As last Monday was approaching, I was buzzing with excitement to start doing music therapy interventions with clients I had the joy of getting to know over the past two weeks. Throughout my first two weeks of observation, I had learned so much from all the music therapists, the therapists of other disciplines, and from new reading material—so I was really anticipating getting my feet wet. Monday came, and it was pretty wonderful! There is something really special about facilitating these kiddos in reaching their potential. All in one day, I witnessed some pretty neat things—memorizing new Bible verses, learning to play a chord on the ukulele, being courageous enough to try playing a new instrument—all of these occurrences because these kids shine in music therapy, and bring their unique talents to the table.
After my first day of treating, things got a little topsy-turvy. Somewhere in between laryngitis and a ruptured eardrum, I was incapacitated for the rest of the week. As I spoke to family and friends about the situation, they pointed out that the bright side of everything was that I would be able to stay at home. I realized that as much as I love a good lazy day, I was bummed that I couldn’t keep working. When I told my aunt the way I felt, she responded, “Wow, you are so lucky to be in a field that you actually miss when you’re sick.” When I stopped to think about that comment, I realized how true it was—I feel so thankful that The Lord showed me a path to get into the field of music therapy, and that He led me to a place for internship that is a dynamic and challenging experience to grow into a better therapist. Most of all, I am thankful for the kids I get to see and share music with—it says a lot to their character that when I had to stay, I genuinely missed them after knowing them for only two weeks.
With that said, I’m beyond ready to really start interventions next week, and get some more helpful feedback from the other therapists!!
-Perry Wright