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Dr. Anita Gadberry
Regional Liaison for North America
Contact: northamerica@wfmt.info[/caption]
There are many schools in the United States and Canada that offer music therapy education programs as you can see here: North American Schools and Internship Sites
I asked two students to tell us a bit about a typical week of school for them. Adam Carabine is a music therapy student at Capilano University in Canada, and Christopher Morrison is a music therapy student at Marywood University in the United States. Listed below are their reports for the week commencing January 26, 2014.
A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A MUSIC THERAPY STUDENT by Adam Carabine
A week as a music therapy student in Canada can be quite grueling, rewarding, and to be honest, a little bit of a blur! If you asked everyone in my class to do this, you would likely get completely unique answers from all of them, but before getting too much into my own schedule, how about a little background information about myself?
I’m 25 years old, and I’m in my fourth year of the Capilano University Music Therapy program, with an anticipated graduation in 2015. I’ve played piano for 20 years, guitar for 6, and I can fake my way through many other instruments as well. I’m in the middle of my third practicum of the program, working with adults in a locked psychiatric ward. I also have another job on the side as a server at a restaurant, as I’m trying to pay for school without the help of any student loans.
Anyway, enough about me! Here is a detailed schedule of my life’s crazy and busy happenings from January 26 – February 1.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 26:
Today was filled with music! Firstly, a friend and I performed at a mental health facility (not music therapy, just for fun). We put together a 45-minute set list and performed it for some residents at a local facility. And as a musician, to finish off the day, what better than watching the Grammy Awards? I probably should have done some homework today, though!
MONDAY, JANUARY 27:
While this is my one day off from school, I tend to do as much homework as I can during the day, as I work in the evening at my other job. This week was no exception. Nothing too interesting this day – just homework and work!
TUESDAY, JANUARY 28:
Tuesdays are my longest day at school, with classes from 8:30am to 5:00pm. My first class of the day is professional development. As we near the end of our time as students and get closer to braving the real world on our own, this class aims to help us with internship applications and the day-to-day issues that could arise when starting up our own music therapy practices. After lunch we have our practicum seminar course, which is a place for us to discuss issues/solutions/etc. in regards to our practicum (see tomorrow!). The final class of the day is about incorporating many facets of the creative arts into our music therapy practice. Be it dance, poetry, visual art, etc., we learn about different ways to use these in a music therapy setting. After the long day at school, I drove straight to the movie theatre to catch a movie with some friends.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29:
Wednesdays are practicum days. As mentioned above, I am in the middle of a 12-week placement in a locked psychiatric ward. I arrive at about 9am, and I spend the day doing a multitude of different things. This week included two individual sessions and two group sessions. I am not the only student working here, as there is a group of around 7 psych nursing students here, too. This week they asked me to give a presentation on music therapy and what I’m currently doing at the facility. I think it’s important for them to get a feel for a multi-disciplinary style of care. Heading home at 4pm, I tend to just do some homework for a little bit and hit the hay early after two long days in a row.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 30:
In terms of actual school classes, today is a light day. Today is the day I get my voice and guitar lessons at Capilano. Since I live about an hour’s drive away (without traffic!), I leave at about 9:45 for an 11am voice lesson. While there is definitely emphasis on vocal technique, the lesson tends to revolve around my practicum and what sorts of vocal interventions I may be wanting to learn/try at my practicum placement. After a longer break of doing homework, I have guitar lesson at 1:30pm. As it is only half an hour, it’s tough to get a whole lot accomplished, but I am learning a lot from my teacher. Currently we’re working on some jazz standards and different ways of approaching ‘jazz chords.’ Thursday nights I’m back at work!
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31:
TGIF, right? (Editor’s note: a common abbreviation meaning, “thank goodness it’s Friday.”) I’m back at school from 9am until 3:30pm today. The first class is about improvisation. A big part of music therapy is being able to improvise in a particular genre or style, or on a different instrument, and this course is all about providing help for just that. It’s neat because my classmates all come from differing musical backgrounds, so we learn a lot from each other, as well as our instructor. After a quick lunch break, we have a four-hour research and statistics class. What a way to end the week! It’s lucky for us that our teacher is genuinely passionate about it, or this could be a huge snore-fest. (Editor’s note: a slang term meaning, “boring” or “tedious.”) The last hour of class is a hands-on computer lab, which helps to keep it interesting. Friday nights I tend to try and keep open. I spend the evening with my girlfriend, either doing homework together or just relaxing. After a long week, I don’t know if I could go to work again, so I book it off.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1:
We’ve made it to the end of the week! Saturdays I tend to work on my guitar, planning my next practicum date, and learning new repertoire based on requests I get from the residents there. Also, every Saturday my weekly reports about the previous day at practicum are due. Saturday evenings are always busy at the restaurant where I work, and I’m there almost every time. Tonight is no exception, and I just hope to finish my homework in time, so I don’t have to worry about it tomorrow!
So there you have it: a week in the life of a music therapy student! It honestly goes by so fast; it’s hard to believe I’m already 5 weeks into this semester! In such a compacted schedule, I also learn so much. My practicum is a constant source of interesting information and learning, be it on-site with my supervisor or in my practicum seminar class talking to my faculty supervisor. It’s one thing to talk about theories and ideas for music therapy, but getting hands-on experience on my own is completely invaluable, while also being so much more enjoyable! Overall, despite how busy my life is for semesters at a time, I absolutely love my program and am positive this is the right career choice for me!
A GLIMPSE AT MY WEEK by Chris Morrison
Hi! My name is Chris Morrison, and I am a junior at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania where my major instrument is percussion. I am very motivated to stay busy and keep learning from my experiences as a music therapy student. Besides my studies, some of my time is spent being the president of the music therapy club and a resident assistant on campus. My drive as a leader and student pushes me to continue my studies in graduate school where I plan to focus on my individuals with autism, my specific population of interest. My younger sister has an Autism Spectrum Disorder, and my experiences with her make it easy for me to connect with other individuals on the spectrum. I am hoping to use these skills and skills as a musician in the future as I continue to make differences in lives of those who benefit from music therapy.
A normal week for me is busy and active. Being a music therapy student and enjoying other opportunities that college provides has really taught me the best way to be individually motivated and to manage my time effectively. Having the passion to pursue helping others as a student and leader has taught me to manage my own time and to follow my own schedule. Even still, I enjoy every second of what I am doing. The individuals I am meeting, learning from, and experiencing my time with as a music therapy student in clinical placements and classes have really affected me positively and helped me to grow as an individual.
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