Top Internship Learnings – Growth, Challenge, and Purpose
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.
Amelia Elbendary
