Now that I’ve been back home for
over a week, I have been able to reflect on all of my experiences in Germany. Each day on the trip was packed with so many
learning experiences about music therapy and also about myself. This past week I have thought a lot about how
my knowledge and perspectives on music therapy have grown and evolved because
of the opportunities brought about by this life changing trip. I’ve also realized the amazing impact everyone
on the trip has had on me – how their different backgrounds in music therapy
have broadened my views; how their love for what we do has inspired me; and how
their kind and wonderful selves have enriched my life.
It’s hard to believe that just
twelve days ago all of us were meeting in Dusseldorf for our last class and
last day in Germany together. During
that afternoon, everyone shared what they had learned from observing professional
music therapists that week. My week had
been a swirl of new knowledge and some frustration. The sessions I observed of my music therapist
were conducted in German (of course).
While I tried to follow what the therapist and clients were saying by
noticing non-verbal cues (such as body language, tone of voice, etc.), I still
struggled to have any idea of what was been talked about. This was especially frustrating because the
sessions I observed emphasized talking, with some or little music. After the first day of this, I thought about
how I was going to get through the next few days. I realized that I might have been a little skeptical
of how much talking was being done in the sessions. Even if it was a different approach than what
I was used to, I needed to appreciate this experience and learn as much as I
could about this different approach to music therapy.
After the initial frustration with
the language barrier, I learned so much over the next few days. The structure to the sessions of
talk-play-talk allowed the clients to process what they were experiencing in
music therapy. I took part in improvisation
activities that were powerful ways for clients to express themselves and
connect with others.
The last week of observation was a
very important part of the trip. It
allowed me to connect what we had talked about, discussed, and explored in
class during the first three weeks to real life practice and see how
professional music therapists in Germany approach music therapy. There are so many approaches to music therapy
– I’ve seen this evidenced from everyone on the trip who came from different
universities and I’ve seen this in practice from German music therapists. It’s one of the many, many wonderful things
about our field. There’s no right
approach to music therapy. It can be
used in so many different ways to help so many people. All of the different perspectives I have seen
on this trip have helped me to continue to evolve my own definition of music
therapy.
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