Music Therapy and the Importance of Practice
It’s crazy to think that we’re already headed into February! Time is truly flying by here at MTCCA.
As an intern, there is never a shortage of things on my “to-do” list. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and forget why we do what we do, as Music Therapists. Of course, our clients are always there to remind us of the power of music and the effect that music has on their quality of life. With this in mind, the one thing I never skip on my “to-do” lists is practice. The difference between practice now and practice back in school is that practice no longer means “perfect.” Now, as an intern (and soon as a professional!) practice means the difference between being some lady with a guitar and an ipad and a highly trained clinical musician, ready to respond to whatever musical cues my clients throw my way. By practicing and becoming as fluent on guitar, piano, and drums as possible, an MT is able to use their brain power more effectively in sessions. Rather than worrying about what the IV chord of F is, an MT can respond to the rhythms the client is playing.
This past week, the team got together with Jayjay Lim at Greene Music to have an improv workshop. Jayjay shared with us a few easy tips for teaching adaptive lessons, and even more helpful tips about how to accompany a client. Though all of us were floored by his talent, (and many of us were thinking “I could never do that!”) it was a great reminder of the importance of practicing. Music doesn’t just happen, and music isn’t one-size-fits-all. As an intern it’s always easy to forget to practice, or to run out of time, but I do really believe that, while no one will ever be perfect, practice definitely makes us thousand times more effective as therapists.
