I am excited to see this discussion and think that experiential training may be the single most important means of training at internship. I have found that doing this right on-site provides a means for enriched, deep learning. My administrators support this entirely and have actually incorporated something similar within their department of social work! Beyond students watching me work with patients and/or being observed, actually having 2 hours a week to 'do'--as in participate in an experience they will later watch me lead, or they will later try leading, expedites the learning in countless ways.
Experiential learning to me as a music therapist, means that I have ventured to go where I invite my students or patients to go... understanding how a music therapy process feels is critical. At internship each Monday morning, we gather and work together, training experientially-our experiential time might include sharing warm up songs-and receiving and giving feedback in a REAL way ("that key is too high for you..." "it feels too fast--I did not feel greeted..." 'great inviting melody...") or creating a music-visualization program and trying it out to see if it might resonate with a particular theme for one of the interns. It is really important in this kind of training for me as a supervisor to maintain boundaries...this is not therapy for the interns, but a great means of trying out an activity, or going into their own music process for themselves before venturing into it with patients. It is not just 'doing an activity' but looking at how the training therapist designed it-and what is significant about it to that therapist. I think it prevents burnout, if we are experientially in it-and willing to risk and try it for ourselves and amongst one another.
About Joanne Loewy
Biography
DA, MT-BC,LCAT, Director, The Louis Armstrong Ctr for Music & Medicine Beth Israel Medical Ctr, NYC.
I am excited to see this discussion and think that experiential training may be the single most important means of training at internship. I have found that doing this right on-site provides a means for enriched, deep learning. My administrators support this entirely and have actually incorporated something similar within their department of social work! Beyond students watching me work with patients and/or being observed, actually having 2 hours a week to 'do'--as in participate in an experience they will later watch me lead, or they will later try leading, expedites the learning in countless ways.
Experiential learning to me as a music therapist, means that I have ventured to go where I invite my students or patients to go... understanding how a music therapy process feels is critical. At internship each Monday morning, we gather and work together, training experientially-our experiential time might include sharing warm up songs-and receiving and giving feedback in a REAL way ("that key is too high for you..." "it feels too fast--I did not feel greeted..." 'great inviting melody...") or creating a music-visualization program and trying it out to see if it might resonate with a particular theme for one of the interns. It is really important in this kind of training for me as a supervisor to maintain boundaries...this is not therapy for the interns, but a great means of trying out an activity, or going into their own music process for themselves before venturing into it with patients. It is not just 'doing an activity' but looking at how the training therapist designed it-and what is significant about it to that therapist. I think it prevents burnout, if we are experientially in it-and willing to risk and try it for ourselves and amongst one another.