Time "Zooms" Fast: A Senior Reflection by Olivia Wendel

Olivia Wendel, senior music therapy major

“It just kind of clicked in my mind that this is what I should be doing with my life… Music Therapy.” These are the words I wrote in this blog my freshman year. What does this mean? Originally, I declared as an environment science student, with hopes of becoming a meteorologist. I changed my major just a few weeks before class started in the fall and never looked back. What flipped the switch? I cannot perfectly articulate it, but I sum it up to God’s Providence. 

I always referred to myself as the “black sheep” of my cohort. I came into the SMWC Music Therapy Program never having formal voice training, no guitar skills, and some piano knowledge—skills that are important to have as a music therapist. I looked at my classmates and was in awe of their skills and talent and wondered when it’d be my turn to be “that good.” The thing about the SMWC Music Therapy Program is that it teaches you many things, one being how to gracefully fail. You’re not going to be the best at everything—that is why you are at school. If you already knew everything, then what’s the point of being at school? This was a hard pill to swallow for me, as an over-involved perfectionist struggling with musical skills. Failure was bound to happen, but the grace of others is what saved me. The professors were there in a time of failure and faults. They would say, “Okay, you messed up. How can you salvage it? How can you learn from it?” They would not let you give up, that would be far too easy. That gentle nudge of grace is why I am here today, and why I no longer refer to myself as the “black sheep”.

Playing a flute solo for a Spring Choral Concert

The opportunities that I have been able to experience while at the Woods have been life changing. Being (over)involved in clubs and organizations (Music Therapy Student Association, Class Officer, etc.), being a Resident Advisor, being a member of the Concert Band, pep band, Chorale, Madrigals (my final semester), and holding two campus jobs has shaped me into the person I am today. Without all of these things, I wouldn’t have any clue of my abilities to perform or lead. I know that I would not be able to be that involved at any other school, so I count my blessings twice about my time at the Woods. I think the most important blessing has been the people that have been here, are currently here, and who will continue to be there for me.

SMWC Madrigals meeting via Zoom

            I came into the Music and Theatre Department having little knowledge of music theory, aural skills, guitar, voice, improvisation skills, psychology, anatomy, music history, and life. I leave with a fantastic education from the best place on earth. Not only this, but I leave with several MTLPs (music therapy life partners)! One of the hardest things about ending the physical semester so abruptly (due to COVID-19 restrictions) is the lack of closure with my friends, classmates, and professors. Zoom has been a literal life preserver during this time. But, what I do know is that while we may not be together in person on campus, our voices still resonate within those walls of the Conservatory, the hours we logged in those practice rooms still exist, and our heart and souls still remain in the place we call home – Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.

(Top: Ring Day; Bottom: Members of SMWC Music Therapy Student Association)

“Be filled with the Spirit… singing and playing to the Lord with all your heart.”

Ephesians 5:18-19

Senior Reflection Blog Post Author: Olivia Wendel, a senior music therapy major, who will begin her music therapy internship starting in summer 2020 with Rhythm Garden Music in Jasonville, Indiana.

Blog Post Editor: Sharon R. Boyle, Associate Professor of Music Therapy and Coordinator of SMWC Undergraduate Music Therapy Program.