Hello! My name is Kathryn Trujillo and I have just completed my first two weeks as one of the summer music therapy interns here at Therabeat. Though I am not a Georgia native, I have already grown to love the people I’ve met and the places I’ve explored thus far. My husband, 7-month old puppy, and I, drove across the country, from California, just to be here. We are looking forward to continued exploration of the state and I am excited for the new experiences I’ll have while interning here with the music therapy team.
Ever since I was 7-years old, I was told that I was musical. We all are actually. I studied classical piano, played cello in school and youth orchestras, attended band camps, sang and led worship services at many churches in the Bay Area, and formed meaningful connections with those around me through music. It was not until I was searching for colleges that I learned about Music Therapy. I attended Seattle Pacific University, where I studied under Dr. Carlene Brown for a year, but after realizing that this California girl missed the California sun, I returned to the Bay Area and attended Saint Mary’s College of CA. Here, I met my husband through the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship worship team, and completed studies in Kinesiology: Health & Human Performance with a minor in music. After graduating, I nannied for many local Bay Area families and began teaching private piano lessons at a studio called Music ‘N Beyond.
As I was teaching one-on-one lessons, I encountered students who, I believed, would have benefited more from music therapy or adaptive lessons, than traditional classical piano lessons. I found myself wanting to connect more deeply with my students and wanting to support them through music. I enrolled in the equivalency masters program at University of the Pacific in San Francisco to pursue Music Therapy once again. Words cannot express how wonderful the music therapy community has been or how grateful I am to have found a career I have come to love. I am excited to learn from and work with the In Harmony Pediatric team. I can honestly say that during these first two weeks, I have already experienced how these wonderful therapists amplify the lives of children, adolescents, and the families who walk through the welcoming doors of Therabeat.
-Kathryn Trujillo, Music Therapy Intern