The End of an Era

The End of an Era

I have learned a tremendous amount in the past 6 months: from how to set a drum set in 5 minutes to how to handle a kiddo having a melt down, and everything in between. I’m not sure I believed my professors when they said that I’d learn 90% of my undergrad knowledge during internship- but now I know it’s true. I’m leaving this internship a better rounded music therapist, a more aware individual, and with a hundred new stories to tell. It’s hard to boil down everything I’ve learned in sixth months to one blog post, but here you go:

1. You can do anything for a season. I don’t particularly believe that we should stress ourselves out to the point of being sick, or allow ourselves to be overworked to the point of exhaustion for any length of time. However, I did learn the valuable lesson of how to remain happy, and find time for myself even when my schedule reads like a Dicken’s novel (too many words in too little time).
2. The potential of the people we work with is limitless. I never thought I would feel like I understood the needs or thoughts of some of the clients I worked with in even the slightest way back in October, but now, as my internship comes to a close, I truly feel connected and inspired by each one of them. Every day, one person or another reminded me that there is no limit to what anyone can achieve, regardless of their disability. 
3. Music school can never prepare you for the real world.Rather than expanding on this one too much, I’ll leave it at this: when I started Berklee, I never would have guessed that I would be helping record an album….on which I would be playing bass, vibroslap, and…kazoo. 
4. Every day is a chance to make a new friend and be happy. It’s so easy to get stressed out by internship, and life, and all of the many challenges we all face. But I am one of the lucky few people in this world who wakes up every day to go to a job which brings not only me joy, but the people who I work with joy as well. I have the coolest job in the whole world and I can’t wait to start my life as a professional music therapist. 

-Emma