​Hello all, My name is Sherri Rajesh, and I am currently a music therapy intern at Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC! I have been loving it so far, and it is so wild to think that my last day is in less than a month! Internship has really flown by for me, so I will share a little about my experience here and what it is like to intern at a hospital that has a dedicated music therapy space! Sophie’s Place, the dedicated music therapy space here in the hospital, was created in honor of Sophie Barton, an outstanding and amazing volunteer at Primary Children’s Hospital in Utah! She was a creative force who loved music and volunteering to support patients. She passed away unexpectedly, and to honor her memory, her family created Sophie’s Place! We are one of 9 in the country and the only one on the East Coast! It has been such an honor to work in a place that honors not only Sophie, but all of the patients she was able to impact. Our space has a fully electric drum set, several guitars and ukuleles, a full-size keyboard, a recording studio, and a surround-sound speaker system! Our most notable feature is a pink guitar that is signed by Taylor Swift! Before my internship cycle started, my supervisor and her intern at the time helped host a Swifty Experience for our pediatric patients, and Taylor Swift sent the guitar to support Us! The most impactful lesson I learned as an intern was to learn to be flexible with my session plans! I am a particular person about planning and anticipating different outcomes / behaviors but the reality is that flexibility is the only thing I can know for sure will be a part of my sessions. For incoming interns, make sure to refine those verbal skills as much as possible! It's important to know how to create safe and therapeutic spaces for clients to share in, and you don't want to be stumbling over your words. Throughout this internship I got to work and collaborate with various members of a care team and different types of patients. My favorite internship experience was a "Camp" Day we put on for a long-term patient here! She had undergone an intense procedure and was missing the camp she would typically be attending, so we gathered up instruments and crafts and brought the camp magic to her! It was such a fun day and served as a reminder that music therapy is all-encompassing in regards to creative ways to support patients. Through this internship, I have been able to collaborate with a multi-disciplinary team, write songs, lead groups, work individually, and be a part of so many meaningful moments with patients and their families here at the hospital. I have learned so much about the power and healing that music brings, especially to such an unlikely place such as a hospital. If you are local to NC, I would encourage everyone to apply to this internship! You will gain valuable professional and musical skills, and learn so much about a multitude of people and their diagnoses. Thank you for letting me share some words! Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about this specific internship or music therapy in a pediatric medical setting. My email is [email protected].
​Peace + love, Sherri