Internship

Your Diverse Internship Experience

We will provide you with mentorship and a wide variety of experiences to help you to grow into the music therapist you want to be. You will be assigned one main Internship Supervisor (IS) and also have the opportunity to observe and perhaps co-lead while learning from other music therapists on our faculty.

Specialties

Each Conservatory Music Therapy Department faculty member works in their own specialty area and this brings a richness to your learning and experiences in order to become a certified/accredited music therapist in Canada.

Observe –> Co-Lead –> Lead Independently

As a music therapy intern at the Conservatory, you will first observe, then co-lead, and finally lead music therapy sessions individually and in groups supervised by your IS. You will spent hours weekly with your IS asking questions, discussing subjects relevant to your internship, going over session plans, and earning various skills needed to become an independent and accomplished music therapist.

While you are be supervised in a session, your internship is not paid. However, once you start to work with participants on your own, you will then be allowed to receive renumeration for these sessions at the pay rate of $52.50/hour sessions or $26.25 for 30-minute sessions. If you work in the community you will also receive an additional mileage stipend per distance you travel. Interns are fully responsible for his/her own income taxes as all faculty members and interns are engaged and paid as independent contractors and not on salary with the Conservatory.

Your Schedule

The Music Therapy Department strongly believes in self-care for all interns and we will create a personal schedule that works for you (for both your meetings and clinical work), your IS, colleagues, and studios availabilities until all expectations for hours are completed and reading, log writing, and professional expectations are met.

Please always inform your IS if there is an issue with scheduling, or if you are not well or unable to attend sessions/meetings on any given day.

Two Campuses and Community Outreach

The Conservatory has two main sites: Downtown Victoria and Westhills in Langford, in addition to community sites visited weekly. You may be required to work on your internship at one or at both sites, and perhaps in community sites depending on the specialty(ies) you are seeking.

Exam Preparation

Our music therapists who have passed the most recent Board Certified exam would be happy to discuss the process and what you need to know before taking the exam once your internship is complete.

In order to be eligible to intern at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, the following skills are required:

• Completion of your undergraduate or Master’s degree in Music Therapy.
• Music competencies in guitar, voice, keyboard, and percussion – improv and reading music.
• Ability to communicate professionally with all staff, participants, and families.
• Excellent time management and teamwork skills.
• Enthusiasm for learning and pure joy and commitment for practicing music therapy.

During your internship placement at the Conservatory, you will be expected to fulfill the following responsibilities:

• Communicate openly with your Internship Supervisor.
• Submit a weekly log for review to your IS.
• Prepare well for your IS meetings with questions and discussions on matters important to your internship.
• Fulfill all requirement of your internship program and clinical hours.
• Work as a team with music therapists and therapists of other disciplines.
• Be on time and adhere to professional guidelines and expectations of each facility.
• Complete all required readings relevant to population/site.
• Ensure a safe environment for all and maintain sanitization of the instruments at all times.
• Responsibility of damage or loss of Conservatory books, equipment, and instruments.
• Complete assignments thoroughly and punctually.
• Integrate supervisory feedback.
• Complete a criminal record check through the Conservatory.

Complete the form below, which will be sent to Dr. Johanne Brodeur, Department Head, Centre for Music Therapy and Wellness.

Applications are open all year long.