As part of my internship at The Music Therapy Center of California, I had the exciting opportunity to attend ACES grand opening of their Otay Ranch location which included a resource fair. ACES, which stands for Autism Comprehensive Educational Services, provides a range of services for individuals and families impacted by autism and other special needs, with a focus on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). They offer services in homes, centers, and the community, including early intervention, social skills groups, and support for students and educators. ACES also provides parent training and support. that supports neurodivergent children and their families by providing
This event was a vibrant gathering of professionals from diverse disciplines, all dedicated to sharing knowledge and resources with the community.
I attended alongside Carly, our center’s Operations Coordinator, who was instrumental in organizing our presence and connecting warmly with families. While Carly is not a clinician, her role was vital in making the experience welcoming and efficient.
At our booth, I provided demonstrations of music therapy techniques, offered educational materials, and engaged with parents eager to learn how music could support their children’s communication, emotional regulation, and sensory processing. The event was an excellent opportunity to practice advocacy and community education, sharing the unique benefits of music therapy in an accessible way.
This experience reinforced the importance of outreach and visibility in the field. Beyond direct clinical work, showing up in community spaces to educate and connect helps build bridges and increase access to music therapy services
Here is a day in my life as a new music therapy intern! Every day’s schedule is different, but here is just what one day looks like.
Please refer to my video reel for the visual aspect of this blog post!
7:30am: Rise and shine! I spent the first half taking time to myself (scrolling on my phone), doing my oral and skincare routine, and going to the bathroom. I got some free coffee from the coffee dispensary in my building. I used to not be a coffee drinker, but now that I am doing my first ever job, I like a little boost of caffeine once in a while.
8am: I am off to the local deli to get my lunch and dinner since I will be having both meals on the job and I know for dinner there won’t be a microwave so I want something that doesn’t need to be heated. I am also restocking my snacks because I love nibbling on something between sessions since I exert a lot of energy and I have a fast metabolism so I get hungry often.
8:30-9:15am: Back at home and I am having breakfast! Afterwards I pack my food and snack bag, get dressed, and I am out the door!
9:45am-12:30pm: Today I am with our beloved senior intern, Leah, at the memory care unit at a retirement community called Fredricka Manor. We did back to back sessions and she also guided me through her note taking process post session
12:30-1pm: Lunch! The sandwich from the deli is delicious and perfect for a quick lunch.
1-2pm: Choir rehearsal!
2-2:15pm: Prep time for the Clavinova class. The Clavinova is an electric piano on steroids!
2:15-3pm: Clavinova class!
3-3:30pm: We are driving to the session at Ivy Park Assisted Living & Retirement Community!
3:30-4:15pm: Session time!
4:15-5:30pm: Drive time and dinner time to tonight’s jam session! Luckily the jam session is so close to sunset cliffs, I was able to enjoy my dinner with a stunning view.
5:30-6:30pm: Setting up for the jam session
6:30-7:30pm Jam session!
7:30-8:30pm: Tear down + debrief with the volunteers. Free pizza to keep the morale going
8:55pm: I have finally gotten home!
11pm: Where has all the time gone?! I caught up with my friends, showered, and now I am off to bed. Goodnight and thanks for spending the day with me!
For context, I was born in Vancouver, Canada but I was raised in Beijing, China and I moved to Boston for my undergraduate degree at Berklee College of Music where I double majored in Music Therapy and Film Scoring. My beloved brother lives in Toronto and my cousins live on the east coast, but the rest of my family are all in China.
Above: My mom, grandparents, cousins, and family dog
Above: My brother and I
I am very lucky that the only thing I have to adapt to once moving to America was the culture, for language was not something I had to worry about. Regardless, I definitely still feel like an outsider in this country, well, because I am an expat after all.
I decided to move to San Diego because MTC seemed like the perfect place for me to do my internship, and my other requirement was I wanted to live in a city and not a small town. I heard great things about San Diego from my American friends, and since I have already lived the east coast life, I knew it was time to try something completely new. My intuition told me it was the right choice although I have never even visited and I have learned to fully trust my intuition these days cause she has never led me wrong.
Truthfully, living alone and being a single woman is not easy in this country but this experience has only made me more resilient, and I am eternally grateful for all the friends and family that have helped me with this cross country move!
