I hope you have had another amazing week! I had a great week at MTC. It’s crazy to think that I am finishing up my 10th week of internship! This week I want to lighten up the blog a bit. I’ll tell you a little bit more about myself as well as summarize a few points that I’ve learned in the first ⅓ of my internship!
I wrote an intro blog post a few months ago, but I didn’t really go deep into much information about myself. I thought it would be cool to share some fun facts that you maybe don’t know!
Here it goes:
I’m from a western suburb of Chicago, but I can count on one hand how many times I’ve actually been to the city.
I’m definitely not a city girl. Lots of my friends go to Chicago for the day just for fun, but it’s never really interested me, unless it’s for a musical, of course.
My primary instrument is voice.
I sang in University Singers, Madrigal Singers, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and Concert Choir throughout my 4 years at Western Illinois.
I’ve also dabbled in a little bit of oboe.
You know how in fourth grade you get the exciting opportunity to pick a band instrument? Well, I picked oboe. I played it 4th-8th grade and then picked it up again for band my junior year of high school. I haven’t touched it since, so please don’t ask me to play you anything.
I’m very clumsy.
It’s really quite amazing that I’ve never broken a bone. I’m the person who trips over cracks in the sidewalk.
I didn’t know I wanted to study music therapy until the second semester of my senior year of high school.
I know, that’s cutting it pretty close. I had to decide between music therapy and athletic training, and I am so happy with my decision.
Alright, now let’s get to a few things I’ve learned so far at MTC! These aren’t all necessarily things that are specific to music therapy. I feel like I have grown so much as a music therapist and as a person these last 10 weeks. I’ve written about some of these points in previous blog posts, but I find it beneficial to remind myself of these things over and over again.
Get out of your head.
I’ve learned that my mind is my best friend AND my biggest enemy. The brain stores so much information that is so useful. I spend too much time in my head which makes me second guess myself. It’s easier said than done, but I have to get out of my head in order to be the best therapist I can be.
Go with your gut.
This kind of goes along with getting out of your head. If you aren’t sure what to do, go with your gut. It’s usually right.
We are all still learning.
I will never know it all, and that’s okay. It’s important to recognize that you don’t know it all, but also be confident in what you know so far.
Be yourself and decide what works best for you.
Getting to have 4 different supervisors is such a blessing. I get to learn from 4 different people with 4 different experiences. Every MT has their own philosophy of music therapy, their own background, and different “expertise.” It’s okay to be different. Don’t mold yourself after one person.
Have fun!
If you aren’t having fun, why are you doing what you’re doing? Live in the moment, do the silly things, and don’t take yourself too seriously.
I’ve completed ⅓ of my internship! I enjoyed being more laid back this week with the blog, and I hope you enjoyed reading it! I would love to hear how other interns are enjoying their internships as well. So if you have something to add or share, please do!
Hi again! I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about something near and dear to my heart: the importance of self care when working in a helping profession.
I knew when I decided to become a music therapy major that it wouldn’t always be easy for so many reasons, but I don’t think I really came to fully understand that until now, as a professional. I knew I would be having difficult discussions with clients and helping them through difficult times in their lives, but the emotional toll of what that would be like didn’t hit me until I began working in the field.
One of my main contract locations is a pediatric behavioral health facility. I work with people ages from 5 to 18 with a broad range of psychiatric and behavioral disorders. I love working with this population, but it can be very emotionally challenging at times.
Coupled with the fact that I have other contracts and a caseload of clients and students at MTC, I can feel pretty exhausted — physically and emotionally — at the end of the week. This is where self care comes in.
When I first began working, and even when I first began internship, I thought I understood the importance of self care. I made sure to do things to take care of myself and treat myself with kindness. Quickly, though, I realized that the things I thought were self care just weren’t working for me. Watching Netflix is great, but doing it for an entire weekend because you think it’s ‘what you need for self care’ isn’t always the answer.
For me, self care has become taking a long walk in the evening and stopping to pet dogs. It’s become cooking a good, healthy, nourishing meal for myself to power my body and brain. It’s forgiving myself when I make a mistake. It’s become minimizing electronic use at night to get a good, solid night’s sleep. It’s making sure I drink enough water.
