Around Harmony Garden Music Therapy, we have been gearing up to celebrate our 20th anniversary! In preparation, we have been interviewing people around the office about what exactly they do, and their favorite parts of their job. Read below to see what some of our Music Therapists (MT) and Administrators (Admin) have to say:
Q: What does your daily work involve and what’s your favorite part of it?
Kara Lewis (MT & Admin): “My job at Harmony Garden is actually really unique. I started at HGMTS as a full time music therapist, but over the years also slowly started helping with more of the admin tasks as well. So I currently work about 10 hours as Harmony Garden’s Business Integrator (basically help streamline and advertise new programming and events) and also 10 hours on Tuesdays doing music therapy in the office. I think my favorite thing about my position is that it has really evolved into a role that allows me to still be home and “mom” with my two girls. I get to come work with amazing clients on Tuesdays and see my coworkers, but the rest of the week I have the flexibility to drop my daughter off at preschool, attend field trips, and be a more present mom while moving my admin hours around to be in the evenings or afternoons or mornings – wherever I have the availability”.
Natalie Miller (Admin): “My daily work includes doing all of the billing and making payments for various things. My work day also includes making sure the office is stocked with all of the essentials like cleaning supplies, toilet supplies, and office supplies. When we are enrolling our Sprouts families, I am the one who collects all the information then enters it into the enrollment and attendance documents. I then process any card payments and send invoices out to those wanting to pay cash”.
Rebakah Moilanen (MT): “My day consists of arriving early to work and finishing up session notes from the day before. Then, depending on the day, I either head offsite to my first sessions or begin session planning for upcoming sessions. Because I’m our elder care specialist, most of my sessions take place offsite in peoples’ homes or in assisted living facilities. I do a lot of driving during my day! I spend this time planning sessions, learning music, dictating session notes, or taking a few moments to myself and listening to audio books. I also spend time with our interns, training them, observing their sessions, or planning and documenting their progress for their universities. My favorite part of my day is definitely my time in sessions with my clients. They make my day joyful and balance out how much I dislike paperwork! I really love our internship as well and I feel a lot of pride in our interns when they accomplish their goals and take ownership of their work as therapists”.
Renae Murphy (MT): My daily work involves music therapy groups and 1:1 sessions, documentation, and session planning. My favorite part of my day is my clinical work. Spending time with clients, making music and engaging with them.
Q: Can you share one moment that made you realize you were in the right professional field? (One accomplishment or memorable session)
Kara Lewis (MT & Admin): “One of the moments that really affirmed that I was in the right field actually happened in my first year at Harmony Garden. I was working in hospice and had one client who really benefitted from music therapy. He was so cognizant and thankful for our sessions that he would be clock watching until I arrived. He told me one day that he had a fear that he would decline and I would stop coming to see him because he wouldn’t be interacting with me anymore. I promised him that if that happened, I would continue to visit and stay the full hour – and it did happen. I got a call that he was declining and might not make it to our next session, so I took a special Saturday trip up to visit him and I stayed and played all his favorite songs for an hour. At the end of the visit, his nurse came in with tears in her eyes and told me that his body had held a lot of tension and he hadn’t seemed relaxed all day, but that music therapy had visibly comforted him. That was the moment I realized the peace that music therapy can bring in end of life care and when I knew that music therapy was this awesome, cool thing that I now get to do”.
Natalie Miller (Admin): “The moment I knew I was where I was supposed to be was when the Sprouts families started remembering me and including me in their joys and excitement for music. Also when clients started looking forward to greeting me. I love what I do because of the people I serve and my teammates”.
Rebakah Moilanen (MT): “One very memorable session for me was when I was facilitating music between an elderly client and his wife. Although he no longer had the ability to speak, he could sing all of the words to songs the two had enjoyed together in their younger years. On one particular occasion, after a very emotional song together, the music stopped but he didn’t! He turned to his wife, took both of her hands in his, and sang “their song” to her while gazing into her eyes. She joined in and the two sang a capella together for the whole song, giving one another a kiss when the music ended. He passed away one week later, and his wife let me know that, although she had lost her husband in so many ways throughout the progression of his illness, it was music that brought him back to her. I’ll never forget that moment with the two of them, being able to witness their love for one another and the transformative power music can have in peoples’ lives”.
Renae Murphy (MT): “This second question is hard. I have felt from the beginning of my career that I’m right where I’m supposed to be, profession wise. The move to Harmony Garden was very smooth and I feel like I fit in here well. There are many moments throughout the week where I know I’m doing what I’m meant to be. Hearing spontaneous speech from clients, having a client stay engaged throughout a session, giving clients the space to be themselves, and connecting on a musical level. There are many times when communication is hard, but with music therapy, you don’t always need to talk”.
To learn more about our Music Therapists and Administrators you can check out the blog posts linked below!
Kara Lewis: https://hgmusictherapy.com/staff-highlight-kara-lewis/
Natalie Miller: https://hgmusictherapy.com/staff-highlight-natalie-miller/
Bekah Moilanen: https://hgmusictherapy.com/staff-highlight-bekah-moilanen/
Renae Murphy: https://hgmusictherapy.com/staff-highlight-renae/