July 14, 2025
I GOT ACCEPTED TO THE MTC INTERNSHIP!!! WOOHOOO!!!
July 25, 2025
I signed the lease to my San Diego apartment! Fun fact: as part of my manifestation process, I already began looking at San Diego apartments during the internship application process before I got accepted to really get myself in the right headspace. I scoured Google reviews, Yelp, Tiktok, Instagram, and with the help of the realtor sending me video recordings of the place, I am happy to say I found my perfect apartment.
July 31, 2025
My lease has ended in my Boston apartment! It is time for me to pack it all up with the help of some movers. Huge shoutout to my cousin’s girlfriend for allowing me to store all my boxes in her home in Massachusetts. It was so emotional leaving that place! I know it is time to move on, but goodbyes are always the hardest. Saying goodbye to the people that worked the concierge and the maintenance team was sooo bittersweet.
Above: The view from my old Boston apartment facing the Museum of Fine Arts, one of my favorite spots in the whole city
Above: All my things in storage
September 12, 2025
I spent my last month with my family in Beijing and it is time to fly back to Boston to ship all my things over to San Diego! There is no time to deal with jetlag, I only have a few days to get everything done!
This was my first time coming back to Boston after breaking up with my long term boyfriend, and it felt so difficult being in Boston again and thinking about all the time we spent together. I had to avoid all the familiar parts to prevent myself from feeling sad since I had to get so much done. Thank you to my college friends Zo and Mi Lan for allowing me to crash on their couch.
Above: Mi Lan and Zo. We’ve known each over since freshmen year
Pro tip: UPS was the cheapest and safest way for me to ship all my things cross country! Since I was in Beijing before and I could not make any calls, Uship is great for cross country shipping but it requires organizing it a week or so in advance for the best outcomes. Regardless, UPS managed to ship my springboard mattress cross country and it came undamaged!
Thank you sooo much to my younger cousin Eric and his girlfriend, Marissa, for helping me with the process of shipping everything from Boston!
Above: We popped his trunk and put my mattress on it to bring to UPS’ office.
September 15, 2025
I have landed in San Diego! Pro tip: I have a ‘travel oriented’ credit card so I was able to book my flight with my points which saved me money. My amazing college friend Cindy drove four hours roundtrip from Los Angeles to help me with my first day! Thank you Cindy <3 we went to Target, Ikea, Whole Foods to get all my essentials.
Above: My first view of San Diego! I was so emotional touching down cause I have finally made it here!
September 16-21, 2025
I knew this was gonna come, but I cried every day. It was just a difficult time being by myself and feeling completely alone, having to do every task by myself. I rented a car–they gave me a Ford Escape which felt very American 😛 to get things done. I drove all around the city for Facebook Marketplace pickups, and I lived out of my suitcase these days because I did not have the emotional bandwidth to unpack. I also went around town trying to find the best car to lease, and even socializing with those car dealership guys made me happy to have those interactions with other people.
Thank you so much to the senior intern, Leah, and her husband Ruben for coming over to help me unpack one evening, it helped me so much with the speed of settling in! <33333
September 22, 2025
I picked up my newly leased car!!! I am so proud of myself for negotiating the deal all by myself and I am excited to take my first ever car to all my future adventures!
September 24, 2025
My beloved mattress has arrived all the way from Boston! This is my first time sleeping in a real bed since I left Beijing on September 12th.
September-October 5th, 2025
I tried to use the time before my internship and after I have finished settling into my apartment as a time to make as many new friends as possible! I have been using apps such as Bumble for Friends, gone to events hosted by Newps for girls to make friends, attended a Timeleft event where they pair you with five strangers for dinner, and the good ‘ol fashioned way of talking to strangers at cafes and restaurants. I am so grateful to everyone that has entered my life in this new city and I love continuing to build my own community!
Concluding thoughts:
I knew that this process was going to be physically and emotionally difficult since I was on my own, but I knew it was the best case scenario. My dad is 59, my mom is 55, did I really want them travelling from Beijing to San Diego to help me? No. Thank you to the helping hands along the way: Eric, Marissa, Cindy, Leah, and Ruben. I could not have done this without you all! I am so proud of making this move by myself, and I know I have grown to be so much stronger and wiser after this entire process!
Thank you for taking the time to read a little bit about my journey in life.
