I am finishing up my first week at Music Therapy Connections, and I am so happy to be here. Some of you may have read my first blog post a month or two ago where I introduced myself as the new MTC intern, and I am thrilled to have finally started this week!
This week has proven to be challenging, yet rewarding. I attended quite a bit of training, but also had the opportunity to observe, and even co-lead a few sessions.
Like a lot of people, I have a problem with getting in my own head. Every day I wear a bracelet with a quote from Winnie the Pooh on it that says, “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
This is something I tell myself whenever I face a new or particularly challenging situation. I think that everyone could benefit from hearing this quote from time to time.
You’re braver than you believe.
Whether you know it or not, you are brave. No matter what your occupation or status, it takes bravery to simply be yourself. Sometimes things push you out of your comfort zone, and it takes bravery to accept these challenges.
During this first week at MTC, I was given the opportunity to lead a few songs and co-lead a session. In one hour-long session, I had never met the client before. If I was asked a month ago to do this, with little preparation time, I am unsure what the outcome would have been. It took bravery for me to do so this week, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to push myself this way. I was able to step out of my comfort zone and even be successful.
If you are in a similar situation and feeling nervous about any new endeavor in your life, remember that you are braver than you believe.
You’re stronger than you seem.
Strength doesn’t have to be in muscle. Strength can be seen in many forms such as passion, grit, and determination.
I found strength in myself this week through perseverance. I made mistakes this week. It’s part of learning. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s important to remember that most mistakes don’t matter in the grand scheme of things, it’s what you do afterwards that matters.
Everyone encounters situations where they do not feel strong enough, but remember that your strengths may look different than others and may change from situation to situation. Keep using your own strength, and remember that you are stronger than you seem.
You’re smarter than think.
This is something I have to tell myself constantly. A lot of people have self-doubt, especially in new situations, unfamiliar places, or when meeting new people. In these cases, we may feel like we have forgotten everything we have been taught, or doubt that we ever knew anything in the first place. At these times we need to remember that we actually do know some stuff, and even if we don’t know it all, there are people around us to help.
I was terrified that I wasn’t going to remember everything from my classes when starting internship (let’s be honest, it’s extremely unlikely to remember everything anyways), but I proved to myself this week that I remember and know a lot more than I think I do. Don’t let your own self-doubt get in the way, and remember that you are smarter than you think.
Do you have a favorite quote that you use in your everyday life?
Hello, everyone! My name is Emma Kovachevich and I will be Music Therapy Connection’s Intern starting at the end of May. I am so excited to start this new adventure in my life and am very grateful for the chance to intern at MTC.
I
have been following Music Therapy Connections on social media for the last four
years. It is crazy for me to think that I have been given the opportunity to
study and learn under Rachel, Katey, and the rest of the MTC team. This is
truly my dream internship and I can’t wait to share my journey with all of you
in my weekly blog posts.
Since I will be writing to you each week after I begin my internship, I suppose you may like to know a little about me! I am from Huntley, IL, which is a western suburb of Chicago.
My family is made up of talented musicians, so I was surrounded by all types of music at a very young age. I started taking voice lessons at 5 years old and quickly learned that it was something I loved to do. I also have participated in choir since grade school. I played the oboe in my grade school and high school band. I have not had the opportunity to play oboe recently, but have picked up guitar, piano, and ukulele.
I am currently a student at Western Illinois University and will walk in commencement in May 2019. At Western I have been a member in multiple ensembles including University Singers, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and Concert Choir. I am also a member of the WIU Music Therapy Association, Sigma Alpha Iota, and Lutheran Student Fellowship.
I will miss WIU, but I look forward to all the new experiences and knowledge I will gain at Music Therapy Connections.
My
next big adventure will be traveling to Cincinnati, Ohio for the GLR Music
Therapy Conference! If you see me there, please don’t hesitate to say hi!
Well, this is my last blog post of my internship.The last six and a half months have flown by and I’m so happy that I got to spend my internship here at Music Therapy Connections. It’s been a fun journey of learning, growing, and meeting new people that have changed my life in so many positive ways. As I look back at who I was in August of last year, I realize that I’m a completely different person now. Even though it was hard at times and there good and bad moments, I wouldn’t change a thing about my internship experience. I’m so incredibly thankful for Rachel and Katey as well as the other team members here at Music Therapy Connections for welcoming me, challenging me, and loving me, especially when I didn’t know anyone else here in Springfield. My internship is an experience that I will surely remember for the rest of my life.
After this next week, I will be off to a new place to start another journey at my first job as a music therapist. I haven’t exactly absorbed or accepted the fact that I’m moving next Friday and finally starting my life after college, but know that all will be alright in the end. I don’t know where life will take me after next week, but I do know that it will be wonderful as long as I keep a positive mindset. It may be hard at times, but with a positive mindset, I will be able to conquer anything. I also have no doubt that I have the tools necessary to be an effective entry-level music therapist.
