Why Music Therapy?

As a child growing up I was surrounded by music. My mother sang and taught music and my father was an opera expert. So, I basically had no choice but to explore my musical interests. I went to an, for lack of a better word, artsy fartsy elementary school. In addition to all of the regular subjects, we were required to take art, dance, drama, instruments, and voice/choir. Some kids stumbled through, but I knew I had found my niche. I would tell you the rest of the story of my journey to musical stardom(right..), but this is about music therapy, not American Idol or The Voice. News Flash, I am planning on auditioning for The Voice Season 2, however, so wish me luck. :) :)

Let's jump forward to my senior year of high school. I was very fortunate to attend a high school that, for me, was harder than college. In other words, I was well prepared. I will always remember Mr McKinnon. He took me through my first psychology class, where I learned about picking apart people's brains and behaviors.

Any way....I would like to give a shout out to Mr McKinnon, wherever you are, for inspiring me to be the person I am today. To explore the infinite possibilities of the human mind.

On to college. I attended school on the other side of the US (the East Coast). When people first found out I was from California (SoCal), they would ask me why I came all the way to Syracuse and then inquire about how many stars I knew. lol I entered college wanting to major in about eight different subjects, but psychology was always at the top of the list. Music is my first passion, however. But I also love helping people. How could I do both? I was and still am the queen of doing too many things. I figured I would be MFT by day and moonlight as a singer in some dive bar. Because, well, my mind just works that way. And I am convinced I am slightly ADD. Again, a whole other story. Ooooo....squirrel! lol 

As a psychology major/music lover, I took the required courses, but also dabbled in music classes......a lot. Come sophomore year, I was taking Ear Training 2. Ooooo.....second level.......notating chords, rhythms, notes, key signatures, keys, etc. GAAAAAH! I was the only non-music major in the class. Knowing my history and my interests, my professor asked if I had ever heard of MUSIC THERAPY. To which I replied, "no." In my head, however, I replied "no, WTF is that?" I did, however, file it in the back of my mind. So, I graduated.....yeah. Being the typical college graduate with a BA in psychology, I thought, WTH am I gonna do with this? Aha.....logically, I would get my MFT. Well, I am not that logical or practical.

I was still seeking parental approval back then, so I decided to approach my mom with the brilliant idea of applying to one school (Arizona State) and praying that I was accepted into their music therapy graduate program. And.....the rest is history.Why is Music Therapy so important to me? We finally get to the tres important part of the story. I am so lucky to have found a career that combines both of my loves (music and helping people). I feel blessed. I am blessed. People like to use the cliche that music is the "universal language." It IS true. Everyone understands music, everyone feels music, and everyone CAN succeed in some area of music. No matter your ability or disability, you CAN excel at music! Seeing people of all musical abilities learn how to sing, play an instrument, or perform, is one of the most gratifying experiences and they feel good about themselves. Most important! Music Therapy makes achieving a healthy and better life fun. And that is what I am about. :)