As I wrap up my music therapy internship at The Music Therapy Center of California, I’ve found myself reflecting deeply on the experiences that shaped me, both as a clinician and as a person. This internship has been more than just a stepping stone toward professional certification; it’s been a space for transformation, where theory met practice, and where I discovered what kind of music therapist I want to be.
Here are some of my most meaningful takeaways:
1. Regulation Comes Before Communication
One of the most powerful clinical truths I learned was that regulation must come before communication, cognition, or academic learning. Many of the individuals I worked with, especially those with vision impairments, sensory differences, or sensitivity to certain things, could not fully engage until they first felt safe in their environment.
With these clients, music became a co-regulatory tool. Whether through steady rhythmic grounding, familiar musical routines, or vocal mirroring, I learned how to use music as a way to meet clients exactly where they were. This approach helped build trust, reduce distress, and open the door to expressive language and interpersonal connection.
2. STRUCTURE CAN UNLOCK CREATIVITY
Before this internship, I worried that too much structure might limit spontaneity in sessions. What I’ve learned is that for many clients, especially those who experience unpredictability as threatening, structure is what allows creativity to emerge safely.
Predictable musical forms, clear visual cues (e.g. schedules), and repeated routines created a secure framework within which clients felt free to take risks. One of my clients began improvising their own lyrics once they could count on the consistent musical flow. The structure didn’t restrict expression, it unlocked it.
3. Collaboration is a Clinical Skill
Interdisciplinary collaboration was a core part of this internship. I worked alongside speech therapy goals, and other music therapists offering a different lens on the client. Whether it was collecting shared data on communication goals, aligning intervention themes with classroom curriculum, or integrating AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) strategies into music sessions, I learned that collaboration is more than cooperation, it’s a clinical skill in itself, and it is not an easy one! As a student, I was always too afraid to ask for help, or even just a different opinion. “I can do this myself, I don’t need to bother anyone else” was very often my thinking. I am thankful that I learned to break this habit quickly during my internship. Hearing (and asking for) a different perspective on interventions is what made my skills grow most.
4. SIMPLICITY IS POWERFUL
As an intern, I often felt pressure to prove my creativity or clinical range. But time and again, I witnessed how simple, consistent interventions made the biggest impact. A two-chord song with a steady beat. A visual instrument choice board. A familiar “hello” song with a predictable turn-taking pattern.
These “small” things were often the key to participation, especially for students with limited language or regulation challenges. I learned to stop chasing novelty and instead focus on what truly supported the client’s success.
5. Who I Am Matters as Much as What I Do
This internship reminded me that music therapy is more about therapeutic presence than it is about performance. Performance often centers on precision, presentation, and audience reaction, but in therapy, the focus is on connection and responsiveness.
Clients responded not just to what I offered musically, but to the energy I brought into the space. My tone, my openness, my ability to wait, to listen, to respond gently. All of these “non-musical” elements shaped the therapeutic relationship.
I learned to trust myself more, to trust that who I am, when grounded and intentional, is just as therapeutic as the interventions I plan and facilitate. That’s not something you can find in a textbook. It’s something you earn through experience.
Looking Ahead
As I prepare to transition from intern to professional (MT-BC pending), I carry these learnings with me as both tools and touchstones. I’m proud of the work I’ve done, the clients I’ve met, and the moments of growth I’ve shared with my supervisors and colleagues. This internship has shaped the way I see the field, and myself within it.
Music therapy, I’ve learned, is not about fixing anyone. It’s about witnessing, supporting, and making space for what’s already present in someone’s story. That will always be the heart of my work.
During my internship, I was honored to be invited twice as a featured musician and music therapist at Casa de Mosaic’s Adapted Story Time. Casa De Mosaic is an amazing non-profit in San Diego county whose mission is:
“to provide specialized training opportunities to adults with autism and other developmental disabilities requiring extensive support, particularly those facing significant language impairments and behavioral challenges.”
Adapted Story Time creates a supportive and inclusive space specifically designed for individuals with autism, helping them build social skills and feel a sense of connection and belonging.
