Music Therapy Personal Statement

“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything” (Plato). If my childhood was filled with anything: it was imagination. From my earliest memories of my cousin, and I putting on a sold out concert on my papaw’s front porch; to putting my baby dolls to sleep with lullabies. Music has always been a big part of my life: it was the one thing I could always count on, no matter where I went; and that still stands true today. A mother’s voice is the most comforting sound to a baby: luckily my mom had the most beautiful singing voice. As a child I loved riding in the car with my parents, because it always meant I got to hear my mom sing along

After discovering music therapy, I fell in love with the idea of working with children on a one on one basis. I believe my gentle nature has lead me to want to work on a one on one basis, instead of a full classroom. One of my biggest inspirations, for following my dream to become a music therapist was my high school chorus director, Linda Tieman. She brought me to Ohio University, and helped me to further explore music therapy. Mrs. Tieman introduced me to an Ohio University alumni, Jessica Lucas, who graduated with a music therapy degree. She talked to me about all the ways music therapy was used, and all the clients it was used with. She opened up a whole new perspective to me, that involved much more than just children. I learned music therapy was used with Alzheimer patients: something my papaw had struggled with for a long while before he passed away. It made me think, if it could help with memory, it could have helped my mamaw who struggled with her memory when she had bleeding on the brain. Knowing that music therapy could have helped many of my family members, it made me respect the program even more, and lead me to where I am