You can't tackle your faith by yourself.

Growing up, there's usually an adult figure in your life who encourages you and pushes you along your faith journey.  And as we get older and become more independent young people, we tend to drift away from those people, and perhaps even drift away from our faith.

Luckily for me, I was able to attend a private high school where we were encouraged to live out faithful lives.  A school where each week I had the opportunity to worship and share about my faith at HAFOC if I chose to. A place where I developed some new friendships and old friendships grew stronger.  A school where we started and ended our day in prayer.  A place where I was able to come to know Jesus in a big and bolder way.  A place where I was able to accept God's plan for me.

And most importantly, it was a place where I was able to witness the beautiful work that happens in the presence of the Eucharist.  It was through the support and love of my friends that during adoration  I was able to accept God's amazing plan for me, during a time when I was at my lowest.

As I went to college, my faith was pretty strong.  But I didn't have my close friends by my side encouraging me to go to mass each week or pushing me to be the most holy person I could be.  And throughout my freshman year, my faith was stagnant.  I didn't move forward...and if anything, it went a little backwards.

But as I prepared for my sophomore year, I made a promise to be more active in my faith and to live out His plan for me.  God knew I couldn't face this journey alone, so He provided me with a friend.-Lisa  A friend that I met on the elevator.  A young woman who was headed to Newman and was a music major who had transferred in.  And for almost two full years now, this friend has pushed me and encouraged me along my faith journey.  And because one friend pushed me, I have made even more friends who are on the same quest to live out God's unique plan for each of us. I have found a home at the WIU Newman Center where I am surrounded by people who know and love Him.  A place where I now sing in the choir every week.  A judgmental free place where I am surrounded by people who won't judge me if I break out into Christian music.

This idea of not being able to tackle your faith by yourself came to me this morning at mass as I sat with Lisa.  Sitting at 8am mass on a Sunday morning with Lisa before the second week of working #WIUSMI was a reminder that God placed us in each other's lives for a reason.  Because if I'm honest , I probably wouldn't have made it to church this morning if it weren't for the fact that I had already told Lisa I was going to be there. This is why we have friends who share in our faith..because they push us to grow in our faith, even when we don't realize it.

While you are out there searching for friends to share your faith journey with, make sure to get someone like my friend Lisa. Because today after mass, we went our separate ways.  But in the end, we both went and got iced coffee without knowing.  Find a friend that sends you a text reminder about not eating meat on Friday's during Lent.  Find a friend that sends you snapchat reminders about Bible Study.  Find a friend that sends you links to Christian videos and songs. Find a friend who texts you to make sure you are okay because you weren't at Mass at Newman.

So to those who have a strong faith or to those who are struggling with faith, find a friend or two and cling to them.  Cling to Jesus.  With friends by your side, you can continue to grow and discover God's plan for you.  I promise that you won't regret it.

Music Therapy > Music Education

It's pretty crazy to think that I am entering my senior year of college.  Pretty soon I will be applying for internships, and before you know it, I will be taking my board certification exam.

Growing up, I almost always wanted to be a teacher.  And as I fell in love with music, I decided that I would become a music teacher.  But once I heard about music therapy, I was hooked!

Even though I fell in love with music therapy, I have faced many hardships throughout my three years of college to make my dreams come true.  I've been faced with tough times when I question whether or not I am supposed to become a music therapist, which often brings up the question of "Should I be a music teacher instead?"

Often times, I have had several people (often role models in my life who are music educators) suggest that I would make a great music teacher or band director.  And again, this challenges me to think about whether I should be a music therapist or music educator.

Each time I am faced with this challenge, God reminds me of his plan, and the fact that I am right where I need to be, studying to become a music therapist.

While I am forever indebted to my music teachers and band directors, there is a part of me that could never do that full time.  I have taught trumpet lessons before, and it was a great experience that helped me grow as a player. But when I reflect on teaching lessons, I couldn't imagine myself doing that full-time. We need music educators in our world, and I love my friends who are music educators or future music educators...but I know that right now, that's not what God has in-store for me.

The thing with music therapy is that there are so many opportunities within the field.  You can work with one population, or you can work with multiple.  But no matter how many populations you work with, there are endless possibilities of goal areas and new experiences/interventions designed for each individual client or group.  And that's what makes it so exciting! That's what keeps you coming back for more.

I want to help others accomplish tasks through music, instead of teaching music.  Music therapy allows you to help so many individuals overcome obstacles and succeed in life, even when others don't have faith.  Being a music therapist allows you help change the world.  It allows you to help change the view of how some people look/think about those who may be "a little different."

There's just something so exciting about when your nonverbal client who has autism takes over the intervention while using full words.  Or that moment when an elderly client finally shares about an experience in their life, such as losing their loved one.  Not to mention that moment when a teenage client gets up and sings Katy Perry in front of the entire group! While those moments don't happen in every session, it's the hard work that happens in the sessions before the big moment that make being a music therapist so rewarding!

If we are being honest, the class that totally made me fall the most in love with music therapy that I have ever felt was Research Methods.  Being able to finally understand a MT research article changed the way that I viewed and understood the profession. Understanding music therapy research opened up new windows of opportunity and growth that has allowed me to bring new ideas to my clients. The BEST thing about understanding music therapy research is that when I am faced with the challenge of "Am I supposed to be a music therapist?," I can pull out the latest issue of JMT or MT Perspectives and be reminded of the amazing opportunities in the field.  (Yes, I know...this paragraph probably makes me seem like a huge nerd!)

These are just a few of the reasons why I have chosen to become a music therapist instead of a music educator. I am beyond excited (and nervous) to be preparing for my senior year of college! I still have a long way to grow as a music therapist, especially with some of my music skills needed for the profession, but I am ready to tackle these and make the most of my last year at WIU.

As always, thank you to everyone who has and continues to support me along this wonderful journey that God has created specifically for me!