Sessions typically include themed storytime led by a librarian, followed by a related craft or activity. Some sessions are also led by music and speech therapists, offering added opportunities for engagement and learning. Each session incorporated familiar songs, rhythmic activities, and opportunities for participants to contribute their own ideas. One example of an intervention I used at Adapted Story Time, was a friendship intervention. The book that was read was “What is a friend, and how do I possibly make one?”
This book was all about how to be a good friend to others, and how you would want to be treated. After a hello song with the group, I asked what it meant to be a good friend. A participant raised his hand and said “to treat others how you would like to be treated”. I agree! That comment perfectly led us into our song “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars. Participants sang and filled in lyrics when prompted by the therapist.
I witnessed beautiful moments of connection as participants clapped, sang, and moved together, demonstrating the profound ways music can enhance storytelling and community.
What made these visits especially meaningful was the emphasis on choice and empowerment, participants were encouraged to lead, express, and celebrate their unique voices. The experience challenged me to balance structure with spontaneity, creating a welcoming space for creativity and joy.
These group sessions are a powerful example of how music therapy can extend beyond clinical goals to foster artistic expression and social inclusion. I am grateful for the chance to contribute to their community and inspired to continue exploring such collaborative, person-centered approaches in my career.
For this blog post, I am going to take you along with me for one full day. Here is my typical Thursday. Grab a snack and get comfy, it’s going to be a long one!
6:30am: Wake up!
6:40am: Get dressed and ready.
7:17am: Walk Basil 🐕
7:27 am: Feed my babies, Basil and Nori <3 (and feed myself)!
8:27am: Get my things together.
8:30am: Out the door, in my car, & ready for my long commute to Fredericka Manor!
9:40am: Arrive at Fredericka Manor, prepare for memory care groups.
10am-11:45am: Run group music therapy sessions at Summer House, and Summer House West (memory care).
12:12pm: Write notes/take data about the sessions!
12:30pm: Lunch time! Yum.
1pm: Run the Fredericka Choir rehearsal! On this day, we were preparing for the summer concert that took place the following week. I will include a picture from the concert as well, even though technically it was not this specific day I’m writing about, but I have to show you all! 🏖️
(Rehearsal)
(The concert, a week later)
1:57pm: Back to the music room at Fredericka, ready to run the clavinova class at 2pm! In the music room at Fredericka, there are 6 clavinovas (keyboard on steroids), where residents can come in and learn how to play! From teaching residents how to follow clavinova books where they can enable the accompaniment feature, to providing sheet music books for more experienced residents, I am there to assist and help with any questions the residents may have.
2:27pm: Get text & picture from Basil’s walker that she was walked and taken care of. Yay! I always look forward to getting these texts. Basil loves rolling in the grass, she is so cute!!
3pm: Change into my shirt for Jam Session later, and head out! On this day I had a longer break in my schedule than usual, but this is not the case most of the time. Twice a month, I have an additional memory care group to run at 3:30pm at Ivy Park. And soon, on the weeks I don’t have Ivy Park, I will be running a group music therapy session for children on base at MCAS Miramar. But on this day, I happily took the break.
3:43pm: Stopped at Starbucks for a midday pick-me-up (they spelled my name wrong 😢).
4:45pm: Arrive at the Point Loma Jam Session location early, and take a nap in the car. Hey, got to catch up on rest whenever you can, right? This is intern life 😂!
5:30pm: Walk into the Point Loma Jam Session location, put on my lanyard, and help unload the van/set up all of the musical instruments. Jam Sessions are presented by Banding Together, a non-profit organization also founded by Angela and Julie (when you are an intern at the MTC, you are also an intern at Banding Together). Here is a snippet from their website: “Jam Sessions are one-hour music therapy groups at a local community venue to promote socialization, emotional expression, community inclusion and communication. During this group, the participants join together to sing and play instruments with a different guest artist musician each week. Participants are paired with volunteers in the community who act as mentors in the program.”
6:29pm: Ready for Jam Session to start!
8:11pm: Jam Session ✅.Van loaded ✅. Time to help the volunteers take data on their participant and debrief the successes and challenges of the Jam Session. Plus, snack time!
8:45pm: Point Loma Jam Session is all wrapped up, I’m out the door and in my car driving home.
9:37pm: I’m home!!!! Finally 😭.
9:40pm: Wind down, have a snack, watch a bit of TV (Dandadan Thursdays, IYKYK).
