Music therapist Noelle has worked with West Music for one whole year! In honor of her work anniversary, she shares three things she learned during this year.

After passing the music therapy board certification exam in April of 2021, I was hired as a music therapist with West Music the following July. As I entered this new season of my life in a professional job where I get to put my degree to use, I felt excited AND nervous. I knew I still had a lot to learn; I always will. However, as I approach my official 1-year “workiversary”, I want to take time and reflect on all the things I have learned thus far.

• I enjoy “flying by the seat of my pants” more than I ever thought I would.

I have always prided myself on being a prepared and organized person-a necessary skill for the profession. However, a critical part of working with people of all backgrounds, needs, musical preferences, and experiences is the ability to be flexible and adapt in any situation. I go into every session with a general plan but also make sure to bring a mindset that is ok with throwing it all (or some of it) out the window. Some of the best session memories I have are from when I was willing to do something that I was not expecting or felt 100% prepared to do. I recently had a session with a group of older adults in a senior living facility where one client randomly started singing “Home on the Range” in the middle of a song discussion where she was asked where she likes to travel. Instead of saying something like “Oh, that is a good song. But that’s not what I had on my list today, so let’s move on,” I said, “Oh, that is a great song! Let’s go ahead and all sing it together and think about a place we consider home.” The client sang the entire song with ease. This excited both me and the staff, especially because the client had not previously been engaging in the session thus far. Being able to be flexible with what was going on in the session gave me the opportunity to validate the client and encourage their participation. This overall mindset of being ok with not having everything go according to plan has given me more joy and has given opportunities for my clients to have deeper musical experiences.

• There is a fine line between displaying confidence and denying yourself help and support.

During my first year as a full-time music therapist, I have been extremely blessed to have amazing music therapists as co-workers! They all come with vast knowledge and variety of experiences. Whenever I ask questions or seek advice, they are more than willing to share. Asking thoughtful questions has been very beneficial for me as it has resulted in much professional and personal growth. Over the years, I have found that there needs to be a balance of being confident in my abilities while also utilizing the resources I have around me. If I focus too much on trying to appear confident and capable, I am likely overlooking the areas I struggle in and ultimately leaving them unaddressed. If I continuously ask questions before giving myself an opportunity to think through something and problem solve myself, I am doing myself a disservice. I am blocking myself from looking within and drawing upon my own knowledge, capabilities, and confidence to determine a possible solution. Therefore, when presented with a struggle, I take inventory on what resources I have within myself and what resources I have through others to find the best course of action.

• Small changes over time add up to make a big difference!

When I feel my session plan creativity is stuck in a rut, it is easy for me to want to change EVERYTHING. Although there are good intentions behind this idea, it is not always beneficial for me OR my clients to do so. Thoughts of needing to make a lot of changes leave me feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed. I have found that making small goals for myself has brought me much more success and creativity. I challenge myself by deciding “Ok, this week you’re going to incorporate one new instrument into the session! Let’s try a stir xylophone!” or “Learn one new song to include into your session all about Summer for Monday.” For many of my clients, repetition can be a key factor in their success in music therapy. Changing the usual flow of events or introducing many new songs/instruments is not usually setting them up for success. As I create these new interventions and learn a few new songs each month they add up to a lot of the course of just one year!

I am thankful for all the experience and knowledge I have gained over the course of just one year as a music therapist. I am excited for all the new things I’ll create and learn in the years to come.

Congrats on one year at West Music, Noelle!