Internship Fact Sheet
Music Speaks Internship Sites:
Waukesha, WI community
Janesville, WI community
Fresno, CA community
Merced, CA community
Contact:
Music Speaks mailing address:
PO Box 986
Marion, IA 52302
Internship Director:
Stephanie Johnson, MT-BC
stephanie@musicspeakstherapy.com
(563) 249-5781
Population Served in internship:
All internship sites will work in 1:1 settings within client homes. Clients include individuals with ID/DD diagnoses. Clients served are primarily children; all internship sites may include occasional referrals for adults with ID/DD diagnoses and/or children and adults with mental health diagnoses.
The MT-BCs at Music Speaks serve a wider variety of clients throughout multiple states including early childhood, schools, mental health, medical/hospital, neuro rehabilitation, older adults with neurological disorders, and hospice. The intern may have opportunities to observe (recorded, virtual, or in-person) in these other populations and settings.
Interested candidates must possess:
Curiosity to explore intentional use of music and innovation in the field of music therapy.
Demonstrate and apply problem identification, critical thinking, and problem solving skills.
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with the Music Speaks team, receive and apply constructive feedback, and bring a strong sense of initiative and passion to work.
Competency and fluency in vocal and guitar skills with the ability to play multiple chord progressions (including barre chords), modulating into various keys, ability to play various accompaniment patterns including fingerpicking and strumming, ability to switch meter, the ability to vocally harmonize with instruments, and the ability to sing a capella (scales and melodies while remaining in a key).
It is preferred but not required that the intern is comfortable with simple improvisation on an instrument and vocally.
Strong interest in working with children with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
Maintain professionalism and effective communication.
Ability to establish and build rapport quickly with varying individuals.
Previous experience working with children is highly preferred.
Application Process:
If the above strengths and characteristics are met, please submit the following to be considered for an internship at Music Speaks:
Music Speaks Application Questionnaire
3 references (included in the questionnaire form)
Upload within questionnaire:
Cover letter of interest
Resume
Letter of verification from Academic Director
College transcript (unofficial)
If all of these materials have been received and reviewed, applicants may* be invited to the interview process which includes:
Interview with the Internship Director and Internship Supervisor(s).
Live examples of musicianship tied to clinical relevance.
Preparation prompt: Prepare music that you would use as the base of 2 interventions on your main therapy instrument(s): one for a client who is highly agitated, and one for a client who has low arousal/ minimally responsive (but not actively dying).
Additional recordings/materials and/or interviews may be requested if deemed necessary by the internship team.
*Not all applicants are guaranteed an interview
Post interview, if it seems reasonable that the applicant will be successful at any of the internship sites, their references will be contacted, including the academic faculty, to further ensure the intern’s success at the recommended site.
Description of the internship experience:
Music Speaks was founded in 2009 in Iowa. Facilities began to seek out Music Speaks because of the reputation of its unique value by modifying music for the functional outcome of clients. Fast forward to today, Music Speaks is composed of approximately 30 music therapists who have varying levels of experience and expertise in the field, with a common mission of “transforming lives through music.” Currently, music therapy is provided by Music Speaks in California, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
Music Speaks launched the high stipend internship program in 2023 through university affiliation agreements. The internship team at Music Speaks is proud of the curriculum that supports plentiful learning opportunities with a focus on clinical development and emphasis on advocacy, while encouraging the importance of intentional wellness and self-care practices. Music Speaks has uniquely structured the internship supervisors’ full time positions to supervising and supporting the interns. During your time at Music Speaks, you will have frequent exposure to the full team through clinical conversations, team conversations, supervision, and many other forms of connection.
Music Speaks operates based on 4 core values including therapeutic mindset, quality, passion, and communication. Under each of the core values below, you will see how your experience in internship will develop each of these values:
Therapeutic Mindset:
This category relates to the mindset of the therapeutic process in and outside of sessions: assessing situations, creating goals, creative problem solving interventions, and analyzing outcomes to strategically develop next actions.
Meet every other week with a group of MT-BCs with a variety of clinical backgrounds to brainstorm creative and proactive strategies to expand on clinical growth, practice advocacy through verbal and written modalities, and foster growth in ways to strengthen partnerships with clients and families.
Benefit from frequent 1:1 connections with supervisors throughout each week to receive feedback and develop critical thinking skills.
Quality:
Individual and group supervision allows for continuous, active practice, and growth of clinical skills, though the majority of time is individualized due to each supervisor's dedicated time to the interns.
Use documentation that was created specifically for music therapy. Data collected informs future development and research.
Passion:
Create a seat at the table with our partners to make music therapy advocacy more individualized and effective, by learning effective advocacy skills.
Work alongside multiple disciplines while having the support from an entire team of music therapists to identify individual strengths and exercise therapeutic approaches.
Communication:
Schedules are flexible with client alignment and allow fluctuation for both client and intern needs.
