Senior Music Therapy Student Reflection: Embracing the Journey Ahead

Each semester, SMWC music therapy students write self-reflection papers, looking back at their practicum experiences and how they have been impacted. Seniors , though, are asked to reflect on their entire four years in the program as they stand between the coursework just completed and their internship ahead. Cathleen Flynn, senior, has been my student assistant (and contributer to this blog) for several years and I asked if she would like to write a reflective post. I hope you'll take in the full range of experiences she has chosen to touch on, the connections she has made between gaining knowledge and application of that learning, as well as the changes she has experienced throughout her time at SMWC while in the music therapy program. This is a challenging major and students find they transform in many ways by the time they complete pre-internship hours, music study/performances, and coursework. As an educator and advisor, when students are heading off to internship, I feel immense gratitude that I was even a small part of their journey.

-Sharon R. Boyle, SMWC Associate Professor of Music Therapy

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Photo courtesy of Nora Dalipi

What does it mean to spend four years in the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College undergraduate music therapy program? In an attempt to quantify what I’ve put into my music therapy coursework, ensembles, private voice study, and practica, I tried to calculate the number of hours I’ve spent in the Conservatory of Music. I stopped doing the math, though, because I don’t think a sum of time really captures all I gave and received in those hours. Also, I don’t think my development as a music therapy student took place solely in an educational or clinical context – my self-awareness developed through dorm life and relationships, my leadership skills advanced through co-curricular involvement, and my spirituality grew through experiencing the sacred grounds of this campus and those who call it home.

My college experience was eclectic, and I was well-supported by faculty, staff, and Providence in each endeavor. Only at a small college (and, in my opinion, a small women’s college) could I have explored my diverse interests so fully and felt such care from the campus community. This encouragement of self-directed learning and nurturance of the whole student (not mind alone, but heart and values and body) was fully present in my music therapy classes with Sharon Boyle, Coordinator of Undergraduate Music Therapy, and it made all the difference in my education. The music my peers and I created together in class moved me to laughter and to tears. I experienced periods of profound self-assurance and profound self-doubt. And I became comfortable with vulnerability, in myself and in others.

My practicum experiences made a profound impact on me, allowing me to explore therapeutic presence, clinical musicianship, and my personal responses to people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities. During my participation in the Jamaica FieldService Project, I sang “Amazing Grace” to a woman while she wept and cried out for God; I will never again hear that song without thinking of her. The following semester, I experienced authentic “groove” for the first time with a man who was nonverbal and whose primary means for communication and interpersonal interaction was the blues. We stumbled together and laughed together and challenged each other through our musical exchanges; we came to know one another without the security of words. During my time on a memory care unit and in an acute psychiatric facility, the patients I served expanded my perception of what constitutes reality and helped me to understand the value and wisdom within from our intuitions and uncertainties. Somehow, being a part of others’ healing processes changed me, helped me integrate and validate my own experiences, and urged me onward in life’s journey.

As someone who hopes to be an agent of positive change through music therapy, I often ponder the impact that one individual can make in the world. When I reflect on the impact that each of these individuals has had in my life, I am convinced of the power of one. I am confident that by promoting music as therapy, as a community building modality, and as a shared cross-cultural experience, we can form more peaceful social systems, more inclusive communities, and a more nonviolent world in which holistic wellbeing is possible and individuals have freedom to create and to be heard.

Photo courtesy of Nora Dalipi

For eight semesters at The Woods, I got to experience and cultivate the linking of musical development and personal development, in myself and in the clients I served. Sometimes it feels like my musical self develops first and the rest of me follows, and other times my musical self develops as a result of personal growth. But I’ve learned that one thing is inevitable - my music will change and I will change and the world will change. Sometimes it will happen quickly, with excitement; and sometimes it will happen slowly, with the pains of stretching. But I’ll keep singing and playing and dancing, honoring the changes of my past and embracing the transformations to come.

