This past fall, I attended a conference in which the speaker shared that she chooses and focuses on one word for each year. This caught my attention, especially since I had heard about this idea from a former internship supervisor. I was excited to hear about this concept from various areas of my life and knew I wanted to choose a word for myself for the upcoming year. After some time, thought and consideration, my word was revealed to me—…

From Student’s Bench to Teacher’s Chair When I was younger and my piano teacher wanted to trade seats so that she could demonstrate a musical concept for me, I always thought that this was a big deal. I would get to sit in the “teacher’s chair” while she sat on the piano bench. Although, our roles did not change, there was a sense of honor and pride to get to sit in her spot– even if only for a couple…

I love writing lists of all kinds! Shopping, to-do, music practice, dreams, and reading lists are just a few of the many lists that I make. They help me to keep my goals in mind and to stay on track. As an intern, I started 3 main lists that I kept easily accessible….  “Music Therapy Song Bank” As music therapists— especially as student and new therapists, we are always looking for new and appropriate songs to meet various goals. Near…

More than once, I have been asked what a “typical” day looks like for a music therapist. But, before we begin, I have a little secret to share…. There is no such thing as a “typical” day for a music therapist… ever.  Many therapists work with various populations and in multiple settings. Therefore, a therapist’s week to week and day to day can look vastly different. One morning, they might be serving adults in the hospital setting. Later that afternoon,…

My Musical Journey Last, but definitely not least, my third goal for A Suite Sound is to share my personal journey as a musician and music therapist. My hope is for you to be encouraged and inspired by the stories and experiences I share. As Maria sings in The Sound of Music, “Let’s start at the very beginning, A very good place to start” (Hammerstein II, 1959).    I began taking private piano lessons at age 4. I enjoyed my lessons,…

{TEN} Music Theory “Survival Tips” As part of completing Music Theory Level IV, my classmates and I were asked by our professor to each write a letter to incoming music students on “survival tips” for music theory courses. Because my second goal for A Suite Sound is to encourage and support my fellow musicians– including music students, I thought it would be a good idea to share my ideas here in hopes that music theory students of all levels might…

What is music therapy? While completing some research, I came across the following quote…. “One of the biggest problems when I hire a young music therapist right out of school… [is that] they’re not sharing why they’re doing [music therapy]. It’s like…’I don’t even understand what the therapist is doing with the client and it seems like a waste of time.’ Then I observe and I’m like, ‘No it’s actually spot on.’ But it’s like they’re not communicating” (Smith, 2018).…