years, I attended Western Illinois University, from which (pending completion of internship) I will graduate with a major in music therapy and a minor in psychology as a Voice/Trumpet primary. During my time there, I was a member of multiple ensembles, including University Singers, Concert Band, Marching Band, and even Steel Band for a bit! I was also a member of WIU’s Music Therapy Association and Mu Phi Epsilon.
As I am a fresh intern, there are PLENTY of areas in which I can improve, such as improvisation, song writing, and overall confidence. During my first week, I have written three goals to help me be the best me I can be for myself, the MTC team, and my clients. Those goals are:
1. I will not let my anxieties and nerves get in the way of my growth.
I tend to allow my anxieties and nerves hold me back from experiences. Often times, I will avoid pushing myself to the next level because it is “new” and I am scared of failing. However, you cannot grow if you never try new things. Author Celestine Chua said, “Fear, uncertainty and discomfort are your compass towards growth.” I plan to remind myself of this each day of this journey.
2. I will fully prepare for each day as best I can physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Throughout high school and college, I tended to “wing it” a lot. I did not have a proper sleep schedule, struggled to remember to eat or drink regularly throughout the day, and generally just went through the motions. Looking back, I wish I would have taken better care of my mind and body. I cannot give to my team or my clients in the way they need if I start my day half empty. During internship, I plan to take better care of myself so that I can be there for those who need me.
3. I will force myself to step outside of my comfort zone in all aspects that arise.
As stated in my first goal, I tend to avoid “new” or “scary” things. There are many skills that I am nervous about learning, such as improvisation and songwriting. I have minimal experience with both, but I know that these are very important skills for music therapists to have. Throughout these six months, I am going to avoid shying away from anything that is scary, but rather push myself to get as much out of internship as I can.
I look forward to everything I will continue to experience and learn during my internship. In six months, I hope to look back on these posts and see how much I have grown.
Hi everyone! I hope you have all had a fabulous week! This week was my last week of internship! I’ve definitely experienced a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the week as I look both backwards and forwards to what is next.
I am so thankful for all of my internship experiences. I worked in settings I never pictured myself in, and ended up loving them. I did songwriting and recording for the first time. I now improvise willingly! It’s interesting to look back and see the changes in my perspective, attitude, and abilities. I remember literally holding back tears during my first supervision. Not one of my finest moments, but all part of the learning process.
Internship has truly been a most rewarding experience, and my gratitude for the opportunity to be here at MTC cannot be overstated. Yes, there is, and has been, a lot to do and learn and it can get stressful, but there is really nothing else quite like it to confirm that this is where I should be and that music therapy is what I should be doing. 6 months seems like a long time, but it really isn’t with all the information and experience you gain.
Those of you who are looking for internships or are an intern right now: don’t take this time for granted. It goes by so quickly. Before you know it, it’s time to take the CBMT exam and work as a professional. Take one day at a time and learn as much as you possibly can.
As I said before, I am so thankful for all of the experiences I had in internship, but I’m even more grateful for each person that helped shape me throughout this experience. My supervisors, Katey, Rachel, Laura, and Molly, have been a true blessing to me. Thank you for guiding, supporting, teaching, and helping me throughout my internship.
The entire MTC team has been so caring throughout this process. My clients have helped me just as much as I hope to have helped them. My family and friends have always been just a phone call away. It has been such a gift to have these people supporting and believing in me.
And, thank you for reading my thoughts each week! This was my first experience writing a blog, and I really enjoyed it! Thank you for supporting me each week!
I have enjoyed my internship so much and am sad to see it end, but I am looking forward to what lies ahead!
As always, thanks for reading and have a great week!
Hello! I hope everyone had a spooky Halloween! It was lots of fun at MTC!
Halloween was definitely interesting this year because it snowed here in Springfield! I had some sessions at a daycare center that morning, and the kiddos were saying “It’s almost Christmas!” as they were so excited to see the snow. It brightened my morning to see their joy, as I myself was not too thrilled about the weather.
The children’s joy for Christmas made me realize that the big holiday season is right around the corner! I wanted to share some of my favorite songs to use during this wonderful time of the year!
Halloween (Maybe you can use these ideas next year!)
“Lollipop, Lollipop“: Rachel Rambach created this adaptation of the well known song. We play the lollipop drums and work on following directions and motor skills. This is a great intervention for both kids and adults.
“Halloween Stew” by Rachel Rambach: This song is a great way to work on the alphabet! We create a stew together, but all of our ingredients have to start with the same letter.
“Thriller” by Michael Jackson: This is a fun one to get up and dance to, let some energy out, and work on motor skills!
Thanksgiving
“The Colors of Thanksgiving” by Rachel Rambach: This song talks about all the delicious food we get to eat at Thanksgiving while also identifying colors.