It’s even become throughly cleaning my apartment or my car out on a Sunday afternoon to have a fresh start for the week. It’s also become finding a creative outlet outside of work — I’m really looking forward to joining the Capitol Area Concert Band when they resume rehearsals in August!
Self care looks different for everyone, and for some, a weekend of laying on the couch watching Netflix might be exactly what you need. I encourage you to take a closer look at your current self care routine and examine what’s working and what might not be. Self care isn’t selfish, and it’s an important part of being a human in today’s fast paced world.
As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you do something nice for yourself this week!
It’s been a great week at MTC. Lots of learning and growing as always! This week’s blog post is primarily for music therapy interns and students, as I know that this is a popular time of the year for internships to be starting, but I think it is also applicable for everyone!
Heads up: this might get very real. It is coming from someone in the first few months of her internship. I understand that everyone has different experiences, and I appreciate you reading my thoughts this week!
“You think you know everything until you start your internship.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this sentence. This sentence has A LOT of truth to it, but at the same time I’m not certain that it is 100% true. Also, it’s really scary to hear.
As someone who overthinks and self-doubts, hearing this sentence only made me more nervous for my internship. Here’s what I got from this statement: I had gone through 4 years of college classes on music therapy and so much more, but yet I actually know very little.
I do think that it is important to reinforce that students don’t know everything, but also important to remember that not all students really think that they know everything.
A lot changes during internship. It’s all music therapy all the time. There are no ensemble rehearsals or theory, English, and history classes. An intern gets more hands-on experience in his or her first 2-3 weeks of internship than in the entire 4 years of practicum. It’s a lot of change, but all that you learn in your coursework prepares you for this next step.
To students:
It’s true. You don’t know everything, but then again, who does? One of my supervisors likes to say that we’re all still learning. This is also true. We are all still learning. It’s why we have 4 years of college classes, a 6 month internship, a board-certification exam, graduate level classes, and continuing education requirements. There is always more to learn.
To interns:
It’s true. You don’t know everything, but you do know more than you think you do. From experiences I have had with MT students and interns, most of us don’t put ourselves on a pedestal. In fact, I’ve seen more of us tear ourselves down and doubt ourselves. I know I certainly do.
There is so much to learn about music therapy, so much that we will never know it all. However, this self-doubt does us no good in the music therapy profession. It gets in the way of what we need to do to help our clients. So no, you don’t know it all, but during sessions you apply what you do know.
Whether you’re a student or intern, you ARE the professional in your clients’ eyes.
Internship is a hard 6 months. Entering the internship process can be very daunting. Hearing “You think you know everything until you start your internship,” can just make it more scary and as if the last four years of your life didn’t mean anything.
Instead of saying this, maybe we should say, “You’ve learned a lot so far, and you still have a lot to learn,” or, “You have learned what you need to know up until this point, and you will continue to learn so much more.”
Music therapy students and interns: you’ve got this! Music therapy professionals: thank you for educating students, interns, other professionals, and yourselves every day.
We are all still learning!
This blog post did get real, and thank you for reading my thoughts this week. Have another great week and happy learning!
Hello again everyone! I hope you all have had a wonderful week!
Last week I wrote about building rapport with clients, and this week I would like to expand upon that topic. More specifically, I am reflecting on building rapport with staff, parents, guardians, and caregivers of clients.
Throughout these first 8 weeks of internship, I have been focusing on building rapport with clients, learning their names, and simply getting to know them. As the weeks have gone by, I realized that I know very little about the people who care for them. Of course, I will continue to build rapport with all of my clients, but I now will be more active in engaging with and getting to know the people around them.
I can be very shy, so talking to people is definitely not one of my strengths. However, stepping out of my box and reaching out to the people who care for my clients can go a long way.
It is important to consider these points when getting to know staff, parents, guardians, and caregivers:
These are the people who bring the clients to sessions.
In a residential facility or school, staff are the people who bring the clients to you, or, if you go to them, get them ready for the session. If you have your own space and clients come to you, parents, guardians and caregivers are often the people who make this happen. It is important to build a relationship with these people in order to make them feel comfortable, welcome, and recognized.
These people are important to your clients.
Odds are, these people probably have a strong relationship and connection to the clients we are seeing. Getting to know them will also help us better understand our clients.
These are the people who provide necessary materials.
