Katherine’s Top 10 Internship Learnings

Woo we’ve made it to the end of internship! It’s crazy to look back at where I started and acknowledge the progress I’ve made at the finish line. In so many different facets of life, I’ve grown throughout this internship and I can’t believe I’m at the end of this journey. I’ve had such an amazing experience being an intern at MTCCA, and I wanted to share my top 10 learnings with you.

1. It’s okay not to have all the answers. This has been an interesting lesson to learn, as I love to know what is coming next for security’s sake. Not only this, I also try to do things to the best of my abilities and want to avoid feeling like I’m doing a disservice to myself and others around me if I don’t know what is happening next. While this can be frustrating at times, at the end of the day I’ve learned that it’s okay not to know everything that is going to happen. In the world of music therapy, you may not know how a client is going to respond to an intervention, you may have plans change throughout the day and you may not know how to do something you feel like you should know how to do. Don’t beat yourself up, and instead realize that there are so many learning opportunities and it’s okay not to have all the answers.
2. Comparison is the thief of joy (seriously). I am naturally someone who likes to achieve and do things to the best of my abilities, but I’ve realized this can come with lofty expectations. I had moments at the beginning of internship where I thought I was never going to be able to do what my supervisor and other therapists on the team were doing and this led to some negative self talk and doubts. As someone fresh in the field of music therapy, holding myself to the expectations that I should be doing everything as well as the other therapists on the team was simply not reasonable for myself, especially in the first couple of months of internship. Everyone has their own strengths and I’ve learned that these strengths play into one’s role as a music therapist in so many different ways.
3. Use your primary instrument. I had never really used my clarinet in sessions during college practicums, but I have learned so many cool ways to use my clarinet in sessions throughout my internship (I wrote a separate blog post about this, also). It’s been wonderful using my instrument during various opportunities in sessions, and I love seeing the way clients respond to the clarinet. It’s also rewarding to know that the years of studying on my instrument can continue to pay off outside of school!
4. The Yamaha EZ220 is life changing. Using the EZ220 keyboard has made so many sessions more engaging and motivating for clients. There are so many cool features on the keyboard that are great for transitions, Name That Tune, attention skills, fine motor skills. As someone who did not have many years of piano experience, the EZ220 keyboard has been so helpful in providing immediate auditory feedback that can address client goals by just clicking a few buttons.
5. Find a system that works for you. This applies to so many facets of internship. Whether it be time management, data collection, session planning, or even leading sessions, find what works best for you. This is something that took me a couple of months to develop just because of the newness of everything, but once I was able to figure out how I best work, I was able to increase efficiency and make less stress for myself in the long run.
6. Learn how to be the best version of yourself. This may sound kind of cliche, but it’s true, especially on days where you don’t feel at your best. From experience, there were a few days during internship where I did not feel well (the second COVID vaccine was a doozy for me!) but I still had responsibilities to my co-therapists and clients to be as close to my best as possible. When we feel 100%, of course it is much easier to get things done and feel energized to do tasks than if we are not. It certainly isn’t easy, but it’s during these times when we don’t feel our best that we need to put our best foot forward for those we serve.
7. Prioritize, please. Throughout college, I was always able to prioritize things well and figure out what I needed to work on. During internship though, there are so many different responsibilities and tasks that it is important to readdress how you prioritize and what things should be at the top of the “to-do” list. Taking a weekly inventory of what tasks I needed to complete each week was helpful for me. Ultimately, it’s great to narrow down as much as possible to one or two individual tasks that are the highest priority, even though sometimes it can feel like everything needs to be prioritized. This is a significant learning for me, as I’ve learned to take each day as it comes and figure out what my daily and weekly priorities are.
8. Give yourself grace. Internship is a huge learning experience. Similar to point number 1, you aren’t expected to know everything and people are there along the way to help you! I have appreciated all of the support, advice, constructive criticism provided by various people throughout my internship, as these have alleviated a lot of my questions and/or concerns and have helped remind me that the things I’m learning during internship are not always easy. It’s natural to make mistakes or to do things incorrectly during internship and I’ve learned that these experiences don’t define me, but instead make me more equipped for future experiences and are building my strengths and skills.
9. Take time for you. Self care is such an important aspect of being a music therapist. There are instances where you may feel like you’re expending all of your physical, mental and emotional energy in the work that you do so it is important to find avenues outside of the office that allow you to refresh. This looks different for everyone, but I’ve found that going to the beach, talking with friends and family, going on walks, getting extra sleep, and drinking water are a few things that have worked for me in regards to self care during internship. Being in such a beautiful city as San Diego, I’ve definitely taken advantage of some beautiful scenery to provide some self care.
10. You are stronger than you think. This is so true! I knew I’d learn about music therapy during the internship, but I had no idea I’d learn so much about myself. For the internship, I took my Strength’s Finder test and identified that 4/5 of my strengths are all relationship based strengths. These strengths have really played into my approach as a therapist and I’ve enjoyed getting to watch all five strengths become (ironically) stronger! Also, there are so many things coming your way during internship and it can feel like you aren’t able to handle it all, but trust me, you totally can! There are little victories along the way that lead up to the huge victory of completing internship and you are certainly capable of doing it all.

I have enjoyed sharing my learnings with you along the way of internship. It is crazy that this chapter has come to a close, but I’m so incredibly grateful for all I’ve learned along the way. Thank you for following this journey with me!

Katherine