After almost three months of interning at Therabeat, it was time for the Summer Recital. Since I started in June, so many of the kiddos were already working toward August 23rd—I was amazed at how many hours of practice these kids were putting in to achieve their goal of getting up in front of a ton of people to perform their own piece of music.
The day of the Recital was such a culmination of joy to watch not only the kids I had been working with, but to also enjoy some awesome performances from kids I had never seen before. Whether watching from the audience, or up on stage with a little performer, I couldn’t have been prouder of all the awesome kids who shared their light and brought joy to everyone in the audience. Every performer brought something great to the table—there was a perfect mixture of sweet and fun moments that made almost everyone a little misty, because of how touching all the performances were!!
When I think about why the day was so special, I think it is a time for everyone to step back and see Music Therapy at work in a really tangible and enjoyable way. Music is a powerful means of communication, and every child was able to communicate a part of themselves to the audience through sharing their gift of music. Furthermore, from someone who has definitely been super nervous to get up and sing in front of people—I was so impressed and touched by the way confidence was built in the kids by even walking up in front of everyone to perform. What a cool experience to see kids work so hard for months to finally reach their goal!!
The whole experience was an opportunity for me to think about how much of a blessing it is to get to work with and know these awesome kids! After the recital, many parents were thanking the Therabeat team for helping their kids—as much as I appreciate that, I couldn’t help but think about how thankful I am to get the chance to know these kids and learn from them everyday. That night I went to bed with such a full heart, and some fresh musical inspiration from all the amazing performers—which is such a gift to have halfway through a challenging internship. I am thankful that the whole day allowed me to keep my focus on what really matters: always striving to learn more about Music Therapy, and becoming a more well-rounded therapist, so these kids can have to best opportunity to succeed and share their gifts with everyone!
- Intern Perry Wright