Hello Toneworks and friends! My name is Sylvia, and I’m the new Toneworks intern! I am so excited to be writing this post to share a little bit about myself as I begin my 6 month journey with all of you. I was born and raised here is Minneapolis, and recently graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelors degree in music therapy with an emphasis in voice. I always knew that I wanted to work with kids, but also loved to sing and make music. During my first semester of college, I observed a music therapy session and knew instantly it was the perfect field for me. I was drawn to Toneworks because of it’s strong connection to the community and the opportunity to work with amazing young people. I kicked off my first week with music groups at AuSM’s Wahode day camp followed by an inspiring Sensory Friendly Concert with the Minnesota Orchestra!

When I’m not making music, I am usually dancing salsa, biking or hiking by lake and rivers, or watching Masterpiece Mystery on Netflix. On an average day, you can catch me listening. To any combination of salsa, cumbia, Bruno Mars, Hozier, and opera. I’m currently on a music kick from the Dominican artist Vicente García. His style is a unique blend of Caribbean, Dominican, and Latin sounds that are great for relaxing by the lake. I also love Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and can definitely nerd out about both. My weaknesses are chocolate and any kind of gummy candy.

For the past year, I have been working as a Spanish interpreter in music therapy sessions which has opened my eyes to the need for advocacy for Spanish speaking clients and their families here in the Twin Cities. As a result, my dream is to move to Quito, Ecuador (where I studied abroad for a year in 2016) to open my own private practice and advocate for clients in their special education system. One of the things I’m most excited about in my internship is learning about the process of starting my own music therapy business and how that can support my dream of helping the children in the Quito community. I hope to bring my positive energy, excitement for music therapy, and love for working with kids to my internship experience. I look forward to meeting more of you as I start my exciting journey. Look for my upcoming blog post on my favorite summer interventions!