My Path to Music Therapy

Music Sets You Free

My previous post “Find My Voice” shares a bit about my love for music and how singing has been therapeutic for myself. I wanted to share more about why and how I became the music therapist I am today.

During one of my voice lessons in high school, my teacher stated “I think you are going to be a music therapist.” I didn’t know what that meant but I was intrigued. I began researching it and found the American Music Therapy Association website. I was a sophomore and was beginning to think about what I wanted to do with my life. I loved music but I did not want to be a performer or a teacher. I loved helping people, and music therapy would allow me to combine that passion with my love for music.

My call to this path was solidified when my grandmother had to have heart surgery. She had several complications after the surgery and actually died a few weeks after while she was still at the hospital for recovery. It was her wish that the grandchildren not see her in this state. So I was not allowed to actually see her the last month of her life. I would wait in the waiting room. I was told she was experiencing some depression.

I was too, and I coped by painting. My mom let me know that a harpist visited my MomMom’s room. My MomMom loved the harp and I know this must have brought her much joy. I wanted to do that for people as well. This experience deeply influenced by decision when it came time to apply for college.

When it was time, I sent out a few applications and completed one audition. I loved the school I ended up at and learned so many meaningful lessons! I gained confidence in my clinical skills. I found myself drawn to medical music therapy after having the opportunity to provide live music in an outpatient chemotherapy setting during some summer work. I hoped to work in a hospital one day and prepared to find a music therapy internship in the hospital setting or cancer care.  

However, that goal didn’t quite pan out. I ended up completing my internship in hospice. I figured it was a branch of cancer care and I should be knowledgeable of this phase of care. I fell in love with the work and I felt a call to continue working in end of life care. It is a very specialized field in music therapy and not everyone can handle it.

After my internship, I became a certified music therapist and had to leave hospice work for a short period of time. I was a subcontractor and one of my main contracts was at a nursing home specializing in geriatric psychology care. Many of those I worked with had histories of schizophrenia, drug use, crime, and other neurological diagnoses like traumatic brain injury or Huntington’s Disease. I lead groups and worked with individuals. One of my favorite groups was the intergenerational group I got to facilitate with a local preschool program and some of the residents at the nursing home. During this time, I also lead drum circles at an assisted living and worked with kids in a preschool setting.

Yet, I really missed hospice work and was able to return to where I did my internship! After a couple years, I started supervising interns. The area I covered was an urban area and I supported people from a range of cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. It was challenging, but I loved supporting this community and dispelling some of the stigma it had.

In 2018 I began my master’s degree, which was fully online. This program incorporated cultural humility and social justice into all of its coursework. My song Chroma and its video are actually a combination of two assignments! Through my thesis, I further explored the supervisory relationship between music therapy intern supervisor and supervisee.

As we all know, the pandemic arrived in 2020. I continued my masters program and working full time until August 2020. Nothing really changed for me the first six months of the pandemic. By August, I decided to leave my job due to burnout and just needing to step away from the work to possibly pursue other things.

I thought about starting my own business. I did some contract work at a nursing home, but it wasn’t much. I missed working in hospice and finally in Sept 2022, I was able to return to the work with a different company. I was able to start supervising interns again and doing the work I love best. I thought maybe I had just done hospice music therapy because it was something I had gotten comfortable with, but it is my calling. I am so grateful for my journey and where I am now.