My name is Kristin Wright and I’m the newest addition to the Anderson Music Therapy team.
Growing up, I had lots of ideas about what I wanted to be.
When I was little I wanted to be an actress or a singer! I don’t know where the idea of an actress came from, but as a kid I was always humming a tune or singing a song. I even remember being reprimanded for humming during nap time in preschool…. I thought I was going to put everyone to sleep with my beautiful voice!
As I got older, I began to imagine myself as a teacher or a therapist.
I always enjoyed helping others and thought I could make a career out of it. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school that I discovered the field of music therapy.
I was taking piano lessons at the time from a woman who went to my church. One day she asked me what I was planning to go to school for and I told her my ideas. It was then that she shared she had gone to school for music therapy and would be happy to ask her clients if they would be willing to let me observe a session.
I didn’t really know what to expect, but I went home and started researching with the classic question… what is music therapy?
When I walked into the room, I saw a little boy around the age of 7. He was there with his dad and they were sitting at the piano together. As the music therapy session began, I saw the music therapist use music to work on the boy’s speech and to strengthen the relationship between the boy and his father.
I thought it was incredible that music could be used in this way and I knew from then on that music therapy was a career that I would pursue!
How amazing that my desire to help people and my love of music could be combined into one profession.
So far, my favorite thing about being a music therapist is seeing the way that music brings people together.
I’ve seen people with different life experiences, abilities, and cultures bond through drumming, singing, instrument playing, songwriting, and more. Music almost always brings an instant connection to a group of people, even people who have just met.
Just think about the last time you went to a concert and everyone sang at the top of their lungs. Not many things can bring people together on that level!
If I wasn’t a music therapist, I imagine I’d still be helping people in some capacity. I’ve always loved working with people of various abilities and needs and I’d probably end up being drawn to similar work in a different field like special education or speech language pathology. I have friends in both fields and love hearing about the work they do!
To close out this post, here are a couple of fun facts.
First, if I was a new addition to a crayon box, I think I’d be a calm but bold color like “pine green” or “vivid violet”.
Both these colors reflect my love of relaxing, calm environments while also echoing some of my “bold” qualities, such as being direct and getting things done!
Second, I’m always listening to different types of music based on the kind of mood I’m in, but if I had to choose a favorite 90’s jam, it’d probably be “Wannabe” by TLC or “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC.
I can't wait to meet you!
Kristin Wright, MT-BC
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