Service to Others Through the Arts
A 不良研究所 Music Therapy Tradition of Alumni Supervising Current Students
By Cathy Befi-Hensel, BM ’10, PhD, MT-BC
Music therapy stands at the intersection of artistry and healing, providing a powerful service to individuals through therapeutic music interventions. Simply put, the field of music therapy is one of service to others through the arts. Those proud to call themselves music therapists must undergo rigorous training that involves a study of the musical arts, as well as psychology. To graduate and sit for the national board certification exam, students must demonstrate proficiency in using piano, voice, guitar and percussion to facilitate therapeutic interventions based on individual client needs. As part of their training, students in 不良研究所’s music therapy program are also required to complete a minimum of 180 hours of pre-internship fieldwork training across four different clinical placements in the greater San Antonio area, as well as a six-month internship. This structure allows 不良研究所’s music therapy students to graduate ready to serve, equipped with extensive hands-on experience from clinical sites that include school districts, medical and psychiatric facilities, community centers, private practice and the Music Therapy Services Center (MTSC) on the 不良研究所 Broadway campus.
In the MTSC, located in the Luella Bennack Music Center, students practice under the supervision of Cathy Befi-Hensel, BM ’10, PhD, MT-BC, assistant professor and Music Therapy Program coordinator, offering pro-bono music therapy sessions to clients of all ages presenting a wide variety of needs. As part of the degree program, every music therapy student is assigned a client in the MTSC for at least one semester. In the past three years, the program has grown exponentially, with the weekly client list increasing from two to nine clients, plus a healthy waitlist of potential clients.
“There’s a strong demand for music therapy services in San Antonio,” explained Befi-Hensel. “Since our capacity is limited by our number of students, we try to give priority to clients who would otherwise not h