Funds, payment, instruments, books, etc. It sometimes takes a lot of materials to get music therapy going. Parents, guardians, and caregivers pay for our services, and in turn help provide the other necessary materials. In residential and school settings, there is administration that decides where money funds go. They can make or break a music therapy program.
Perhaps the most important: these are the people who support music therapy.
The field of music therapy is growing, but it still is not known everywhere. Parents, guardians, caregivers and sometimes staff are the people who have heard of music therapy, believe that it works and is beneficial, and signed up for services.
These people advocate for us. These are the people who witness first-hand the changes in the clients and how the skills learned transfer to everyday life. Staff, parents, and guardians are SO important to music therapists.
As I move into the end of my second month of internship, I really want to put some focus on noticing, appreciating, and thanking the people who support music therapy.
So, if you are a parent, guardian, caregiver, staff, friend, or supporter of music therapy, thank youfor all you do. We appreciate you more than you know.
I encourage my fellow MT students, interns, and professionals to reflect on these people in your life and clients’ lives this week.
Hello again! I hope you had a lovely Independence Day!
For me, it was a lovely mid-week break. Thursdays are my busiest days between a contract location in the morning and clients and students in the afternoon, so the holiday was a much needed bit of rest. Reflecting (and resting!) yesterday inspired me to write a blog post about my weekly schedule now that I’ve settled into a routine.
Mondays are a good, slow start to the week. I have a contract location in the morning and then I see a few clients at MTC in the afternoon. It’s a great way to ease into the week!
Tuesdays begin to speed up a bit, with a very fast-paced contract all morning, supervision with my colleagues in the afternoon, and a few lessons in the afternoon and evening.
Wednesdays are a nice bit of mid-week quiet for now. I’ll have some Listen and Learn for Little Ones classes starting this week and I’ll begin at a different contract location on Wednesday mornings in the early fall, but for now I’ve just been focusing on office tasks, practicing, and students.
Thursdays are by far my busiest day! I go to the same fast-paced contract location as Tuesday for a few hours in the morning, then I head to MTC for a few back-to-back clients and students in the afternoon. I usually leave the office quite tired at the end of the day, but also quite fulfilled.
Fridays for now are a nice quiet end to the work week. The contract location I’m scheduled to be at is on summer break, so I’ve just been taking Fridays as an opportunity to get things done at MTC like organizing and cleaning, practicing, writing blog posts, doing some general office work and seeing a client and a student. Starting in the fall, though, my Fridays will fill up quickly with contract work and more clients and students at MTC!
This ‘light’ schedule has been a great way to ease into my new job and roles here at MTC. Coming straight from busy weeks of college classes and internship has definitely helped keep me on top of things and in a routine. It’s also definitely helped that my schedule is a bit lighter for the summer as I get adjusted to life as a professional music therapist and living here in Springfield.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read! I look forward to seeing you around MTC.
Hello! I hope you’ve all had an amazing 4th of July!
This week I am reflecting on rapport. This is SO important in the therapeutic process and in building a therapeutic relationship. We talked a lot about this in school, but I didn’t realize just how important building rapport is until recently.
Over the past couple weeks, I have begun leading lots of new sessions. Most of these clients had already been seeing one of my supervisors, so when I started leading I just jumped in where they left off.
This wasn’t always successful. I couldn’t figure out why clients would participate with my supervisor, but not with me. My supervisor pointed out that they don’t know me very well yet and I hadn’t built rapport with them. So, my next session I simply focused on building this therapeutic relationship.
It’s amazing what building trust and rapport does. In that next session, I gave the client choices and was not strict about what we would do. They immediately opened up to me. Giving them a choice and a sense of working together did marvelous things.
Though the client had choices and directed where the session went, we were still able to address their goals. I need to continue building this rapport, and as time goes on, the relationship I have built with the client will allow me to challenge the client in different ways.
Here are some ways that you can build rapport in your sessions:
Give the client lots of choices (i.e. what instrument to play or what song to sing)
Ask questions to get to know the client
Let the client choose the order of the interventions
Use client-preferred music
Therapy is a process, and that process right now includes building rapport with most of my clients. This will help immensely now and in the future. Though I want to focus on building the therapeutic relationship, this doesn’t mean I’m not also finding ways to address their goals. It’s all a balance.
If you’re a student or intern working with new clients and things just don’t seem to be working, try taking a step back and building rapport. It’ll do wonders for you and your client!
I have been building rapport with my clients by giving them lots of choices during sessions; how do you build rapport?
I have mementos of home all over my apartment- one of my favorites is this beautiful picture of Connecticut, featuring mountain laurel which is the state flower.
Hello again and happy Friday! Now that I’ve introduced myself, I wanted to share a little about my first few weeks here at MTC and in Illinois. As you may know from reading my previous blog post, I recently moved here all the way from Connecticut. It was a big change, but one I’m so glad I made!
Relocating your entire life can be a little scary, especially when you’re moving halfway across the country to a place where you know no one. When I was looking for a job, I didn’t really look in Connecticut much. I knew that I wanted to live in a different state and experience new things — but I never thought that would bring me all the way to Illinois! I’ve always had an adventurous spirit, so when this wonderful opportunity presented itself, I didn’t bat an eyelash. It’s been the best decision I’ve ever made!
Now that I’ve been here for almost a month, I’ve had some time to settle in to my routine. I have a jam-packed schedule at MTC and the various contract locations that I serve, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve kept busy with trainings, paperwork, practicing, sessions, lessons, and not to mention unpacking and organizing at home!
Now that most of the trainings and paperwork are done and my apartment is mostly unpacked, I am really looking forward to getting out and exploring the awesome city of Springfield.
It’s been wonderful getting to know all the families and clients at MTC and I look forward to writing more blog posts in the future! Thanks for reading!
It’s been a busy week at Music Therapy Connections! Full of new clients, new interventions, and new songs! My assignment for this week was to create a “Most Popular Songs” binder, and I wanted to share with you a little bit of what went into that binder.
At one of the sites at which I intern, I do a sing-along three days a week in addition to the regular music therapy sessions. This is an opportunity for the clients to sing what they want and just have fun! During this time, I’m not necessarily worried about fulfilling goals, but rather, it is an opportunity for them to work on social and communication skills.
The clients at this site range from children (about age 5) to young adults. I wanted to share with you the top 5 most requested songs I have received during sing-along! If you will be working with an age group like this, I would highly recommend you add these songs to your repertoire.
“You’ve Got a Friend in Me” – Toy Story
This is definitely a favorite, especially with Toy Story 4 just coming out in theaters. This song also presents good opportunities to use signing within it (especially on the “you’ve got a friend in me” phrases). I can also see it being used in song discussion about who their friends are and who they trust.
“Firework” – Katy Perry
This isn’t one of the newest pop songs, but the clients still love it. This song could also be used in regards to emotional expression and talking about feelings. Recently, I actually piggybacked this song for social situations.
“Let it Go” – Frozen
This one isn’t too much of a surprise, as Frozen is still popular with most kids. It’s a fun song to belt out with the clients at sing-along.
“True Colors” – Trolls
I have still not seen the movie Trolls, but apparently I need to because the clients request it a lot! Thankfully the movie soundtrack features some well-known popular songs, including “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper.
“Reflection” – Mulan
This is an older Disney movie that gets requested quite often. This song can be used to talk about self-identity and self-worth. Not to mention, the song is just beautiful in itself.
There are so many other songs that get requested every week, but these are the 5 that are requested most often. As you can see, Disney is a common theme as well as music from movies. If you are a student, intern, or professional starting to work with this age group/population and don’t know where to start, this is a good jumping off point!
Though there are common themes, don’t be fooled. I have had plenty of requests that have surprised me. Some clients request songs that their parents or friends listen to, and some just like music you wouldn’t expect. It’s been fun getting to know all of my clients!
This week I am reflecting on self-care. We talk about self-care a lot in the music therapy field. I’ve known that self-care is important, but now I am really learning just how important it is.
Lots of things are new and different when you start your internship. For me, I moved to a different area, I hardly knew anyone, and this is my first full-time “job.”
The first month of internship also brought me new challenges, new environments, and new clients. Not to mention, most MT interns get more experience in their first two weeks of internship than in all four years of college combined! All of this can add up to be a lot of stress!
To help me cope with this stress, I have implemented daily and weekly self-care. Let me tell you, doing things for yourself on a regular basis really helps you combat the stress of the week.
Everyone’s self-care looks different, but I thought I would share with you what new self-care practices I have added to my everyday life!
