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.