Music Therapy Internship Interviews: Tips for Success

I’ve had the privilege of sitting in and assisting with several internship interviews, in person and via skype, for the internship at my current place of employment. Here are some insights/opinions/thoughts/words of wisdom regarding internship interviews.

1. We have a musical portion to the interview, so if you are going to answer the question “What are your strengths?” with, “well, I’m really good at accompanying myself on the guitar and transposing songs into keys that work well for my voice range. I have gained a lot of confidence in my musical abilities.”  Then when you get to the musical portion, you should be able to demonstrate that confidence, and the ability to sing while playing the guitar at a consistent tempo and rhythm, and it should be in a key that works with your voice. When you claim to be strong at those things, and then your musical audition shows us the opposite of what you just said, it makes it seem like you can’t accurately describe your strengths and weaknesses, or that you aren’t able to self-assess, or it makes us wonder what else you are lying about to pad your resume.

2. Really listen to the questions asked, and then make sure you answer them. If you don’t understand a question, don’t guess, ask for clarification. If you still don’t know, it’s okay to say you don’t have a knowledge base for that question but you’d definitely be interested in looking into it more. Ex. We ask about the applicant’s knowledge of NMT, usually using the abbreviation.  In one instance an applicant proceeded to describe how she really loves the concepts of Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy techniques and looks forward to learning about it and working it into sessions. That is awesome, except we don’t do much Nordoff Robbins work in our facility and Nordoff Robbins is completely from NMT which stands for Neurologic Music Therapy. If the interviewer uses an acronym and you aren't positive you know what it stands for, it's better to ask.

3. We understand you get nervous. We get nervous for you. It is nerve-wracking, even scary to have to perform in front of strangers who might hold the key to your future in the profession. It’s okay to be nervous; it’s okay to acknowledge that you get nervous. It’s important to know how to deal with the nerves. When you are playing focus on tempo, going faster is natural when you are nervous, make sure you are maintaining the integrity of the song and not letting your nerves drive your tempo too fast.  If you start singing and realize it’s too fast, don’t stop and start over, just slow yourself down, which brings us to the next point:

4. Keep Going!!  In a session, if you mess up a chord or get lost in the music, you are probably not going to stop playing, apologize and start over. You will have to keep going because your clients are going to keep going with or without you. We expect some hiccups in chord progressions or notes, it’s natural when you’re nervous. Keep going when they happen. We did an interview recently, and the gal hit a really sour chord on the piano, then she hit a second one. She kept singing, stopped playing the piano for a measure and came back in when she could pick the progression back up. She gets bonus points for this. You might be thinking “But she stopped playing.” Yes, but she kept the song going with her voice and found her way back. This demonstrates and ability to keep going even if you make a mistake. The song progressed even without the piano, her voice carried it through. This is much better than someone who misses a chord, stops singing, finds the right chord, restarts the song, and continues to stop and start or pause while trying to find the right chords. Keep going. We know you missed the chord, we know you know you missed it, what matters is how you deal with this situation when it happens. Missing a chord change isn’t the end of the world, how you react shows significantly more about you and your clinical skills than whether you hit all the right notes.

5. Memorize your songs or have the music for reference, but make sure you are looking up and engaging the interviewers in the music. You are after all looking for a music therapy internship. In MT we engage with the clients, it's vital to the job. If you are buried in the music then you aren’t engaged with the clients. When we are making you sightread something unfamiliar, go ahead and be buried in the music if you have to be, but in the selections you choose yourself you should know them well enough that you can look up and engage.  Pick songs appropriate to the population you are applying to work with. Please don’t play “you are my sunshine.” We've all heard it a million times. We know you can play You Are My Sunshine... MT 101.  Play your songs in different keys. If your first guitar selection is in D, play the next one in C or G or anything else. If you play every song in the same key it doesn’t show a very good musical range. 

