It is month 6 of my internship which means I am coming upon the last few sessions with my clients. Building relationships with the different people I have worked with over the course of my internship has truly been the highlight of my experience. I am so grateful for being able to learn so much from the different people I encounter every day. At this internship I have been given the opportunity to work with a wide variety of people all with varying needs. From preschool classes to adults living in group homes to older adults. I have seen many different walks of life during my time here. I am so grateful to each of my clients for allowing me to step into their life for a short period of time. There were great sessions with clients and times when nothing seemed to go as planned, but that is the beauty of working with humans. Try as I might to produce a perfect plan for different things to work on in the session, it all hinges on how the client is doing that day. So, I want to thank my clients for their willingness to work with me and on the good and bad days and everything in between. It is not always easy trusting a complete stranger with your strengths and weaknesses, but I am so fortunate that I was able to meet each person where they were at. There would be days that I was tired and coming into work was difficult, but then I would spend the day laughing and making music with clients and it really brightened my day. These people have experienced so many different challenges in their lives and yet we were able to come together and find ways to relate and communicate through music. What a gift that this field of work exists. Serving vulnerable populations is not always rainbows and sunshine, but it is so worth it to be able to build relationships with all diverse kinds of people. I am reaffirmed in my desire to make sure to take even just a moment to look at the whole person each time I encounter someone new, to understand that everyone has different challenges, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Working with someone in the therapeutic setting is a very privileged space to be, I think it is important to validate that. I am truly honored and humbled to have had the opportunity to be in that space with so many different people. My clients have helped me grow as both a music therapist and person through my time spent with them. It is something I will truly cherish. Everyone is capable of building relationships, you just have to find the way that suites them best. I have the pleasure of using music, and it has helped me learn how to adapt and provide a way to relate to each person I work with. At the end of just about every session I always thank the client for making music with me. I want to reiterate that statement, because I am truly thankful and grateful for the opportunity to make music and build relationships with all of the people I have worked with these past few months.
Each relationship has been a gift.
So, to each of my clients, thank you for the music, thanks for everything.
Sincerely,
Amanda