“Humble and Kind” by Tim McGraw: The main theme of this song is to take time out of your day to be humble and kind. Be thankful for all that is around you and don’t take anything for granted.
“Thankful” by Josh Groban: I hear this song a lot around Christmas time, but you can simply tell by the name that it’s also appropriate for Thanksgiving.
Christmas
“My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music: This song is not specifically a Christmas song, but it tends to be lumped in with other Christmas music. This is a great way to discuss coping skills. Rewrite the song with your client’s favorite things!
“Jingle Bells“: This is always a favorite! Hand out those jingle bells and create group cohesion! You could also work on motor skills, following directions, and social skills.
“The 12 Days of Christmas”: A fun song to work on sequencing and counting skills!
I am so ready to jam out to Christmas music, but I’m making myself wait until after Thanksgiving. Planning for sessions doesn’t count though, right? :)
I hope some of these song ideas are helpful! Thanks for reading and have a great week!
I hope you are all doing well! It’s been an eventful week, as I have added some new clients and classes to my schedule. What a great week it has been!
As my internship continues to wind down, I have found myself doing a lot of reflection. I have quite a long commute every day, and this provides a great opportunity to think about and reflect on all that has happened. Recently I have not just been reflecting on my internship, but on my life and how much I’ve grown. I would like to use this blog post as a way to journal about my thoughts and let you know what I wish I would have told my younger self.
Try new things and do what scares you.
Though I still struggle with confidence, it’s truly amazing to look back and see just how much confidence I have gained during my internship. This is all because I was constantly pushed out of my comfort zone. The more experience I gained, the greater my confidence grew. This wasn’t limited to my music therapy experience; it carried over to my personal life as well. I wish I could go back and tell my younger self to try new things and do what scares you, because that is what has helped develop my confidence these past 6 months.
Don’t quit piano!
Like pretty much every other kid, I took piano lessons growing up. I also took voice lessons and played multiple sports, and these just took over my priority and interest during my younger years. So, I ended up quitting piano. I truly wish I would have kept up with piano, as now I use it every day. Thankfully, a lot of my piano skills came back, but I could be so much further along if I had just stuck to it. What’s funny is, what used to cause me so much dread has now become my accompaniment instrument of choice. I love the piano!
Say “thank you” more often.
There are so many people who have supported me and guided me to be who I am today, but, in the moment, I had no idea. I wish I would have thanked my parents, my family, friends, teachers, everyone more often growing up as each person has influenced who I am in some way. So, thank you to everyone who has ever spent even just a moment in my life.
Everything will be alright.
No matter what happens, everything will work out. Breathe and take one day at a time.
If I could go back in time and tell my younger self these things, I definitely would. I’ve learned so much in the past 6 months, both professionally and personally. Do you have anything you wish you could tell your younger self? Let me know in the comments!
Hello everyone! What beautiful fall weather we have been having here in Springfield! I’m quickly rediscovering my love for fall! Hooray for sweater weather!
My internship is quickly coming to a close. I only have about 3 weeks left! Where has the time gone?
One of my very first blog posts was about a fun topic called “perfectionism.” I promised that I would give an update on how I was doing with my perfectionist tendencies later on in my internship, and I figured it’s about time to share that update!
Perfectionism is something I believe I will continue to battle, but I’ve seen some huge improvements over the past 5 months. I’ve learned to avoid over-planning, to take things as they come, and focus on the positives. Here are some things that I have found beneficial in keeping my perfectionist self in check.
At the end of the day, tell yourself one thing that you did really well.
No matter if my day was amazing or the worst day I’ve had, I considered at least one thing I was proud of myself for. I wrote this down in my daily journal or told myself this on my drive home. This forces your brain to focus on a positive for at least a few seconds, and it usually carries over for the rest of the day.
“A finished product is sometimes better than waiting for the perfect product.”
This is a topic discussed in Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic. This has been a game changer for me as I continue songwriting and finish my final assignments and projects. Don’t get me wrong: I have not lowered my standards. Rather, once the assignment is finished, I don’t obsess over it and continue to make changes. If you wait for the perfect product, it may never come.
In 10 years from now, who is going to remember that mistake you made?
This is one I tell myself on repeat. Who is going to remember in 10 years, 10 months, or even 10 minutes the chord you missed or the not-so-brilliant thing you said? No one. To be blunt, they probably didn’t even notice or care in the first place.
Perfectionism is very common in the music therapy world. We want to be the best we can be because not only are we affecting our lives, but the lives of our clients. It’s important to not lower your standards, but keep in mind that it’s okay to not be perfect. The things I talked about above have helped me tremendously throughout my internship. If you have other tips in how to push perfectionism aside, please share them in the comments.
As always, thanks for reading and have a fabulous week!