-written by Cathleen Flynn, SMWC senior music therapy student

Music Therapists Giving Back to Students

This post is the second in a series featuring the extensive network of individuals who support the undergraduate music therapy program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College through special guest lectures! Skype allows us to connect with professionals from around the country, some of whom teach in our graduate (MAMT) and/or distance equivalency (MTED) programs. These engaging lecturers come from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and it is our pleasure to introduce three more dynamic individuals who contribute to our curriculum – Bonnie Hayhurst, who spoke about the use of the iPad in music therapy, Rachelle Norman, who spoke about her work with adults with developmental disabilities, and Ann Hannan, who spoke about music therapy in pediatric intensive care and family-centered care in pediatric hospitals!

Bonnie Hayhurst, MT-BC

Bonnie Hayhurst, MT-BC is a board certified music therapist, neurologic music therapist and owner of The Groovy Garfoose. Bonnie shares her love for technology and the iPad in music therapy through her blog, groovygarfoose.com, and as an instructor of the online CMTE course "There's An App For That" on musictherapyed.com. You can follow Bonnie on Twitter and Facebook.






Rachelle Norman, MA, MT-BC

                                                                Rachelle Norman is a board-certified music therapist, with bachelor and master degrees in music therapy. She owns Soundscape Music Therapy, a private practice serving older adults and their caregivers in the Kansas City metropolitan area. She also has a weekly blog and monthly e-newsletter filled with information about using music to improve your own health and well-being and to take care of the people you love. Rachelle also created Soundscaping Source, an online community and resource for eldercare professionals who use music in their work. Find Rachelle on the web at soundscapemusictherapy.com and soundscapingsource.com.









Ann Hannan, MT-BC

Ann Hannan, MT-BC has provided music therapy services at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health since 2000. She has served patients and families throughout the entire inpatient hospital and currently focuses on critical care and medically fragile infants. Ann is specifically interested in how the family unit is affected by the intensive care environment and utilizes a Family Centered Care approach to address areas such as pain management, support for agitation, sibling/parent support, and ongoing developmental support. Ann is also currently exploring evidenced-based ways to support infants suffering from neurological devastation and distress.

--Authored by Cathleen Flynn, Music Therapy Assistant

SMWC Music Therapy Club Officers 2012-13

As we prepare to elect a new Executive Board for next year, we want to thank our current officers who have worked tirelessly to develop wonderful campus events, bring in guest speakers, and awareness experiences throughout the year! MTC Executive Board 2012-13 President -- Cathleen Flynn Vice-President -- Sherry Bube Secretary -- Paige Fath (interim) Treasurer -- Beth Allard Parliamentarian -- Kelli Seida

Advocacy Through Teaching: An Educator's Perspective

Advocacy through Teaching

It is the last day of Social Media Advocacy Month in Music Therapy and I feel compelled to write one more post on the topic. I feel that as an educator, I am advocating through the students I teach. They move into the world and create their own music therapy stories, moving along in their own journey. I have been asked about what difference one music therapist can make in the world. The concept of a ripple in the pond comes to me, which I learned while reading about Navajo traditions and beliefs. When you toss a stone into a pool of water, ripples are created which continue long after the stone has fallen to the bottom.

I have had the privilege and honor of teaching and supervising music therapy students since the late ‘90’s. I have learned a lot from each student over the years – how to better articulate a concept, determine a definitive rationale for why I make certain clinical choices, better support what I say with solid research, and even how to better organize my thoughts when teaching. But I would say that I have learned much more over my years as an educator. I have learned:

•  I do not have to know everything (whew!) and that I am always learning
•  my students open me up to new perspectives in music therapy which I never would have   considered otherwise
•  the importance of music for myself, beyond what it can do for others
• I can renew my own passion for music and music therapy by creating music with my students and by delving into discussions with them
•  the pride I feel for students as they move from new student into the professional music therapy world is palpable and awesome
• my students have a well of insight which expand my own awareness
• colleagues who are former students astound me with their transformation and, in return, teach me so much through their role as on-site supervisors, guest lecturers, their writing, and through their voice in our profession                                         

I asked a few graduates spanning the decade of my teaching at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College to share a meaningful moment in music therapy. One student, who is now a mother of three and not currently working as a music therapist, shared the following about a client she had when working as an MT-BC:

He would have little to say as we walked back to the music room, so we typically dove right into making music together.  He played the drum, keeping a very steady beat, while offering a "hi" when prompted.  He would chose an instrument to match how he was feeling and I would lead him into an instrumental improvisation (me on the piano), creating music to symbolize his current emotional state as well as how he would like to feel.  Our improvisations were so powerful.  His facial expressions, eye contact, body language, musical and verbal interaction all changed throughout our improvisation.  The music would begin as very heavy, dark, chaotic, driving and then little by little open up to something so beautiful and peaceful.  In the beginning, our improvisations were very predictable; this is what sad sounded like and this is what happy sounded like.  Over time, the music became more varied, more daring.  I think his daily experiences were very similar and his emotions, good and bad, were not explored.  Certain things made him mad and certain things made him happy.  Creating music, learning music, sharing music, experiencing music, allowed him to explore his emotions in new ways… More often than not, he would want to tell me about other boys in his class who were bullying him.  We would talk about his response to their bullying and whether or not it was the appropriate response.  He would choose a style of music and another improvisation would begin…

Another student, who returned to school to complete our equivalency program after many years as a performer, now works with adolescents with behavioral and emotional issues. She writes about the impact of music therapy on her ability to truly be present with another person:

What I love about music therapy is the language it has afforded me through which to speak of those parts of life that I believe are most profound- the healing of the wounds of the heart and soul. I now have the skills to identify and clarify what I see in the human being sitting in front of me who will nevertheless be a mystery and a wonder. In my work with psychiatric patients on an acute unit of a hospital I will only see a patient one time… What can I give? Where should I focus? I work with teens mostly and I was taught to trust: trust the skills, knowledge, the music, the other person. 

She goes on to write about how this translated with one particular client:

…when I met the patient I realized, no, that wasn't going to be the plan (songwriting plan for a group)… I did a 180 and found myself working almost entirely with a hand drum and other various percussion instruments to represent stages of de-escalation that he completely identified and chose. And what mature reflections he made too…So the drum was the voice, no fancy reflections here, I heard raw, safe energy, color coming into the flat expression, emotion emerging. And my soul rejoiced, secretly, my heart smiled quietly. Meeting a real person inside a shell – that's the gift music therapy gives. Now I have a language with which to meet someone without fear. And it makes a difference, oh what a difference. I have never been happier in my whole life because this is a profession that gives back!

It is meaningful to stop and think about all the people I have served as a music therapist, and the families who have been impacted. It is powerful for me to also think about each student I have taught who then carries forth the premise and principles about the role of music in human health and wellness, and how each student goes on to serve others within this positive framework in society. As a music therapist, I realize after so many years that the client who once wrote a song with me about hope through adversity actually created ripples that continue through me today. As a music therapy educator, I better understand that music therapy is not a “subject” I teach…it is truly a way of being, thinking, and engaging with the world. I am grateful to each student who has stepped into my classroom because it is through my students that I have truly expanded my own awareness about the importance of advocacy, and my own role in the process—I am seeing the big picture. I am now able to comprehend that while I am just one “stone” tossed into the world, the ripples that I started all those years ago when I sat in my first music therapy class continue on through the people I serve and teach. I am blessed that the ripples I create often move through waves of sound and beauty. I am motivated by the fact that I am creating “ripples” of GOOD which may continue impacting our global community by fulfilling our needs for hope and beauty, long after I am gone.

Boyle with colleague, Dr. Tracy Richardson

-Written by Sharon R. Boyle, Associate Professor of Music Therapy and Coordinator of the Undergraduate Music Therapy Program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.

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For more information about Music Therapy Advocacy, visit http://www.musictherapy.org and read more about the SROP below:

What is the State Recognition Operational Plan and why is it important to music therapy?

