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Before I came to study music therapy in the United States, I had my background in piano performance and I had been teaching piano lessons and accompanying with many musicians in their performance for almost ten years. I started to realize how powerful music can be when I noticed major communication and social improvements in one of my students who has autism. My passion in music and the desire to help other people made me pursue my studies in music therapy.
Coming to study in another country is very challenging for me, especially knowing that I will not be using my first language in everyday life, let alone cultural differences. During my school years, I have learnt so much from courses such as theoretical foundation in music therapy and research methods. Not only did I learn so much in the classroom, I also had the opportunity to take what I have learnt in class and apply to real practice during my practicum hours. I have an amazing opportunity working with many groups of population including adolescents with autism, those who have other intellectual and developmental disabilities, adults in inpatient psychiatric units, as well as adults and elderly who need spiritual support.
During my time in the program, I also decided to participate in the Jamaica Field Service Project (JAFSP) during summer 2018 because I knew that hands-on and out-of-classroom experience would help me a lot with my professional growth. Over the course of two years in the music therapy program, I have gained a lot of experience from coursework, practicum and internship, JAFSP, numerous conferences and discussion panels, as well as observing other music therapists. I am grateful for all the support I had from my family and friends, advisors, professors, and supervisors.
Peeraporn (Jill) Iampee
2nd year Music Therapy Student | Professional Studies Program at Shenandoah University
Hometown: Thailand
