Gala to showcase graduating music therapy students
From clinical settings to performing “Pink Pony Club” at a PoBev, students in the music therapy major at Utah State University are taking what they have learned in their classes and putting it to use.
Mallory McAlister, a senior in the music therapy program, discussed what the music therapy program is and what it teaches students involved to do.
“Music therapy itself is the clinical use of musical interventions in a therapeutic setting,” McAlister said. “Along with our classes, we have practicums where we’re assigned to a different site every semester. We go and do clinical work with a supervisor and get real-life experience.”
Hannah Hunt, another member of the senior class, added onto that thought. She describes music therapy as “a form of therapy that uses music to achieve a client’s goals.”
“That can be spiritual, physical, emotional, mental, behavioral or really anything,” Hunt said.
These two, as well as other members of the music therapy program who are almost done with their bachelor’s degrees, are preparing for their upcoming gala: a place where they can share what they have learned and use music to connect with the community.
The Music Therapy Senior Gala, which will be held on Jan. 24, is an end-of-level performance, jury and celebration where seniors in the program perform songs from their repertoire to a group of jurors as part of their graduation requirements. This type of performance happens for students of every year, but the parameters are different for their senior year, where the performance becomes a gala.
The twist during the final jury, or the gala, is students do not know what songs they will perform and they must also do it in front of a live audience.
“We keep what’s called a repertoire list, and by the end of our senior year, we have to have 60,” Hunt said. “For this gala, we give our professors our top 10 of those 60 songs, and then they put them in a hat, and then we go up and draw one, and whatever song is on that slip of paper, we just perform live in front of the concert.”
According to Hunt, the gala is ultimately a celebration of what students learned during their time in the program.
“It’s a little intimidating, but I feel like it is more of a celebration of how far we have come as seniors, showing the skills that we have learned and also just sharing music because music is connection,” Hunt said. “It’s what connects us.”
McAlister discussed her experience preparing for the gala by sharing an insight into an internship she did at a children’s hospital.
“In my practicum settings, I’ve used a lot of songs I already had memorized. This past semester, I worked in a children’s hospital, and many times, I didn’t know which clients I’d be seeing that day,” McAlister said. “I’d be pulled into a room and asked to play a song on the spot, and often, I already knew it. That will be similar during internships and future work — having a memorized song bank you can pull from at a moment’s notice is extremely helpful.”
She gave examples of songs she had used in the practicum setting, ranging from “Home on the Range” by Tom Roush to “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga.
Because the gala is a public performance, it is also an opportunity for students to explain what music therapy is and highlight their program. McAlister framed the concert as a way to introduce music therapy to the public and increase awareness of the field.
“The concert really gives people insight into what music therapy is. We explain it, and you get to see how everyday songs that people already know can be used in a therapeutic setting,” McAlister said. “We’re also bringing awareness to our field and showing that music therapy is a real and valuable form of therapy. We want more people to learn about it since it’s not very well known.”
Hunt hopes individuals who attend the concert will understand the value of music and the connection it brings.
“Music is connection. It connects us all — it is something we can all relate to,” Hunt said. “It helps us to connect to other people and basically, if you want to just see some really awesome people play their instruments and have a good jam session, or if you like music at all, I would highly recommend it to anybody because it’s a really neat experience.”
This year’s gala will be held on Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall.