From our Music Therapy Intern…
I am right on the cusp of something exciting. Just around the riverbend is the start of a new chapter in my life as a music therapist in training. Next week I will have the honor and privilege of meeting my very own clients. People that have agreed to take a risk and receive music therapy treatment from an unprofessional. From a rookie. From an intern.
I am blown away by the humility and grace that these people already have towards me even simply by signing up to receive my services. They are willing and eager to work with me and give me opportunities to learn and grow. They will be teaching me how to serve and connect with all types of people with all types of abilities, backgrounds, lifestyles, cultures, and personalities. I will be learning lifelong, meaningful lessons from these individuals, and I am eager to meet them soon.
A few weeks ago, the idea of meeting a number of new clients would sound daunting, intimidating, and even terrifying. I would have been fretting over my own abilities as a music therapy intern, and whether or not the sessions would be “successful.” I would have been too focused on my own skills, or lack thereof. In the past three weeks, however, I have already learned that the sessions are not about me, or my success, or my abilities.
I have been blessed with opportunities to witness how the music therapists here at HGMTS toss all care of their own personal motives or desires to the wind in order to best serve their clients. They step into each session with the client’s best interest in mind, no matter what. I have observed a wide range of sessions with a wide range of clients, and the only thing that remains consistent is their persistent care for their clients.
Now that I have completed three full weeks here at HGMTS, I am even starting to get to know some of the regular clients receiving services from the other music therapists here. I am starting to notice progress in sessions, or differences in client participation. I now know that everything I saw in week one is not a standard. Week one will not be replicated each week with exact identical results. All people are different, and things change minute by minute. A session with a client one week will be vastly different than the same client’s session the very next week.
I have seen professional music therapists act out of musical instinct as they respond to client needs or wishes. I have also seen professional music therapists struggle to gather their footing or rebound from an unexpected turn of events within a session. It is through these observations, however, that I have been able to gain the confidence and excitement to meet my clients next week.
I can now step into this new adventure with fearlessness, as I know that each day will be its own and that I should never be seeking “success” or hoping for an “easy” session. As long as I am always prioritizing my client and his/her needs, I will be doing my job. There is no such thing as perfection in a music therapy session, especially in a world full of imperfect humans.
I am ready to learn, ready to give it my all, and ready to be challenged like never before. I am no longer fearful of potential failure, but content in promised growth.
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Hannah Avery is the newest face around Harmony Garden Music Therapy Services. This fall, she’s taking on the role of our first Music Therapy Intern. Stay tuned for her blog posts as she goes (and grows) through her music therapy internship.
