As I say goodbye to my wonderful clients and the amazing staff at Toneworks I have been reflecting on my intern skills posts and the top skills I have learned while interning at Toneworks. After lots of thought I landed on these three: Be flexible, have fun, and never stop learning

Be Flexible
While working with amazing kids in schools, homes, and our clinics I have learned how important it is to be flexible. I have learned how to make a plan but also adjust in the moment depending on the needs of my clients. We all have fast days and slow days and it is important to be able to adjust to what my clients need and what will support them best. I learned to pack my bag with lots of options so I could give my clients whatever they needed that day.

Have fun!
During busy days full of planning and documenting it can be easy to get wrapped up in the details. During my internship, I have learned to relax and have fun! My favorite example of this is how a client of mine and I had a fun time with our gingerbread man song. We were working on clothing identification but instead of putting on the clothes in order my client wanted to put them on all the wrong body parts. We were able to correctly name all of the clothes while being silly and laughing about socks on hands and pants on head. Being able to bring have into our sessions is important for us and for our clients!

Always keep learning
At Toneworks, we are always learning from each other and from our clients! I think it is one of the most beautiful things about being a music therapist: you never stop learning. I have loved developing new interventions and learning ways to improve them. I have learned the importance of being constantly open to new perspectives and ideas. This is a lesson I will carry with me throughout my career, especially as I begin to provide music therapy in a new country!

Thank you!
Thank you to Lyndie Walker and all of the wonderfully supportive staff at Toneworks. My internship has been an incredible experience and I have loved every minute of it! And thank you most especially to our clients who make what we do truly meaningful!

Next steps…
I will be taking my music therapy board exams in January and then moving to Quito, Ecuador to provide music therapy services in Spanish. I will continue to work with young children and share my stories with Toneworks. I hope to continue to collaborate with Toneworks in the future.