34 Years of Music - Part 2

34 Years of Music: My Musical Journey - Part 2

Having just turned 35, I’ve spent this past year reflecting on my journey with music. How has music impacted and influenced my life? I can think of so many ways, starting with when I was just a small child all the way through this present day. Of course, as a music therapist I interact with music on a daily basis, but what about my personal story with music and my musical identity? Read on to learn about my journey with music over my 34 years of life - part 2!

The Early Days: 2013-2016
I was so excited to finally be an MT-BC (music therapist-board certified). Now I just needed a job! The music therapy agency I had interned with ended up hiring me right out of internship, which was a huge blessing. However, my position with them was only part time, so I ended up needing to supplement my income with other part-time work. I did the most unexpected thing and became a nanny! This surprised me because I figured I’d easily get my dream job right out of school and everything would perfectly fall into place. I was definitely disillusioned about the job market. I never thought I’d become a nanny upon completing school, but life has its twists and turns. 

During this time, I also began teaching music lessons again. I took on beginner students for guitar and ukulele lessons, teaching right out of my home a few hours each week. After a little while, I accepted a contracting position as a music therapy practicum supervisor at my alma mater, Marylhurst University. I also eventually did this role at Pacific University after Marylhurst closed its doors and many of the music therapy students moved to Pacific’s Music Therapy program. In addition, I started an Etsy shop selling my hand-crafted items like cards and headbands. This was more an expressive outlet than anything.n Collectively, I pieced together my income and did this for about 3.5 years.

In 2014, I got to contribute to a book called The Music Therapy Profession. It was written by former director of the Music Therapy program at Marylhurst, Christine Korb. In this book, you’ll find the essay I submitted to the Marylhurst's Music Therapy department when I was applying to the program. In 2015 my last grandparent, my beloved Opa, passed away.

Getting Married: 2016
In 2013, I met the love of my life and best friend, Tom Baker. We dated for about 2.5 years, got engaged late 2015 and married spring of 2016. Meeting, dating, and marrying Tom was a turning point in my life. Over the years, he has encouraged me to blossom into the person I’m becoming today. He really inspired me to become an entrepreneur and start my own business. Tom himself is an incredibly talented individual with an amazing creative and entrepreneurial spirit. He’s a designer, photographer, videographer, founder, and inventor. He’s a think-outside-the-box kind of guy. And he’s not bound to the 9-5 work mentality. That was so foreign to me at first.

Prior to knowing Tom, I had never really thought about being self-employed or an entrepreneur or business owner. I never really thought I had it in me. I always thought I would simply go to school and then get a job working for someone else's organization. I wanted safe, secure, and predictable. But then Tom and I began dreaming a life together, and I chose to push myself outside my comfort zone by challenging myself to do and become more than I ever thought possible.

Starting small with my Etsy shop and teaching music lessons, I’ve learned a lot over the years and am still just getting started!

The Launch of Bridgetown Music Therapy: 2016
In October 2016, I officially began Bridgetown Music Therapy! That is, I obtained a business license. I didn’t have any clients yet, but at this point, I had resigned from Earthtones several months prior. However, I was still nannying because I wasn’t quite ready to jump all in. I wanted to prove that I could successfully get clients before going full time. I started with my first couple of clients at the end of the year, and then a few more in early 2017. I gave myself about six months, and then I quit my nanny job.

In starting my own music therapy business, I chose to specialize in my practice of music therapy. I had worked with such a broad range of clients my first few years; it was tough to keep up musically. I felt spread thin trying to serve so many different age groups and populations. I had always loved older adults. I knew I had the right disposition to work with them. I had always loved my grandparents. I wanted to work with grandparents!

I decided I wanted to focus solely on serving older adults, especially those living with dementia. My clients were mainly groups—residents in senior living communities (memory care, assisted living, and adult care homes) and individuals living at home. Once again, I was a traveling music therapist, driving around to all my clients. 

The Early Days of Bridgetown: 2017-2020
In 2017, my focus was to get Bridgetown really going. It was in these early days that I learned a ton about business building…like cold calling and marketing, networking and self-promotion. I really pushed myself outside my comfort zone. I was motivated to be successful. I was determined to provide music therapy to older adults in need, and I also wanted to make a living while doing it. 

In January 2018, I hired another music therapist to help me out because we were experiencing really great growth. I continued providing music therapy services to some of my clients while also working on growing Bridgetown as a business. I have so many wonderful memories with clients from these years. I’m grateful to them and all they taught me.

I also met some incredible people during these years who I’m blessed to still know. I’m grateful to all those who came alongside me by encouraging me, supporting me, and helping me grow, both personally and professionally.

COVID Days: 2020-2021
In early 2020, I was full hope for the future of Bridgetown Music Therapy. It was thriving and growing. But then something unexpected happened: As we all collectively know, Covid happened.

In the span of a week, all my clients cancelled. My business was suddenly down to nothing. It was jarring and disorienting. After a few weeks, I began playing around with some alternative options, which a few clients tried, but many were simply unresponsive to outreach as they were completely overwhelmed with the state of senior care.

Ultimately, I chose to take my business in a new direction and pivoted online. My husband and I decided to put our skills together. With his professional videography expertise, we began creating pre-recorded therapeutic music sessions and organizing them into a video library for our program members. We clumsily launched our virtual music engagement program with just four videos in late 2020. 

We initially launched the program to our Bridgetown clients. Many signed up, began using it and shared positive feedback with us about how they were using and loving it! We kept moving forward, creating content, learning, growing, and improving.

Present Day: 2025
Here we are eight years later with Bridgetown Music Therapy! I’m still fueled by my passion and desire to use music to make a difference in peoples’ lives. While it was difficult to lose my business as I had originally built it and pivot to something new, I love my job! I’m grateful that I’m still able to use my music therapy knowledge and experience to offer a valuable engagement tool in dementia care. 

One of the reasons I want to help people benefit from music is because I have personally benefitted in countless ways. Music has helped me find my voice, gain confidence, and get through tough times. Music continues to help me bond with my husband, build memories, and connect with family members. I know the power of music and want to help people living with dementia benefit from it. Music matters!

With our small but mighty team, we hope to make a huge impact in the dementia care space, leveraging the power of music!

If you'd like to learn more about my work as a music therapist or my company, Bridgetown Music Therapy, and our programs and offerings, visit BridgetownMT.com.