We value asking questions and learning from each situation, understanding there are many “right” answers when problem solving, and celebrating failure as the best avenue to learn.
Actively advocate for quality music therapy services and professionalism of the field; every session, every communication exchange, every day.
Music Speaks provides a kit of instruments and equipment for interns to use during their internship, as well as wireless earbuds and a laptop for virtual supervision, with the laptop also being used for documentation and other internship related tasks. While the interns are 100% in-person with the clients throughout the internship, the supervisor virtually co-leads and observes through the aforementioned technology. Co-leading occurs as the supervisor views the session through the laptop camera and internet connection while hearing the client and intern through the connected wireless earbud. The supervisor co-leads by talking to the intern through the earbud, providing guidance and support in real time. During weeks 1-5 of internship, supervision will be 100% in person. The Waukesha, Wisconsin site will continue in-person supervision 1 day, every other week for the remainder of months 2-7 in addition to the ongoing virtual co-leading.
Many opportunities for team connection are available outside of peer interns and supervisors. Some virtual collaboration examples include: biweekly team meetings and individual coffee/lunch dates. In-person examples include an annual 3 day in-person company conference (all expenses paid) which includes 5-8 hours of continuing education and ample team collaboration time. Additionally, in geographical areas with multiple team members, there are often local gatherings for team bonding, as well as working side by side on office tasks. Finally, the Fresno and Merced, CA sites and Janesville, WI all have internship mentors, who are MT-BC teammates who meet in-person with the interns every other week to give additional in-person support.
Since Music Speaks places 4 interns at a time, weekly group intern collaboration is provided, with supervisors only joining some of the time to give group supervision. These meetings give an opportunity for senior interns in months 5-7 of internship to mentor the junior interns, who are in months 2-4.
What should the intern expect to do during the internship program?
Month 1: Immersion Month. (Location: Lincoln, Nebraska) During this month, interns spend their time in orientation followed by observing an MT-BC full time (around 20 sessions per week) in the field with supplemental learning opportunities from MT-BC’s, training videos, debriefs, and assignments to prepare for months 2-7 of clinical placement.
Months 2-7: (Location: Clinical placements in either California or Wisconsin) Interns will see up to 15 clients per week; most of the clients are on the caseload long term and seen weekly. The sessions are individual sessions in the client’s home with a variety of virtual supervision occurring throughout the week (see below). For in-person support, one internship site has in-person supervision on a biweekly basis, while other sites meet in-person with a Music Speaks MT-BC internship mentor biweekly.
Virtual Supervision Variety:
During the first week of clinical placement, the internship supervisor will be co-leading, in-person with the intern for sessions for all sites.
Following the first week, supervisors tailor specific learning needs to interns by giving a variety of supervision; including virtual live in-ear co-leading, reviewing sessions videos, and practicing with the intern outside of session to refine skills.
Supervisors provide varying levels of supervision to best develop interns in clinical and advocacy skills. Learning to manage the caseload alongside the supervisor involves evaluations, treatment planning, facilitation of treatment plan, ongoing assessment, documentation of session progress, and quarterly reports. Interns will have opportunities to communicate and advocate with clients’ case managers that manage the overall treatment plan of the clients being served. These months are supplemented with observations, debriefs, individual and group supervision, connection with the Music Speaks team, and many other learning opportunities. There may be additional opportunities to provide/observe an educational inservice and/or attend a local provider fair.
Weekly Focuses and Assignments
At the Music Speaks internship, our goal is to cultivate not what to think, but how to think as a professional music therapist. Preparing to be a music therapist also means growing and learning in a sustainable way. From engaging in self-care discussions and practices, to learning how to practice session-applicable music skills and music theory, to accessing internal continuing education content, all to get the intern started on a sustainable career.
Common events and assignments (not an all-inclusive list):
Mock documentation and completion of Observation Worksheets (Month 1). Formal documentation of all sessions (Month 2-7).
Weekly observations of supervisor or company MT-BC’s sessions (Months 2-7) .
Review recordings of their own sessions with structured written and/or verbal assignments based on the observations.
Assigned music skills practice with established worksheets as guides.
1:1 teaching classes teaching therapy concepts from research.
Supervisor and intern together reviewing a recorded MT-BC session to discuss the observation, or pause the recording to complete in a role playing manner.
Additional independent assignments may include:
Session observations: additional internship supervisor or MT-BC observations
Afterwards
Practice a technique you observed.
Set up a call with another intern(s) to process your learning.
Write a documentation note as if you were the therapist for that session.
Record on your phone and
Process out loud what you saw in the session as if you were telling another MT or your supervisor.
Say what you’d tell a caregiver about what occurred in the session, focusing on the value of music manipulation in the session.
Practice what you would say to a case manager about why MT is beneficial (or not beneficial).
Join additional Teams meetings - you can find the list of team meetings in your calendar by looking at the Music Speaks calendar. You can attend as many Teams meetings as you would like!