 Sharon R. Boyle - SMWC faculty member
since 2002

Since 2005, the American Music Therapy Association and the Certification Board for Music Therapists have collaborated on the State Recognition Operational Plan. The primary purpose of this plan is to get music therapy and our MT-BC credential recognized by individual states so that citizens can more easily access our services. The State Recognition Operational Plan is a national initiative being implemented jointly by CBMT and AMTA to obtain state recognition of music therapy and the MT-BC credential. This collaborative effort between AMTA Government Relations staff and CBMT Regulatory Affairs staff provides guidance and technical support to state task forces throughout the country as groups of music therapists work toward recognition as defined by their particular state. To date, their work has resulted in over 35 active state task forces, 2 licensure bills passed in 2011, 1 licensure bill passed in 2012, and an estimated 7 bills being filed in 2013 that seek to create either title protection or a licensure for music therapy.

An Educator’s Perspective on Advocacy: My Music Therapy Journey

This month is Social Media Advocacy month for Music Therapy! It was kicked off on Twitter by a high profile celebrity, musician Ben Folds, when he created a thread (#followMTweek) and stated he would follow as many music therapists as he could that week. It is now mid-January and this thread is still going strong, connecting non-music therapists as well as music therapists to one another through facts and statements about music therapy. He is even following me on Twitter now!

Musician Ben Folds' Twitter Advocacy of Music Therapy

At the American Music Therapy Association national conference in 2011, Ben showed up and sat in on sessions being offered, causing a great deal of excitement among the music therapists. How did he come to be at the AMTA conference? An individual in the music therapy world “tweeted”, encouraging him to come and learn about music therapy and he showed up!  

Musician Ben Folds showing his support of Music Therapy

 One Music Therapist’s Journey

When I think back to my start in music therapy, I realize I was not entirely clear on what I was about to study. I had a “sense” of what I thought it might be, but growing up I did not have access to music therapists in my Montana hometown. I had never actually SEEN music therapy in process, nor experienced it myself, and all I knew was that I (say it with me!) “loved music and wanted to help people”. I hear this often when I meet with prospective students and am pretty certain my colleagues do too. When I prod further by asking the question, “What role does music play in your own life?”. I tend to hear a meaningful story from the prospective student about how music was great solace during a difficult time, how helping a child with Down Syndrome play the piano sparked a desire to pursue this profession, or that music was the only way the student could connect with a grandparent who was in middle stage Alzheimer’s Disease. This does not surprise me, because I also felt this connection to music as a young girl. I used to sit on my back porch singing for hours to alleviate loneliness and to feel “connected”; I felt part of something bigger in my high school choir room. When I think back to the mid-1980’s, I wish that a music therapist had been part of my own brother’s treatment when he was diagnosed with leukemia. When I talked to him later about how music therapy is effective in addressing pain, physical discomfort, fatigue, and psycho-social goals for oncology patients, my brother told me that he would have liked to have had access to music therapy. So, as I searched for this magical combination of “helping” and “music”, I headed to college to pursue music education, then vocal performance, and I even considered special education. These are all wonderful professions, but when I found music therapy it just “clicked”.

Sharon R. Boyle, Associate Professor of Music Therapy,
at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College since 2002

 As I moved through my 6-month internship and into professional clinical practice, I was so honored to witness truly extraordinary moments and the best of humanity through music therapy. We have all had therapeutic moments…when we just feel better as a result of doing something, or talking to someone, or listening to a great song. We can find entire threads on Twitter where a person writes “music is my therapy”. We can find increasing numbers of studies about the benefits of music for individuals and groups and how our brain processes music. This is all wonderful and so important to continue. But music therapy is more than these things. It is, on one hand, easy for the general public to consider and, on the other hand, difficult for people to grasp without personal experience. This is understandable and why consistent advocacy is so important. Advocacy is not about jobs. It is about ACCESS to services which make a tremendous difference.

When I speak about music therapy to my students and the people they may serve in the future, I hold within my mind and my heart all those individuals I have had the honor of serving throughout my career. I recall walking into a man’s room as his body began to shut down after years of coping with Parkinson’s Disease and late-stage Alzheimer’s Disease. I had worked with this man for years on the long term memory care unit, singing with him in his more lucid moments. I sang the last song he would hear as he took his final breaths (which had relaxed with the first few chords) and was present with his wife as she held his hand and wept. I remember seeing the light shine in a child's eyes when he created a sound on an instrument for the first time. I remember writing songs with one man who had been a farmer and who was angry at his loss of independence. Throughout his anger and sadness, he still spoke of hope and the support of his family and our final song was shared with his wife as she held his hand. I remember hearing one woman with Cerebral Palsy vocalize with me as I sang and the pride on her face as I strummed the last chord. There are too many people to name over my 15+ year career. But I remember them all as I teach the next generation of music therapists.

