The Louis Armstrong Department of Music Therapy accepts approximately four to five music therapy interns per year. These interns are carefully selected from universities across the country. We are proud to offer a program that focuses on specialist-level care in a stimulating and clinically diverse setting that is particularly well-suited for the advanced master's student.

We focus on medical music psychotherapy, emphasizing care that addresses all aspects of being. By incorporating psychosocial and spiritual areas of need into our care, in addition to physical areas of need that provide the typical focus for other professionals in a medical setting, the fullest possible care and support of the patient may be offered.

Interns are encouraged to explore personal reactions to their clinical work and overall internship experience. We also encourage interns to seek outside experience as a music therapy client to enhance their awareness and development of clinical skills and observations. By experiencing music therapy from the patient’s perspective, interns are further able to explore dynamics in the work and build an extended resource for support during the internship journey.

The internship year takes place from September to June and has a requirement of 1,030 hours which are met on a three days per week schedule. Monday is a required day for all interns and staff. During the internship year, interns are provided with weekly seminars to enhance their learning of music therapy techniques, learn from their peers, and benefit from areas of expertise shared by a highly skilled team of music therapists.

Each intern will conduct a minimum of three sessions each day, which will include individual sessions, small groups with family, friends and/or staff, community jams, environmental music therapy meditations, pre-/post-procedural care, and hospital-wide events. They will also attend interdisciplinary patient rounds and departmental-specific Grand Rounds. 

While having opportunities to glean from the entire music therapy team, each intern will be assigned to a primary supervisor from whom they will receive one hour of individual supervision per week. Interns also receive one hour weekly of peer group supervision, and one hour weekly of a didactic clinical seminar. Additionally, each intern will have a designated adjunctive supervisor over the course of the internship year. Interns will have regular times to observe and to be observed by their supervisors. Interns are also encouraged to utilize their peer group in observing, being observed, and eventually co-leading sessions.