New Year, New Job
Okay, so maybe it’s a stretch for this to be my “New Year’s” post as Feburary is fast approaching. But I have good reason to be posting so late. I have a music therapy job! This is big news because 6 months of unemployment were tough. It was easy to get down on myself with the lack of work in the field. (And enough for me to complain about that I wrote a previous post about coping with uneployment).
But now, I can proudly say that I work a full-time job where my primary responsibilities involve being a music therapist with adults with memory loss in a community setting. It’s the supportive environment that I was hoping for as a young music therapist. First, the staff is amazingly supportive and diverse with dance movement and art therapists on staff. (I’ll have posts later about future collaborations.)
Secondly, the expectations for me are high. Developing this music therapy program will not fall into the pit of “recreational music”, which I was a bit anxious about before starting. In fact, I was blatantly told to NOT lead sing-alongs. This is very exciting because it means that my profession is taken seriously. My co-workers are ready to get involved and respect what music can do for our participants.
To close up quickly, I wanted to give a couple of helpful tips that really made a difference in my confidence while searching for a job.
1. When you have a chance to ask questions, always ask “What would an employee do here to go the extra mile?”. It communicates serious interest in going above the plain, vanilla job description and a readiness to work. Multiple interviewers were impressed.
2. Use the down time to explore your options. While feeling discouraged while applying to jobs I spoke to other therapists, grad school admissions counselors, and became a volunteer to fill up my time. It kept me connected and positive to see that other paths were available.
Thanks for reading and a (late) happy new year!