Music Therapy on a Memory Care Unit

 It can be frustrating to be a music therapist. Music therapy was established as a formalized profession in 1950 in the United States, but the concepts of music in healing have existed for thousands of years. Music was once revered and deemed both mystical and scientific, but in today’s society, it can be a challenge to educate the public about the depth and breadth of music’s potential when shows like American Idol and The Voice promote the idea that creating music is only for a limited number of people. This is why it has such impact to have artists such as Ben Folds support and advocate for music therapy. Music therapists work to be represented as the well-educated and highly trained professionals that we are within the medical and psychiatric communities. We try to educate other professionals about our very specific skill set that goes beyond a counselor using music in a session (although this can certainly be beneficial). We use the music process itself to transform, change, and connect with others. The music process is a microcosm of the relationships and processes a client experiences outside of the session. It is difficult to articulate what happens between people as they create music together, beyond just listening to a recording. It is difficult because we have stopped creating music together in our communities, so when clients come to music therapy, they are often stunned by the range of emotions and physical benefit from the experience. Yes, it is frustrating to be a music therapist at times. Some music therapists even choose to leave music therapy to move on to other professions which are seemingly more respected, or simply to have more income. I do not begrudge these former music therapists, for those thoughts have passed through my mind from time to time over the years. Sometimes it is just difficult to be in a smaller profession which can be misunderstood. But, I can’t imagine leaving music therapy. Music therapy is not just a job I do, but it is a way of being and experiencing the world. I believe in music therapy so strongly because I now understand how important it is, and will be, in the healthcare landscape of today. In a society where technology allows us to watch events unfold in real time around the world, we somehow seem more isolated from one another and need to lean on our communities now more than ever. I feel that music therapy has a very relevant and central role in helping each of us to reconnect to our own humanity and to the world around us.

-Written by Sharon R. Boyle, Associate Professor of Music Therapy and Coordinator of the Undergraduate Music Therapy Program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.

  

For more information about Music Therapy Advocacy, visit http://www.musictherapy.org and read more about the SROP below:

What is the State Recognition Operational Plan and why is it important to music therapy?

Since 2005, the American Music Therapy Association and the Certification Board for Music Therapists have collaborated on the State Recognition Operational Plan. The primary purpose of this plan is to get music therapy and our MT-BC credential recognized by individual states so that citizens can more easily access our services. The State Recognition Operational Plan is a national initiative being implemented jointly by CBMT and AMTA to obtain state recognition of music therapy and the MT-BC credential. This collaborative effort between AMTA Government Relations staff and CBMT Regulatory Affairs staff provides guidance and technical support to state task forces throughout the country as groups of music therapists work toward recognition as defined by their particular state. To date, their work has resulted in over 35 active state task forces, 2 licensure bills passed in 2011, 1 licensure bill passed in 2012, and an estimated 7 bills being filed in 2013 that seek to create either title protection or a licensure for music therapy.

Skype Lecturers Provide Rich Educational Experiences

The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Music Therapy program is fortunate to have an extensive network of friends who support the undergraduate program through guest lectures (several also teach graduate (MAMT) and/or distance equivalency courses (MTED)!) This network is comprised of music therapy clinicians, educators, authors, and experts in other fields. These dynamic individuals have contributed greatly to all levels of our curriculum over the years, and we would like to take this opportunity to begin a series of blog posts to introduce them to our readers!

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Kat Fulton, MM, MT-BC is a music therapist, rhythm lover, pianist, writer, and creative catalyst who founded Sound Health Music LLC in 2005. Her company oversees 3 divisions: Music therapy service contracts in the San Diego area, MusicTherapyEd.com continuing education for music therapists, and RhythmForGood.com rhythm-based wellness products for drum circle facilitators and music therapists. 

