The first
month of this semester has flown by! The Conservatory is full of energy and
music…you can just feel how many wonderful things are in store. Before we know
it autumn will be upon us, so we wanted to take an opportunity to introduce the
new faces in the music therapy department and learn more about some of the
people in this special group of Woodsies.
Before the
semester even began, members of the first cohort of the MTED (Music Therapy Equivalency Distance) program traveled to the Woods from all around the country
to begin classes. These students are truly making history through their
involvement in the MTED program, which is the first ever of its kind. After the
excitement of the cohort’s kick-off, we asked two of the students to share with
us their journey.
Eunice Lee
was born and raised in Chicago and currently lives in Colorado. This is
Eunice’s first semester in our MTED program, but she has studied music
performance and pedagogy for years. Eunice remembers her time as an
undergraduate and young professional, saying, “I did not feel quite on the
right track. I looked into music therapy. . .and it became clear that I needed
to do a little more soul-searching. After college, I worked as a piano
instructor and built a private studio before going back to study piano pedagogy
and music education. I have taught music in the school system and have stayed
active playing for choirs, churches, and a senior living community.” Lee felt
like she found her niche working at a residential treatment facility for
abused, neglected, and traumatized youth, and again felt drawn to music therapy.
“After my varied experiences, I learned that I have an unmistakable passion for
working with children. I knew I really wanted to expand my professional
knowledge and skills to not only teach music. . . but to work with the children
therapeutically. Since I did not want to relocate or quit my job, finding a
distance [music therapy] equivalency program was really important to me.”
So what has
the distance equivalency experience been like so far? “The equivalency program
at SMWC is especially well organized and effective”, says Lee. “I especially
enjoy the Skype conversations that we have because we are making organic, real-time
connections and learning from each other. The brief residencies on campus also
help us connect. It is an ideal
learning environment because seminars happen later at night after work and
assignments, questions, and comments can be submitted throughout the day via
Internet. The faculty is top-notch, class sizes are small, and the students you
find in your cohort share very similar experiences. I did
not feel like the quality of my learning was diminished because of my physical
location, which is pretty remarkable!”
Heather Rhoda of
Indianapolis was also drawn to the MTED program after a variety of professional
experiences. “I’ve been an autism ‘behavior modification therapist’, an
administrative assistant, a German teacher in high school and college, a
volunteer interpreter at my church for the Deaf, a mother, and now a fledgling
small business owner starting a Music
Together business”. Rhoda senses how the similarly rich life experiences of
fellow MTED students connect them. “All of our stories have this common thread.
Many of us stated during our residency, ‘I was meant to be here at this
moment.’ Several people have waited years for a distance program because
something in their life-direction had prohibited them from being able to pursue
music therapy. Now they can follow their dreams.”
It wasn’t
long after these inaugural MTED students left campus that our new campus-based
undergraduate students and equivalency student arrived. After a few weeks of
settling into the rhythm of a new place, we sat down with a few of these
students to learn more about them.
Patricia
(Patty) Walke is pursuing her music therapy equivalency on campus this semester.
“At first I felt a little overwhelmed with classes,” says Patty, “but I’m
excited at the same time about going to a new school and meeting new people.”
Walke is a resident of Rushville, Indiana, and received her
Bachelor’s degree in music at Indiana State University with a minor in
psychology. She began college as a vocal performance major and quickly realized
it wasn’t right for her. “I wanted to stay in music, but I didn’t want a degree
in music business, education, or composition. My father was a performer and I
wanted to pursue music as a career just like him, but I wanted to do more. I
wanted to help others.”
One day
while investigating research paper topics for a class, Patty stumbled upon a
psychology article written about persons recovering from traumatic brain
injuries that mentioned music therapy. Instantly curious, she typed music therapy into a search engine and
found herself on the American Music Therapy Association website. “At that
moment, I knew I had found what I wanted to do in life”, says Walke. “The next
day I talked with my music professors and they mentioned the SMWC music therapy
program and how wonderful it is.” Now that
Patty is realizing her dream of becoming a music therapist, what is she most
excited about? Says Walke, “I am most excited about going to observe at an
inpatient psychiatric unit for my practicum. I cannot wait to experience how
music therapy works.”
Mallory
Tanis is a first-year student from Silverwood, Michigan who is also looking
forward to the music therapy practicum experience she’ll start gaining next
semester. “These first two weeks have been great”, Tanis says. “I am learning a
lot and really enjoying myself. I am
very excited to start applying music to therapy.”
Mallory is
also eager to delve into voice lessons, much like fellow freshman Hannah
Miller. Hannah, a native of Greenwood, Indiana, can sense that the bonds
created among Woods music therapy students are truly special. “I’m excited to
become closer to the other music therapy students”, Miller says.
Both Hannah
and Mallory discovered music therapy when searching for a way to combine
several of their passions into a career. “I always had an interest in working
with children with disabilities. I also considered going into music and
healthcare, so when I heard about music therapy I knew it was the perfect fit
for me”, states Tanis. For Miller, combining psychology with music was the key
– “I found music therapy and, after doing some research, decided that I wanted
to be part of it.”
So what was
it about music that made it a necessary part of Hannah and Mallory’s professional
aspirations? According to Miller, “Two words: Celine Dion. My parent saw her in
concert and brought back a DVD. I was in kindergarten, and was like, I want to do that!” For Tanis, a love of
music was also cultivated at a young age. “My mother, who homeschooled me,
wanted me and my siblings to have music in our education. When I was 12 years
old my Grandparents gave me a guitar for Christmas and my parents got me
lessons. It just got better and better
from there! My love of singing was what really made me fall in love with music,
though.”
Mallory and
Hannah have many interests outside of music, too, which help them balance
school work with fun. “I love public speaking,” says Mallory, “and enjoy being
outside, camping, biking, and working with animals. I also own my own
beekeeping business and I love everything about that.” Hannah loves “…watching
science fiction, reading comic books, writing, drawing, and fashion!”
As you can
tell, this new group of MTED, campus equivalency, and undergraduate students
truly demonstrates the diversity of the music therapy community here at Saint
Mary-of-the-Woods College. Now that’s something
to sing about!
--Interviews and story written by Cathleen Flynn, SMWC music therapy senior
