Becoming MT-BCs: Presented by Casey Kunzer, MT-BC

by Amy Thomas | Apr 10, 2024

This blog was written by Casey Kunzer, MT-BC

On March 1st myself and my colleague Lauren had the opportunity to attend and present at SUNY Fredonia’s Mini Music Therapy Conference. Our presentation, “Becoming MT-BCs,” aimed to educate and empower student music therapists as they embark on the transition from internship to the workforce. Conferences are an amazing opportunity to meet other music therapists and exchange knowledge, stories, and advice about being a board-certified music therapist. It is rare that so many music therapists are all gathered in one place, and one of my favorite things to do is hear about other music therapist’s experiences in their practice!

Music therapy is a very diverse field and a practice with a wide range of benefits. The clients, techniques, instruments, and songs therapists use can vary tremendously depending on the population they work with. A music therapist working with residents in hospice care likely has a very different day-to-day experience than someone like myself who works mostly in schools. However, I find that I always learn something from my peers. Regardless of where we work we can all bond over our shared love of music and our field. It is a very affirming experience!

While there are national and regional conferences, the conferences put on by colleges are special because the typical attendance is mostly students. I find that music therapy students bring so much enthusiasm and energy to a space. I love hearing their fresh perspectives. Many music therapy students will soon be music therapists and it is exciting to get to talk to people who will shortly become professional colleagues.

Despite not being too far from my own time as a student, I noticed that music therapy students often have lots of questions about post-graduation. As someone who has gone through that process in the past few years, it was an honor to be able to present about the transition between being a student to becoming a new professional. In addition to a Bachelor’s degree in music therapy, student music therapists must complete a 1000 hour internship in addition to passing an exam in order to be considered a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC). That process and the unknowns within it can be daunting. Being able to shed some light on that transition was an exciting experience. The attendees asked several great questions about getting internships and jobs, how to maintain professionalism, the experience of being a full time music therapist, and more. One question that I really enjoyed was: “How prepared did you feel by your educational experience to begin a career as a music therapist?” This let me reflect on my own journey and my transition into my career. Oftentimes as a more recent professional, I find that I may experience imposter syndrome. However, when examining it I realized I do feel very prepared and confident in my ability to provide great services for my students. I attribute a lot of that to my education, as well as the support of my current co-workers and supervisors. It was awesome to be able to tell the students I was presenting for that yes, I do feel prepared. Becoming a music therapist takes a significant amount of work and effort, but it is an amazing and rewarding field. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to share my experiences and love for my work with those who will hopefully be future music therapists.

To learn more about what it takes to become a music therapist, check out our blog “5 Steps to Becoming a Board-Certified Music Therapist” or “Should I Become a Music Therapist?”

Music Therapy Internship During a Pandemic: An Interview with Hannah Baker

by Amy Thomas | Jan 19, 2021

After four years of undergraduate courses, all aspiring music therapists must complete an internship. This internship is the culmination of years of work. It is the time when students become professionals, and truly learn how to put their schoolwork into practice.

This year, we are excited to have Hannah Baker on our team. Internship is such a key time in a music therapist’s education. We want to give Hannah a moment of recognition as she continues to complete her internship during the pandemic. In Hannah’s interview, she discusses how the pandemic impacted her internship, what she has learned, advice for future interns, and how it is strengthening her practice as a music therapist.

1. What inspired you to pursue music therapy as a career?

I always wanted to pursue a music-based career, and I also wanted to help people for a living. Music therapy seemed like the perfect way to do both!

2. When did you begin your internship?

I began in September, and will be here for the whole school year.

3. What drew you to apply to Upstate Music Therapy Center’s internship?

Last spring, I had one of my clinical practicums through UMTC. I really enjoyed the experience, but since COVID hit mid-semester I was not able to finish it. I was hoping for a second chance of sorts with this internship. I also have a friend who had a great experience interning with this agency, which encouraged me to apply.

4. What population of students and clients are you working with in your internship?

I have mainly been working with teenagers with autism, although I have seen some elementary and middle school classes.

5. How has COVID-19 impacted the way you learn and experience your music therapy internship?

I feel that while it has certainly been challenging, in some ways it has actually been less pressure for me to intern during a pandemic. Under normal circumstances, I imagine I would have been quite hesitant to begin assisting and leading music therapy sessions.

But during COVID times? It is something of a confidence booster to know that no one else really knows what they are doing right now either. Everyone is trying to figure out how to work around these new circumstances, so it feels like less pressure even if I do make a mistake. As a result, I feel much more confident trying new things and stepping in where before I would have been more hesitant.

6. What are the challenges of interning during a pandemic?

One of the biggest challenges of interning during a pandemic (for me, at least) has been to adjust to bouncing between in-person and virtual sessions if I or my students have to quarantine, or if a school goes entirely online for a time. I will often plan a session that requires me to bring instruments or other materials, and then find out with short notice that I either have to find a way to adapt my plan to a virtual setting, or come up with something entirely new. There are also some students that do not regularly attend sessions when we switch to virtual, and I may go a few weeks at a time without working with them. Of course, when they do attend, there are often technical difficulties of some sort to deal with on top of figuring out how to conduct sessions virtually. When we are in person, it has also been challenging to get some students to wear masks correctly. With some students I have to pick my battles and decide whether it is worth it to spend the majority of a session telling them to put the mask over their nose. Although to be fair, I have seen that problem with many adults, too!