Kat has spoken via Skype at SMWC about percussion improvisation and group facilitation techniques.

Kat Fulton

 Debbie Bates, MMT, MT-BC, provides music therapy to patients and families throughout the Cleveland Clinic. She is currently working toward her PhD in Music Therapy from Temple University and is an advanced trainee in the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music. Debbie is passionate about music therapy ethics and has been on the AMTA Ethics Board since 2002. She has served as a co-chair since 2007. She is a GLR representative to the Assembly of Delegates and is the GLR Secretary. She has also served as the Ohio representative to the GLR Executive Board. She is also the Immediate Past President of the Association of Ohio Music Therapists. 

Debbie has lectured via Skype at SMWC about music therapy ethics.

Debbie Bates

Erin Fox, MA, MT-BC has worked at a skilled nursing facility for over 7 years where she co-treated with physical, occupational, and speech therapists in rehabilitating adults and older adults. Her thesis research examined the effects of Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) sensorimotor techniques in orthopedic rehabilitation in older adults. She has provided supervision to interns and practicum students, including some summer practicum students from SMWC. Erin is a Fellow of Neurologic Music Therapy, Fellow of the Association for Music and Imagery, and an adjunct faculty member for the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College MTED program. Currently working in the Hospice setting, Erin provides music to patients and families for end of life care needs.

Erin has lectured via Skype at SMWC about sensorimotor techniques in NMT and will be guest lecturing again in Spring 2013 about her music therapy work in Hospice and BMGIM.

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Erin Fox

We greatly appreciate these accomplished music therapists sharing their knowledge and passion with us!

-Interviews completed by Cathleen Flynn, Music Therapy Student Assistant; edited by Sharon R Boyle, Associate Professor of Music Therapy

SMWC Music Therapy Faculty and Students Attend National Music Therapy Conference

October 11-14, 2012, was an exciting time in St. Charles, Illinois. Music therapists from around the country gathered for the 2012 American Music Therapy Association  National Conference entitled “Changing Winds: Innovation in Music Therapy”.

SMWC professors dancing in
 celebration of Clive Robbins

 Highlights from the conference include a Celebration of Life event in honor of the late Clive Robbins, a music therapy visionary and co-developer of the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy approach, and the AMTA Research Committee’s featured panels on special populations. Dr. Tracy Richardson, Director of SMWC Music Therapy, wrote a song called "Believe in the Music" and performed it for the Robbins event. Two SMWC music therapy seniors (Cathleen Flynn and Laura Kempton) served as student volunteers, distributing and collecting instruments for the concurrent sessions, while Sherry Bube, junior, placed 1^st Runner Up in the Student Essay Contest. The theme for the essay contest was “Growing as a Music Therapist Through My Membership in AMTA”. She received a research flash drive which has compiled music therapy research from 1964-2008.

Says Bube, “Through my membership in AMTA, I am able to network with my peers and future colleagues and gain experience and insight into developments in research and treatment within the field. Membership means that I am supporting my conviction and belief in the practice of music therapy. …I am part of a beautiful and inspiring association that strives to provide valuable services for members as well as potential clients.”

SMWC undergraduate music therapy students who attended

Many other members of the Woods music therapy community attended conference with Bube and her undergraduate peers – Sharon Boyle (Associate Professor and Coordinator of Undergraduate Music Therapy), Tracy Richardson (Professor and Director of Masters in Music Therapy), graduate students, alumni, and adjunct faculty also participated. On the last evening of conference, this varied and vibrant group gathered on the crowded second floor of an Irish pub/grill for the “Woods Dinner”, a long-standing national conference tradition. The stories that were exchanged, toasts that were shared, and laughter and memories that filled the room embodied the tradition of excellence in music therapy education at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College spanning three decades. Beyond academics, Music Therapy at the Woods brings people together and creates connections which last a lifetime.

Music Therapy colleagues at conference

--written by Cathleen Flynn, senior, and edited by Sharon R. Boyle, Associate Professor of Music Therapy