Finally, thank you for letting me share my thoughts and opinions with you each week. Blogging has been a great way for me to stay reflective and challenge myself to change my mindset whenever I needed it. I may be a sentimental person, but if you are just starting out your internship or will be in the next few months, I want you to remember to soak in every moment of your internship because it goes by fast.
Throughout the course of my internship, I’ve written several original and piggy-back songs and recorded them; I’ve learned a lot from the process and now believe that I have the tools and knowledge necessary to write songs specific to my client’s goals and objectives. This week, I’ve been working on one of my final projects for the end of my internship. I’ve decided to take all of my songs that I have written and recorded, put them into a book and analyze them to see how I can adapt them for different client populations and goals. This has had me reflect on three songs I use on frequently and how I adapt them daily for different client needs.
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
I use this song a lot in the hospital setting, especially with younger children. Just this week, I improvised piggyback lyrics for a patient who wanted to sing about seahorses and starfish. I kept the melody of this song, just added different lyrics, encouraging the patient to engage in songwriting with me in order to allow them to express themselves in a positive constructive way. Since this is such a familiar melody to so many young children, you can rewrite the lyrics for any purpose or goal!
Twist and Shout-The Beatles
I’ve used this song throughout practicum as well as my internship for a variety of purposes. One can change the lyrics to this song to promote movement, encourage the learning of directional changes and opposites, make smooth transitions, and even promote speech. The melody is catchy enough to use with younger children and most older adults know this song as well!
Shake Your Sillies Out-Children Song
This song is a favorite of mine, however, I never sing it the way that it was originally written. I usually adapt this song in the hospital setting for when a patient is playing the drum or a shaker. I change the words based on their actions in the moment; for example, if they’re tapping the drum, I sing about tapping and replace the lyrics accordingly. If they’re playing a maraca or using an egg shaker, I sing about opposites and directional changes (up, down, etc.). Like the previous two songs, it’s such a great song because it’s easy to sing along with and great to adapt!
What are some of your favorite songs to adapt? I’m always looking for new songs and would love to hear from you!!
Never say never. I have the bad habit of saying “I’m never going to (insert comment here) because I just don’t like it.” I use this phrase frequently, almost daily, about various aspects of my life. I’ve proved myself wrong over and over again because I’m currently doing things that I said I would “never” do in life. For example, I said I would never teach lessons. At my internship, I teach music lessons for piano and over the past six months, I am realizing that I LOVE it; now I’m considering teaching piano and flute lessons after my internship because it’s something that I enjoy doing and I love working with students.
I’ve heard myself say “in the future, I never want to do this” so many times in the past few months so I wonder why do I say it in the first place? It might be because something seems uncomfortable at first, but after practice and experience everything does get easier and more comfortable. Part of growing as a person is realizing that your tastes, likes, and dislikes change over time. Looking five years into the future, after learning and practicing, I might enjoy an activity that I absolutely dislike right now. The truth is that by saying “never” to something, it limits my outlook and prevents me from expanding, learning, and growing. The brain is a powerful thing and it hears me saying to myself that I will never do something, which causes me have a general negative attitude towards that situation. However, I’m very fortunate that I’m surrounded by people who push me despite hearing me say that “I never want to do” something.
Keep an open mind when trying new things. Always. Also, stop saying never! I’m striving to take that word completely out of my vocabulary. It’s a toxic word that prevents growth and limits a person from finding their true potential. That’s the lesson that I’ve learned this week and probably one that I will keep learning throughout my life. Just because something is hard right now, doesn’t mean that it won’t get easier over time; I might find myself to actually enjoy it!
Last week I wrote about three reminders that I would tell myself in the past in order to help overcome challenges. This week I would like to reflect and share with you three things I would like to keep in mind as I continue practicing as a board-certified music therapist after internship. If you are in this stage of life as well, finishing up internship and deciding what is to come next, I challenge you to think about what you could possibly remind yourself in the future, especially when times get tough or seem difficult.
1. Keep an open mind.
When I continue on through my career, I need to remind myself to continue keeping an open mind about any situation I may encounter. This has been my theme of the past week; just because I may not fully enjoy something right at this moment, it doesn’t mean that, in the future, I won’t enjoy it or have developed the skills to be effective in a particular situation. This can apply to all aspects of life including clinical situations, certain foods, and other activities.
2. Trust yourself.
As Katey always says to me, “You’re the expert! What is there to worry about?” So as I enter into my career, I need to believe and trust in myself more than ever. Even when I feel that I don’t know what I’m doing, I do know because I’ve received excellent training and guidance in the past. You CAN do it because you ARE the expert!
3. Take care of yourself!
This is probably the biggest reminder that I need to tell myself everyday after my internship. I’ve been experiencing multiple problems that have stemmed from muscle weakness. I haven’ t been taking care of myself the way I should and it has effected my guitar playing and overall personal health. When I start my new job, I need to be proactive about strengthening my muscles so that it medical problems don’t get in the way of my clinical skills.