10:30pm: BEDTIME!!!! 😴
So yes, I was awake from 6:30am-10:30pm, pretty brutal. But what a privilege it is to be tired from doing things you are passionate about. Music therapy isn’t always easy, but the small breakthroughs I see everyday make it incredibly meaningful. And above all, I’m always excited to see what the next day will bring, and how I will continue to learn and grow throughout this internship.
As part of my internship at The Music Therapy Center of California, I had the exciting opportunity to attend ACES grand opening of their Otay Ranch location which included a resource fair. ACES, which stands for Autism Comprehensive Educational Services, provides a range of services for individuals and families impacted by autism and other special needs, with a focus on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). They offer services in homes, centers, and the community, including early intervention, social skills groups, and support for students and educators. ACES also provides parent training and support that supports neurodivergent children and their families.
This event was a vibrant gathering of professionals from diverse disciplines, all dedicated to sharing knowledge and resources with the community.
I attended alongside Carly, our center’s Operations Coordinator, who was instrumental in organizing our presence and connecting warmly with families. While Carly is not a clinician, her role was vital in making the experience welcoming and efficient.
At our booth, I provided demonstrations of music therapy techniques, offered educational materials, and engaged with parents eager to learn how music could support their children’s communication, emotional regulation, and sensory processing. The event was an excellent opportunity to practice advocacy and community education, sharing the unique benefits of music therapy in an accessible way.
This experience reinforced the importance of outreach and visibility in the field. Beyond direct clinical work, showing up in community spaces to educate and connect helps build bridges and increase access to music therapy services
I can’t believe I am approaching month 2 of internship – I feel like I just got here yesterday! I suppose that is because I am still getting used to everything. People here often say “no two days are the same,” and I have found that to be very true so far. I thought for my second blog post I would write some tips for getting through the first few weeks of internship, for any future interns out there reading this.
1) Pack a good lunch. This is VERY important. You are already going to be nervous and tired, and you don’t want to be hungry on top of that. Don’t be like me and at the last minute shove an apple and a whole jar of peanut butter into a bag. If you decide you’re going to go and buy lunch, you will barely have time to eat it before you need to get back to work…trust me, I tried! Driving while eating a Chipotle bowl is hard.
2) Keep a small notebook and pen with you in every session you observe. In your first few weeks you will be in an observation stage – don’t take it for granted! You are going to be learning so much and it’s impossible to remember everything, so that’s why it is important to jot things down. I am grateful for the notes I took because now I can refer to them as I am starting to session plan, write journal entries, and write client highlights.
3) Make your drive time purposeful. Since I live a bit further away, I have at least 1-2 hours of drive time everyday (or more if I have any additional driving other than my commute). Even if you live close by, you are most likely going to have a decent amount of time driving. Make use of this time. I’ve heard people say they like to listen to/memorize repertoire via a playlist, listen to any messages they missed, or do any other work while driving safely. I like to use my drive time as a way to recharge, whether that is listening to upbeat music and singing along, or driving in silence while taking some deep breaths. Find what works for you, but don’t just zone out, be purposeful!
4) Be honest. If you are feeling overwhelmed, let your supervisors or team know. If you are struggling with something, let them know. If you have a question, let them know. I know it may be tempting to want to just nod and smile, but if you have something on your mind let it be known!
5) Listen to yourself. Getting used to this new schedule is hard. Give yourself grace and listen to what your body is telling you. I have felt a little disappointed in myself for slacking on my runs since starting internship, but my body is also adjusting to a huge change. I’m waking up earlier, staying out later, and my mind is gloop after taking in so much information – of course I’m going to be exhausted. My body is telling me to rest, so I should listen. I am slowly reintegrating runs back into my routine as I am beginning to get used to this new schedule. I know moving my body is important and very much needed, but I also need to be patient and kind with my body when it is tired and getting used to a big change.
6) Get it done ASAP. If you are moving from another state, be on top of your stuff! I tried my best to do this, but there are still a few things I have been pushing off that I should have done while waiting to start. Also when you begin, try your best to finish any assignments as soon as you can. There are a lot of things that can pile up quickly, so stay on top of it.
7) Be brave. You are going to feel uncomfortable, learn to work through that feeling and do it anyway. Take the initiative and jump in, even if it’s scary. Things get less scary when you do them over and over again. You’re a new intern, you’re expected to make mistakes and not quite know what you’re doing! Don’t let fear stop you from the opportunity to learn and grow.