Video Reviews of your own sessions:
Close your eyes and just listen to the music provided. Did it change a lot, a little, why did you change, what are you surprised by? Etc…
Pick just a 15 min clip of the session and write about it, verbally process your session out loud.
Write out time stamps from intentional changes in usic and WHY. After writing them, review your documentation. How did you decide in the moment to document that portion? Would you change anything after reviewing your session?
Were there any changes you missed observing in the clients? What will you look for in this client and others in future sessions?
Was there anything you didn’t feel like you executed well? What can you practice outside of session to improve implementation in the future? Practice away!
Reading/ Podcasts
Topics to think about - talk to your supervisor about focus topics and topics to avoid at the moment.
Find research and resources outside of music therapy.
Practicing music skills and music theory application - please ask your supervisor if. you do not know what to practice for music skills of how to practice, we have a lot of ideas! We can always improve our musicianship without building song repertoire.
Observe other related professions such as PT, OT, or SLP.
The interns can expect each supervisor to be focused on them and 1 other intern for an average of 30-35 hours each week, as their full time job is dedicated to internship. The junior intern often receives additional time and focus than the senior intern, though the supervisors’ time is flexible to interns’ needs. The Internship Director and other senior MT-BC staff on the team provide supplemental supervision in addition to what is provided by the internship supervisors.
Interns will complete a midterm, final, self and site evaluation, as well as a case study project and presentation.
Work hours (inclusive of session time, documentation, assignments, and supervision) can be anticipated to be approximately 8 hour days Monday-Friday. Some clients require after school hours, so interns can expect some (but not all) evenings to work until 7 pm at the latest. Interns can expect to apply themselves an average of 40 hours per week throughout this internship.
Whom will the intern work with?
Within Music Speaks
Their direct supervisors are:
Immersion Month - Christina Scheperle, MA, MT-BC, NICU-MT, NMT
California - Maggie Brown, MT-BC, NICU-MT
Wisconsin - McKenna Smith, MT-BC
Internship Director: Stephanie Johnson, MT-BC, NMT-Fellow, Internship Director, and CEO of Music Speaks.
Interns will have an opportunity to connect with all teammates at Music Speaks, many who have a variety of clinical experiences and strengths to support interns through various discussions or observations.
Outside of Music Speaks
The interns will be collaborating with clients’ parents and caregivers, practicing management skills such as communication and scheduling; also collaborating on a care plan and ways the caregivers can assist the clients in-between sessions.
Each client has a case manager that the intern is encouraged to collaborate with for the benefit of the client and also to practice collaboration and advocacy skills.
Often clients have other professionals who are providing services to them such as counselors, teachers, behavior therapists, PTs, OTs, and SLPs. It is encouraged that interns collaborate and communicate with these professionals for quality care of the client, while practicing professional skills. Additionally, the intern coordinating observation of the client in these other settings or sessions is also encouraged.
Additional Information & Requirements:
Supervising the Supervisors & Standing by Quality
True to our core value of quality, we strive for each team member to be confident and validating in their present selves while striving to be always learning more and to improve based on those learnings. The internship supervisors themselves receive direct, 1:1 supervision from the internship director 2-4 times per month, as well as group supervision discussions and learnings 2-4 times per month, led by the internship director. Additionally, the internship team (Internship Director and all supervisors) meet quarterly for a strategic planning meeting to discuss any innovation and changes to structure or curriculum of the internship. A Music Speaks consultant is present each quarter to bring an outside perspective.
Stipend: A monthly stipend is provided by Music Speaks throughout the internship that is paid the month prior. Total California stipend amount: $13,300; Total Wisconsin stipend amount: $12,100.
All sites; month 1 = $2,500. Paid by the 4th Friday of the month prior to internship start date.
California sites; months 2-7 = $1,800 per month. Paid by the 4th Friday of the month prior.
Wisconsin sites; months 2-7 = $1,600 per month. Paid by the 4th Friday of the month prior.
Mileage: In addition to the stipend, all mileage is reimbursed from a designated address in each site city, to all required client locations, and back to the designated address, at 10 cents less the federal rate.
Transportation: Interns must provide their own reliable transportation with auto insurance and a valid driver’s license.
Liability Insurance: Music Speaks provides professional liability insurance for the interns.
Background checks: Interns must have a national criminal background check (additional state background check required for WI interns) completed at no cost to the intern.
Medical needs:
Interns must show proof of COVID and flu vaccinations or letters of exemption. Vaccinations are often covered by insurance and Music Speaks will not pay for vaccinations or a doctor's visit to receive a letter of exemption.
A TB test may be required, though is completed at no cost to the intern.
Additional training: Interns will complete mandatory reporter training prior to immersion month, provided by Music Speaks.
Additional forms:
Interns will sign HIPAA/ confidentiality form and a non-solicitation agreement.
Music Speaks must have a legal affiliation agreement with each intern’s university, coordinated through the Internship Director and the Academic Faculty.