7. Do you have any advice for future interns adjusting to the challenges of our “new normal”?

While I hope future interns will not have to go through a situation quite like this, I would advise them to embrace the knowledge that these are crazy times and to be ready for anything. I would also advise having a strong support system to help with some of the more difficult/stressful aspects of internship in the “new normal”; the better your own mental health, the easier it will be to be there for the students. My supervisors and coworkers at UMTC have been a huge part of my own support system, and I could not be more grateful for that!

8. How has the pandemic strengthened you as a music therapist?

Before all of this started, I decided that my main goal for my internship experience was to learn how to be more flexible. It seems this was an extremely dangerous thing to ask for, as I have now received what feels like far too many lessons in flexibility. Between alternating between in-person and virtual sessions, adjusting intervention plans to accommodate CDC guidelines, and trying to help students as they adjust to all of these new circumstances on top of adjusting to it myself, I am learning a great deal about adapting to change in the moment and being prepared for anything.

9. What musical experience are you MOST excited for when the pandemic is over?

While I am extremely excited to attend and play in concerts again, I think I am most excited to be able to sing without fogging up my glasses!

We are so glad to have Hannah as part of the UMTC team this year! Her flexibility and positive outlook during a time when we are all learning is inspiring. Thank you, Hannah, for sharing your experience with us!

To learn more about UMTC’s internship program, click here.

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

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5 Tips For Your First Year as a Music Therapist

by Amy Thomas | Jun 26, 2020

Written by Joanna Vella

Entering your first year as a music therapist, everything is exciting, and you are ready to dive in. As you progress through the year, you will face challenges you may not have anticipated. Whether it’s a quick schedule change, keeping up with paperwork, or working on different IEP goals, the first year can be a whirlwind! I faced challenges I could have never imagined such as a global pandemic and standing up for my students’ rights. In each scenario, there were certain skills I learned that helped make my year more successful.

Be Flexible – As you move through the school year you are going to build a strong rapport with each of your students. However, you also are going to hit bumps in the road. A student of mine came in one day highly distracted and demonstrating sensory-seeking behaviors. After altering the music and interventions, I knew working on his communication goal that day was not benefiting him and his current needs. Once we switched to sensory-stimulating activities, his behaviors changed in both his music therapy session as well as the other academic settings that followed. Be flexible. Sometimes you won’t address the student’s specific goal because they need something else in the session, and that is perfectly fine.

Make Connections – As a traveling therapist, this is key to success. Being in five different schools and a daycare center, all of my responsibilities were different in each setting. Talking to your teachers, CSE’s, directors, principals, front desk clerks, and nurses gives you more connections within each school. Once COVID-19 school closures hit in our area, I was able to contact teachers, CSE’s, and parents to see how I could help. These connections I made early on in the year helped make this simpler when decisions were being made or meetings were being held.

Take Time for You – There were nights where I would be working and would become overwhelmed as my original “to-do list” doubled in size. When prioritizing what needs to get done, it is important to schedule time for yourself. You are working hard, and we all want the best for our students, but you need time to unplug and take your music therapist “hat” off. A friend once told me, “you cannot pour from an empty glass.” So, practice some self-care – you absolutely deserve it!

Trust Your Clinician Gut – Being a new therapist, you’re automatically the “new kid” on the block. You will likely hear about your students’ backgrounds in various settings from the connections you’ve made at each school. Although these are relevant points to take into consideration, don’t take them as final law. We have the highly motivating tool of music in our practice, so don’t be scared to test the waters and see what your students can do in the music therapy setting. You are fresh eyes to the team so do not be afraid to try something new. If it works, share it! Not only is this great advocacy for our field, but it is even better advocacy for your students and will help them thrive in other settings outside of music therapy.

If at First You Don’t Succeed, Change the Music – You are going to have amazing sessions, but you are also going to have sessions that are not so great. Through these good and bad days, it is important to remember that you are doing your best. When you hit a bump in the road just remember to be creative, think outside the box, and as always, change the music!

Going through your first school year can be tough. However, you will learn more than you ever dreamed, especially from the students you work with.

Raising Music Therapy Awareness

by Amy Thomas | May 6, 2011

Ashley McCulloch is a high school senior from Wayne Central School district. For her senior project she chose to learn about music therapy, as well as to coordinate a fundraiser selling custom designed “Music Heals ♪” bracelets. Ashley chose music therapy because her friend’s brother has special needs and receives music therapy as a related service at school, and she thought that it sounded interesting. Through her research she learned about music’s unique powers of healing, as well as how music can be used to help people with disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and Autism. Ashley states, “I love to listen to music and it always helps me to feel better, but I had no idea that music could help people physically as well as mentally.”

The money that Ashley raised selling her bracelets is going to help several families pay the tuition for their child to enroll in our music explorer’s program this summer. If you are aware of a family who has a child under the age of 3 years old and can benefit from this tuition assistance, please refer them to our website. After completing the registration and adding “seeking tuition assistance” at the top of the form, they should mail it directly to our office. The tuitions will be granted on a first come first serve basis. Proof of financial need will be requested.

Educating the Community About Music Therapy

by Amy Thomas | Jan 11, 2011

Upstate Music Therapy Center is dedicated to educating the community about music therapy. This includes helping people who are interested in, or are currently pursuing a career in music therapy. We are a clinical training facility, which means we are continuously teaching others about music therapy through community presentations, observation of our work, and experiential opportunities for clinic students to implement aspects of music therapy within a supervised session. This training environment is a “win-win” situation for the Board Certified Music Therapist, student who is being treated, and individual in training as these college students many times bring new and fresh perspectives into the clinical setting.

Want to learn more about our training opportunities? Contact the UMTC office.