Things I Do On a Daily Basis:
Make My Bed: I never did this growing up, and I’m sure my mom wasn’t happy about it (sorry Mom!), but, since starting my internship, I have been making my bed every morning when I wake up. It is a great feeling to curl up in a made bed every night.
Essential Oil Diffuser: I have this on when I get ready in the morning as well as when I get ready for bed.
Pack Lunch the Night Before: This saves me time in the morning, so I can sleep a few minutes later!
As a part of my internship requirements/assignments, I also need to do an hour of weekly self-care. Preferably, it should be something new! A lot of what I have been doing are things I used to do, but didn’t have time for in college.
Here is what I have done so far:
Crochet: Call me old-fashioned, but I love to crochet! All I know is how to make blankets, but it’s a good activity to keep your body busy and your mind empty.
Read: I used to read for fun all the time, but all I had time to read in college was textbooks. Reading takes me into another world and out of this one for a bit!
Cook: I’ll be the first to admit that I’m an awful cook. One night I simply made myself some pasta noodles, and that was good enough for me!
Date Night: I went to the mall in Springfield with my boyfriend. We didn’t even buy anything, but it was nice to simply walk and be with someone I know cares about me. This doesn’t have to be done with a significant other! Just simply spending some time with someone you know cares about you, like a family member or friend, can be so refreshing.
I think that self-care was something that I took for granted before starting my internship, but I’m learning very quickly just how important it is. To paraphrase a common saying: you must first help yourself before you can help others. Remember this and maybe even try a new self-care activity!
What are some of your favorite ways to practice self-care?
A session (or your day) can go in a million different directions, you can’t plan everything.
Hello again!
It’s hard to believe that I am finishing up my fourth week at MTC! Time has flown by, but it also feels like I’ve been here for longer than that…in a good way!
This week has definitely tested my skills as a future music therapist. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was given the opportunity to fully lead all of my sessions this week (with supervision). When I got to my internship site Monday morning, I had no idea that this was going to happen. This week became another chance for learning that sometimes you have to just “go with the flow.”
We’ve all heard this phrase at least once in our life. Though people may say it jokingly, this phrase can also be completely accurate and needed in the professional world, especially as music therapists.
I am very much a planner. I like to plan out my sessions as well as my everyday life. It took me a long time to be even a little bit comfortable with not planning every detail in a session. This internship is really pushing me to feel okay with “going with the flow” as some of the sites I am at require sessions that are full of improvisation and clients deciding what to do in the sessions.
There is a concise word for “go with the flow”: flexibility. Now, I’m not talking about touching your toes without bending your knees, because I definitely can’t do that. I’m talking about taking things as they come. I’ve learned that flexibility is a valuable skill to have as a future music therapist.
How often does your day go exactly as you pictured? How often does a session go exactly the way you planned? I know my answer to these questions: hardly ever. Though I like to plan as much as I can, something I did not expect always happens and “upsets” the plan.
Session plans are a wonderful tool. They provide structure and a direction for each session. They also are often my “security blanket” during sessions. However, I have to be careful about not overplanning.
Be open to taking the session in a different direction as the session goes on. Be open to following the client’s direction. Be prepared for unexpected things to occur. A session (or your day) can go in a million different directions, you can’t plan everything.
Here are a few things I have learned about being flexible:
Flexibility is often a learned skill.
I definitely have not always been flexible, and am still working on this skill. It takes time and practice.
Flexibility can be difficult.
It can be hard to get away from the session plan. Go with your gut and trust it. It’s often what the client needs.
Sessions often go better when you are flexible.
At least I have found this to be true. When I don’t have time to overthink, the session goes much smoother.
These past four weeks I have been “thrown into” a lot of sessions. Some I knew about a bit beforehand, and some I didn’t. Though it can be scary, I especially encourage students and interns to be willing to “go with the flow.” If you practice it now, it will help you in the future.
I will be continuing to work on improving my flexibility while still being very prepared for my sessions. Hopefully I find a happy middle ground! What are you? Are you a planner? Do you go with the flow? Are you somewhere in the middle? Let me know!
Thanks for reading! Have a fabulous rest of your week!
Emma Kovachevich
Special thanks to my sister, Sophie, and my cousin, Jennifer, for helping me out with this week’s blog pic! :)
