Advocating for Music therapy: with non music therapy majors!

Mikayla's Blog Post: 
Hello Everyone! My name is Mikayla Hill. I’m a new face at Small Steps Music! I am a college student at Gordon State College, and I am interning with Small Steps Music this semester. You may see me around the practice observing music therapy sessions and music lessons, completing work in the office, and shadowing Mrs. Natalie and Ms. Michaela! I am looking forward to learning and accomplishing new things throughout this experience.
I am 21 years old and I love Jesus, music, and spending time with friends! I am a member of Crestview Baptist Church in Griffin, Ga and I serve in the worship band by playing piano and singing. I also can play the acoustic guitar, bass, and a little bit of the violin. My favorite instrument to play is the piano because my love for music formed fourteen years ago during my early piano lessons. Now I can play the piano to serve in church, use it to express and regulate emotions, and teach others to play it as well. Currently I live with my family and two dogs. In the picture above I am the one all the way to the right wearing the black vest. My parents, Thomas and Tricia, are on the left. Josh, the middle sibling, is in the middle wearing the white shirt and to his right is my youngest brother J.T. If you could not tell from the picture, we are all Auburn fans! We love going to Auburn football games together and going on vacation to the beach!
I graduated from high school in May 2017 and enrolled in Gordon State the following fall semester. I am now a senior at Gordon and will graduate in December 2020 with my B.S. in Human Services. Human Services is a multidisciplinary profession that integrates psychology, sociology, government, and administration. This type of education prepares students to work with individuals and communities to improve the delivery of social services and to assist individuals and families in functioning as effectively as possible. In other words: Human Services is dedicated to people helping people. Some examples of Human Services careers are government and private social services agencies, vocational rehabilitation centers, substance abuse centers, counseling and therapy, foster and adoption, and residential facilities treating the elderly and intellectually challenged.
Throughout the past year I have looked at career opportunities for myself that combine my love for music and passion for helping others. Naturally, I started researching music therapy and became extremely interested in it. With this internship I am wanting to gain knowledge, experience, and a love for music therapy and all it’s components. My plan after graduation is to obtain my music therapy equivalency degree and become a Board-Certified Music Therapist. But until then I will enjoy my time at Small Steps Music with everyone! I hope to see you around!

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Areanna's Blog Post: 
Small Steps Music, a place where students can learn, laugh, grow and develop many skills, and truly learn how to become better musicians! Through my time at Small Steps Music, I have learned so much. To say the least, I have grown into a better learner and musician myself. After studying under the wonderful Natalie Generally and Michaela Shockcor, I got the push I truly needed to truly work hard to become the best Music Therapist I can be.  When observing these wonderful therapists, I was able to experience students learning piano pieces, guitar, improving speech or communication skills, and so much more. Little do people know, before I started interning at Small Steps Music, I knew nothing about the guitar. The moment I mentioned that, both Natalie and Michaela worked with me on those skills. However, there were different targets each time I came in. For example, this week was guitar, and the next week we would be sure to talk about things to know for graduate school, or being able to observe a student so, you can write up the best plan. I’ve enjoyed my time there more than ever, and I truly look forward to learning more about a variety of techniques when working with students. I can’t wait to improve on my guitar skills, as well as preparing for graduate school and the challenges that I may face while finishing my program.