8) Be a sponge. Soak it all in, and be in the moment. Before you know it, you won’t be an intern anymore, so make the most out of it! I already feel like time is flying by.
I have been learning so much already. I am tired, but what a blessing it is to be tired from something that feels so fulfilling. If you are about to start your music therapy internship (looking at you Ashley 😉–next incoming fellow intern) I hope these tips were helpful to you. Cheers to entering month 2 of internship, see you all in the next one!
One of the most impactful aspects of my internship was developing practical consultation materials designed to support educators and therapists (e.g. speech therapists, occupational therapists, etc.) in the special education school setting. These tools were created specifically for students receiving music therapy services as part of their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
For context, when a student receives music therapy as a related service on their IEP, the intervention must support access to their educational goals. Music therapy in this context is not standalone, it is carefully aligned with existing IEP objectives to help the student make meaningful progress in areas such as communication, motor planning, social skills, or emotional regulation.
The goals and created interventions were:
Goal: By 4/22/2026, when engaged in various classroom activities (e.g., morning meeting, rotations, free choice), Student X will be able to request and respond through use of 3-4 word phrases via spoken words or on their AAC device in 4/5 opportunities given no more than 2 direct models and/or gestural prompts as needed across 3/3 activities as measured by SLP logs.
Sentence Frames: Musical sentence frames paired with visual cues were designed to scaffold language development. These frames provided predictable structures such as “I feel ___ ” or “I want ___ ” set to simple melodies. This approach gave students a framework for expressing feelings and desires even when verbal skills were limited or emerging.
Goal: By Plan Review 2025, when participating in a descriptive language task and given a familiar visual(s) and sentence frames, student X will respond using a preferred mode of communication (e.g. verbal expression, AAC) to a wh-question regarding category, feature, and/or function to describe similarities between 2 or more objects in 8/10 trials across 2 consecutive probes as measured by by SLP, music therapist, and staff data (Categories/objects chosen will be aligned to the greatest extent with the general education curriculum in which student is participating: e.g. human body parts will focus on life science functions of major body parts like the heart and digestive system)” identifying what is similar and different
Body Part Similarity Song: This intervention was designed to support the student’s use of descriptive language through music by identifying similarities between two or more body parts. Using rhythmic songs alongside familiar visuals and sentence frames, the student was prompted to respond to WH-questions such as “What is the same?”, “How are they alike?”, and “What do they both do?” The songs focused on body parts aligned with general education life science content (e.g., the heart, brain, and stomach) and encouraged the student to describe shared features, functions, or categories. Responses were made using the student’s preferred mode of communication, either verbally or with an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) device, which supports individuals with limited or no verbal speech. Music and movement were incorporated to support attention, engagement, and sensory integration while reinforcing concepts of comparison.
Creating these consultation tools was a rewarding experience that underscored the power of collaboration between music therapy and educational teams to foster meaningful growth. While I haven’t implemented these in session yet, the point of making consult materials is to target goals in a new and creative way that increases a student’s access to musical ways of learning in the classroom, and to meet the specific needs of a client. These interventions are given to therapists, teachers and aides with directions on how to implement the resources in session, and how to adapt it and generalize concepts outside of session.
Throughout my internship, I embarked on a special project titled Hearing the Whole Picture: Music Therapy and Emotional Regulation in Individuals with Vision Impairment. This blog post delves into the foundational research and conceptualization that shaped the project’s direction.
From the outset, I was drawn to the question: How can music therapy serve as a bridge to emotional expression and regulation for individuals who navigate the world primarily without sight? Visual impairment often brings sensory challenges beyond vision alone, including heightened vulnerability to anxiety and emotional dysregulation. I sought to create a framework that addressed these interconnected needs.
Immersed in a thorough literature review exploring neurodevelopmental research and existing music therapy models tailored to sensory impairments. I also integrated clinical insights from professionals such as The team at The Music Therapy Center of California and Dr. Hillier, whose expertise helped ground the project in real-world applicability.
This process was essential for building a theoretical foundation that emphasized safety, predictability, and sensory sensitivity. The research process was a powerful learning journey, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and personalized care in music therapy.