I’m done! I’ve finished my hours and now have some time to reflect.
- Music therapy is a wonderful profession and field. After my time here, I have found that music therapy is not without it’s hardships, but it has the potential to flourish and I want to be a part of it.
- Working during an internship is difficult and attempting to find balance is so important. During my time here as a part time intern, I was working part time as an RBT (registered behavior technician) in the field of ABA (applied behavioral analysis). I will say that being in both fields at the same time does take a lot of energy, however, I enjoyed the work I did both at my internship and at my job.
- “Anyone can do anything for 6 months (9 months).” – Julie (internship director) I did it, Julie!
- “Music is like glue.” -Angela (supervisor) This one will always stick with me Angela!
- I am constantly learning. It is important to recognize that I have gained knowledge that can provide benefits to myself and others both in and out of the field.
- Co-treating with other professionals can be valuable to understanding ourselves as music therapists. During my internship, I was able to run sessions and groups alongside other music therapists and my co-intern. I was also able to work with pastors and social workers during my hospice rotation.
- Giving myself time to process after a session is important because it allows me to recognize what went well and what I can do to improve for the next session.
- Being gentle with myself is important because I do not know everything. By doing the best we can with the knowledge we have and improving our skills through feedback, we can consistently improve as professionals.
- The power of music is incredible and learning to harness it through the scope of music therapy to help heal and facilitate learning has been such a dream.
- Have fun! (This is the fifth rule of Jam Sessions! We have this inside joke where when we say goodbye to each other, we’ll sometimes throw in “have fun” as we walk away. But also it’s just a good rule to have for life.)
Here’s a picture of us during my second week of internship!
and here’s a picture of our last team meeting before the end of my internship!
My co-intern Alec and I, always ready to do some work!
Celebrating Alec’s end of internship!
Jamming on the keys with Marisa at the music therapy conference
Getting reading done with Lisa during symposium
I’ve had so much fun in this internship. It hasn’t been easy, but it has been worth it. I’m so grateful to the Music Therapy Center of California and to everyone that works there. I’m so excited to move forward into music therapy keeping all that I’ve learned in mind.
Respectfully,
Eric Amparo, Music Therapy Intern
MTCCA Music Therapy Blog 