6. Be honest. If while interviewing for the internship or touring or talking with the staff you start to realize that you don’t think it will be a good fit, It’s okay to say, “Thank you for your time, but I don’t think this is going to be the best fit for me.” It shows a good level of responsibility and self-assessment to realize it is wrong, and accept it. Don’t accept an internship you think is not a great fit, or won’t be comfortable for you, just because it’s offered to you. If you aren’t happy with the site, then you won’t do your best work, and it is hard on you, and hard on everyone who has to try and teach you.

7. Have some questions to ask. Find something you are curious about. Ask about group dynamics with the clients, ask about group dynamics with other staff, ask what the typical schedule looks like, ask about how much time will be spent in groups versus doing reading or written assignments or documentation, ask about groups you are interested in, ask what the person interviewing you likes most about the program or the facility, ask which group they think is the most challenging for interns to pick up. Ask questions, it shows you are really interested and actually listening to what we’re saying. 

8. Try and relax and be yourself and let your personality come through. Remember why you chose Music Therapy as a profession. Know the answer to “Why do you want to do an internship in this setting?” or “Why are you passionate about working with (older adults, dementia, children with autism, inpatient psych, hospice, or any other population the internship requires you to work with)?  If we ask you why you want to work in our setting or with our population and you don't know it looks rather suspicious. Did you just apply to every local internship because you have to do one? If you aren't passionate about our populations, that's okay, but then maybe our internship isn't the best choice for you. I was applying to an internship when I was in school and I got to the question on the application that said, "Why are you passionate about working with young children?" and I realized I wasn't passionate about working with young children. When the internship supervisor emailed me to find out if I was still going to turn in an application I was honest with her. I explained when I got to that question I realized their site wasn't going to be the best fit for me and where I hoped to go professionally. She thanked me for not applying since it wasn't what I was really passionate about.

9. Send a Thank You note. After you finish your interview, send the internship director a thank you note. (this goes for job interviews, too) If you prefer to send an email that’s okay, and more efficient, but an actual Thank you note is better. Regardless of whether you are offered the position, it gives one last positive impression of yourself. Thank them for their time. Make it personal to the site you are interviewing with, don’t write a generic note that could be going to anyone or anyplace. Try and put in a few details that came up in the interview about things you’d look forward to working on/with if you were offered the position. It’s okay if it’s short and sweet. “Thank you for taking the time to interview me for the internship position at __________. It was really exciting to hear about the work you are doing with Jug Band, and with community outreach MT groups. I have a strong interest in NMT and would love to gain more experience with this area.  I really enjoyed hearing about your program and the internship requirements. I appreciate the opportunity to come in for an interview and feel like your program would be a good fit for me. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, _______. 

10. Have fun. Be excited. This is an exciting time. This is the final step towards being a professional Music Therapist. This is a time to network and get to know some people in the field. Show that you are excited about Music Therapy. Pick songs you like that are also appropriate to the population. We want to see that you are passionate and enthusiastic about what you'll be doing.

11. Don’t overanalyze what happened once the interview is over. Know that you are doing the best you can at this moment and if it’s meant to be then you will get an offer. Just because you don’t get an offer from one site doesn’t mean we don’t believe you will make an excellent Music Therapist. It also doesn't mean you are never going to find an internship. Maybe we just didn’t feel like you fit into the group dynamic of our staff. Maybe you need a little more work on guitar. Maybe you mentioned how you really enjoy working with a different population and we agreed that you would be better off doing an internship with that other population you are really passionate about. Maybe we had 20 applicants for Fall, and we had to tell 19 really qualified MT students that they didn’t get it. It’s hard for us to turn you down, just like it’s hard for you to be turned down. Believe me, we hate making the rejection calls as much as you hate getting them. It's hard to disappoint really qualified applicants. Unfortunately we only have so many spaces to fill. 

Best of luck to all of you who are in the middle of applying for internships. If you have specific questions about interviewing feel free to ask. Be your passionate, enthusiastic selves, and you’ll find the right place for you. Welcome to the profession.

Presenting Yourself Professionally in Internship Inquiry E-mails

I have seen some rather unfortunate first impressions from students networking at conferences or inquiring about internships. I've written a few posts sharing some insights and opinions for MT students or recent grads looking into internships on how to present themselves in a professional manner, and how to make a good impression. This is another one of those entries.

If you are a MT student looking into internships, the way in which you first present yourself creates a lasting impression on the supervisors and other staff you are contacting. Last week my coworker, the MT internship director at the facility in which I work, received an email. The subject line said, “I would like to apply for the internship at your facility” the body of the email said, “thanks, Name.” That’s it. The entire email was “thanks,” and the person’s first name only. Then she got a second email with the subject line, “my name is NAME and I’m a student at SCHOOL, and I’d like to know more about the internship at your facility.” The body of the email just said the student’s name again. So our MT director emailed back and asked what starting date he was hoping to apply for and listed the starting months we typically offer. The response she got was subject: “I’d like to apply, any date is fine” with the body of the email stating, I'm hoping for spring, summer, fall, or 2015. Then 2 minutes later a second email with the same subject as before with the body reading, “wait is it even possible to start in February of this year?” Then 3 minutes later another email with subject line "nevermind" and body of the email stating, "Nevermind that last one, I'm interested in Summer, Fall or 2015." That's it. We have yet to actually have him sign his full name to any of his emails.

 Professionalism and presenting yourself well starts with the first contact you make with a prospective employer, supervisor, colleague, etc. The subject of a professional email should be succinct and state the subject. In this case a good choice of subject would have been “Internship inquiry” or something related. The body of the email then contains information. Please write in complete sentences. Use a professional greeting, then state a little about yourself and your reason for contacting the person you are contacting. Then give your contact information so we can easily respond to you or send you the information you are requesting. Use a formal closing as you would in a written letter. One basic example email: “Dear Ms. Last name of director, My name is Jane and I’m a student at Name of College. I’m interested in completing an internship with POPULATION and would like to know more about your facility and internship requirements. I’m hoping for a start date either Spring or Summer of 2014. Could you please send me an application packet? Here is my contact information: jdoe@college.edu, 555-555-5555, 1234 College St, #15  City, State, Zipcode. Thank you. Sincerely, Jane Doe.”

Sadly the gentleman who sent us the first 5 emails with long subjects and no body to the email and no formality has caused himself to appear very immature. He has made us question his ability to be professional. He has made us question his ability to clearly communicate since he sent so many short emails in a few minutes of time, which came across as stream of consciousness rather than thought out communication. Having never met this gentleman, he has already set himself up negatively in the minds of the professionals in our office who interview and select interns. At this point, even if he has an amazing application the chances of him being accepted as an intern in our facility are almost non-existent because his initial impression has been so unprofessional.

Internships are very competitive. You want to put your best foot forward from the very beginning. Don’t forget that an email is still a professional means of communication and the way you word and format your emails can and will reflect positively or negatively on you as a person and as a future employee. Take the time to clearly communicate your intentions and interest. Be sincere. Be respectful. Be professional. Finally, PLEASE PROOFREAD. Look back at what you wrote before you hit the send button. For that matter almost everything typed has spellcheck these days, so use it. Make sure you used proper english - punctuation, capitalization, full sentences, spelling. Don’t let a poorly constructed email be the reason you are passed over for a job you really want.

One more example, because we are human and sometimes we rush things and make mistakes. We once got an email inquiry that was very well thought out, except the young woman wrote that she was interested in the internship at SITE and the site she listed was a different facility than ours. We got a response less than five minutes later that said, “I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I sent that without reading it first. My apologies. I am interested in the internship at your facility, FACILITY NAME. I didn’t take the time to proofread until after I hit send. I apologize for my mistake. — This was actually okay. It acknowledged the mistake she made, it showed she was accepting responsibility for said mistake. It also showed that she did pay attention to what she sent; she noticed she made a mistake and she made immediate actions to correct that mistake. Problem solving skills at work.

In conclusion, when inquiring about emails don’t put the entire message in the subject line. Construct the email in the same way you would format a professional cover letter. If you don’t know how to do that, google it, there are templates for professional communication letters. Use a concise but clear subject line. Use proper greetings and formal closing. Think about what you want to say, and put it in the body of the email. Read through it before you hit send. Be professional in your initial communication with prospective internship sites. That first inquiry is what is giving us our first impression of you. Make it a good one. Present yourself positively.

Professionalism and Initial Presentation of Self

This is a first post in what I assume will turn into an ongoing series of opinions and insights for MT students, or recent grads working on networking, applying to internships, looking for jobs, etc.  This particular post is about professionalism with presenting information about yourself in a networking situation. It stems from an experience of some friends and coworkers at a recent MT conference. If you want to be taken seriously when passing out a “business card” there are right and wrong ways to do it. It is wonderful if you are creative and want to design your own personal information cards to present to internship directors and future colleagues and cohorts, however no matter how cute your construction paper hand made cards are, they will end up making you look somewhat immature. If you do choose to go that route make sure that you are cutting straight lines. If you REALLY want to draw/color your own business cards, you may want to start by going to Target/Walmart/Office Max/Staples etc and purchase the Avery (or generic equivalent) business card sheets. They are convenient in that they are perforated so you just pop them out and then you have straight edges and uniform sizes. While you are at it though, it also comes with a website and information on how to design your own cards using the computer/internet. If you have an ink jet printer, you can print out your business cards without the use of glitter or glue. The information will be legible as it will be typed, and they look like you could have possibly special ordered them or had them printed professionally. Believe me, I’ve printed my own networking business cards this way many times. You can scan in a designed logo or image, or you can select from their print-art options and backgrounds. The Business card sheets also tell you how to print them properly so everything is aligned well. There are also some lovely business card websites that will let you order professionally designed cards where the first 100 are free. 

How did this topic come to mind? A friend of mine was at a conference and spoke to a lovely young woman who is a music therapy student during the internship fair as my friend is the director of an internship program and the supervising MT in the facility at which we both work. The student then presented my friend with a personal information/business card (actually a good idea if you want the internship director to send you a packet if they don’t have any at the fair or if they have run out when you get there). The card however was homemade, It was an almost square (unevenly cut) piece of construction paper, with a printed out white colored printer paper with her typed information on it glued to the construction paper. It had a glitter design drawn on it as well, hearts to be exact. That is super adorable if you are in elementary or middle school and giving your phone number and address to your new best friend so that she can send you an invitation to her birthday party. However, this is a faux pas of professionalism. She made herself look immature, or not entirely serious about her future, and that is not the impression you want to make on a prospective internship director or professional contact. Her faux pas will now serve as an example to my friend’s current interns and practicum students of how NOT to present yourself when seeking a job or engaging in professional networking.  General rule of thumb in the adult world, always avoid glitter on a business card. No one likes everything in their wallet to come out covered in glitter because of your card. 

While on the topic of networking and professionalism, here's another example stemming from an interaction my friend had with a different prospective intern she met during the internship fair. My coworker gave this student our brochure for our program which included her email address as the director of the internship. When she arrived back to work on Tuesday she had received an email from this student she had talked to at the internship fair. It said something along the lines of, “Dear first name of internship director, My name is insert name of student. I met you at the internship fair. It was nice to meet you at conference. I really liked insert names of seminars or occurrences from conference. Did you have fun? What was your favorite part? I hope you had a safe drive home. I know it’s kind of a long drive. If you want to you should totally friend me on facebook.  -Name of student.”  
As in the previous example,  this student’s thought process was in the right place, just not presented in a professional way. It is excellent to follow up with new contacts particularly if you are interested in applying for a position with them in the future, such as in the case of a prospective intern. However, her general email was not appropriately professional. A more appropriate follow up might have said something along the lines of, Dear Ms/Mr/Dr. + Last Name of recipient, I enjoyed the opportunity to talk with you about the internship program offered at Name of facility/program. You answered many of the questions I had about the intern experience and what to expect from your program. Thank you for the application materials OR I would like to request application materials. (depending on whether you got application materials or just a brochure on the program.) I look forward to applying to your internship as I feel it could be a good fit for me and my future career goals. Regardless of whether I am given the opportunity to intern with you in the future, I would like to maintain contact with you for professional networking/I would like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. Thank you for your time.  Sincerely, Name of student.  (Okay, so that’s probably not a perfect example of a follow up email, but it's an improvement) In general, with a follow up, you probably don’t want to greet them by a first name this early in your professional relationship. You definitely don’t want to tell them to find you on facebook. Not a professional networking site (that being said there are professional groups/pages on facebook where MTs go to network, but for a future job, I’d probably steer clear of facebook.) Don’t ask personal questions if you don’t personally know the individual you are emailing. Always re-read your professional networking emails and make sure they actually read as professional. Have a friend or trusted MT professor read through it and tell you if it’s appropriate if you aren’t sure. You don’t want the reason you do not get offered an internship to be because you presented yourself as immature or unprofessional early on in the process. 

Remember these first impressions really do matter, and you don’t want to be remembered in a negative way because of a silly mistake with a business card or an awkward email. Prove that you understand professional and ethical boundaries and appropriate business etiquette. 

Finally, I'd like to share a potentially lesser known action that makes you stand out it a good way. After you go to an interview, Send a thank you card to the internship director immediately following. It shows that you appreciated the time they took to consider you and gives you a chance to give one more final positive and professional impression before they make their decision. Same goes for job interviews. My internship supervisor told me this, if they are undecided between two prospective interns and one sends a thank you card and the other doesn’t, then 99% of the time they are going to choose the one who sent the card because it shows how much they really do want it.  It's an easy enough way to make a lasting impression and get just a little bit ahead of your competition.

Welcome Back to the Present Technology

When I left my last job I was saddened to have to walk away from my work iPad. I had gotten used to the versatility it offered me in doing groups and 1:1 visits. between very simple instruments anyone can successfully play with minor motions of the fingers, to great background relaxation noises to play underneath my live playing of the Native American Flute, to easily pulling up videos or pictures from the internet to use in sensory groups and 1:1 visits, or pulling up fast chord charts or sheet music to fulfill requests. The iPad I had used belonged to the facility so naturally when I left the job I had to give it back. 

Tonight I have rejoined modern technology. I bought myself an iPad. I also go the keyboard portfolio case for it, which is what I am using right now to blog this. I'm getting used to the small keyboard and have installed some of the apps I remember having on my work iPad. I'm looking through different postings of the must-have iPad apps for Music Therapy. Garage Band was the first one I added. 

So, I pose the question to you, What iPad apps do you find most useful in your practice. I am particularly interested in what apps Music Therapists are using with older adults, dementia care, and hospice as those are the areas in which I work most closely. 

Meanwhile  I'm going to keep exploring my new tool/toy. 

♪♫I don't want to work, I want to bang on the drum all day♫♪

Title of the post is the song Bang the Drum sung by Todd Rundgren. One of those wonderful song gems of the 1980s that I remember my dad singing when I was little. Of course some of us are lucky enough to have a job where we really could bang on a drum all day, or at least part of the day. When I started my new job I was asked by the other active living (recreation) staff what my favorite groups to facilitate were, and one of them is Drum Circle. Now, I am not an extremely talented drummer. My drumming experience is typical of undergraduate methods courses. During my internship I was introduced to the world of hand drumming and leading drum circles as well as to basic drum kit because the MT led the rock band group from the drums. So, I have functional skills. Drum Circle wasn't something they had at my new job. So the other music therapist talked to me and together we decided to use my experience and our combined enthusiasm to get it going and see how it went. For some residents it is "too loud" and some staff run for the hills and office doors slam shut as soon as they see the drum cart. But for those who actively engage it's wonderful to see what transpires. For the facility newsletter I was asked to write a brief 250-350 word article about what Drum Circle is, how it got started, and what goals it targets. I thought it would be simple. However, it was actually quite complicated. You don't realize how short 350 words are until you try and describe a complex group like Drum Circle under that restriction. So, I feel that my article lacks the depth it could contain, but I touched on all the main points, and there's only so much you can do in that short a space. Feel free to comment.

What’s that Racket?!

Active Living is shaking up the Tuesday schedule with a new group: Drum Circle. I have experience facilitating drum circles in the past so when I began working here C, our other Music Therapist, approached me with the idea to add Drum Circle to the calendar. One of the first questions we had to address from residents was, “What is drum circle?” C and I joke about the overly simplistic answer I gave, “Well, we sit in a circle and play drums.” On the surface it is very noisy and a little chaotic, but there is much more happening than what is immediately visible. The goal areas and benefits of this group are numerous. There is always a lead drum that sets a stable rhythm to which everyone else adds.  Participants are required to listen to each other and respond appropriately i.e. if the lead gets quiet everyone has to listen and adapt their playing to match. In this respect, Drum Circle creates an instant community, which can help to alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation. Though initially the drums can be intimidating, in this setting we set the participants up for success. This in turn inspires feelings of accomplishment, and improves self-esteem. There are a variety of types of drums and simple percussion instruments to choose from.  C and I are able to choose instruments that are physically appropriate for each individual’s abilities but also those that can enhance physical dexterity or address range of motion goals specific to the individual. Drumming is a great way to alleviate stress and provide a distraction from pain. There is research to suggest group drumming promotes the production of endorphins, which improve mood and work as natural painkillers. Personally I always feel an increase in my own energy level after Drum Circle, and witness the same reaction in other participants. So far the response has been positive. As one resident stated following this week’s circle, “I’m not sure I know what I’m doing, but it’s just so much fun! It makes me so happy!”

Updating and Cleaning House

I'm re-vamping my blog. I've decided to morph it from a personal blog into a personally professional one. I'm going to go back and delete non-MT related posts, and begin to use this forum as a way to post my personal experiences and thoughts directly related to being a Music Therapist. I would like to have someplace I can direct people when they ask me if I have a blog or a webpage about what I do, and this is the simplest way to do that right now. I like my blog title which is why I don't just start a completely new blog.

Hopefully good things to come in the future. Thanks for sticking with me.

-Michelle, MT-BC

♪♫Knowing it will be worth while, I will go the extra mile♫♪

Lyrics from the song The Extra Mile recorded by Laura Pausini.

In October of last year I wrote a post Around the Corner...  I didn't mention in the post, but one of the things I had been doing with that client before she passed was working on a Legacy project. When she started to decline, I just decided I wanted to have a record of her musical passion and her excellent quality of life when in the presence of Music Therapy; something her family could have after she was gone. So, without really knowing what I was doing, I grabbed an intern and the video camera and did some recording. The facility has a digital video camera, and I have a mac that came with video editing software, so I figured, how hard can it be to make a basic movie.  I wanted it to look like a finished copy, with scenes and titles and transitions. But, when I went to plug in the video camera, it was not compatible with the version of iMovie on my computer. Well, I was pretty intent on doing this project and making it look like a polished copy, so I looked into upgrading the program. Then I found out that to upgrade that one program I would in fact have to completely upgrade my operating system from 10.4 (I know, I hadn't ever done an upgrade. whoops) to at least 10.6 Snow Leopard version. (This is still two OS behind I believe Lion is the newest.) So, I special ordered an installation disc for the new OS. That came and I spent an afternoon upgrading my computer. Then I had to download the APP store onto my computer, and download the new versions of iMovie and iDVD.  I also bought CD labels from Target and made a nice CD label sticker. The resident died before I finished the video with all the set-backs I had. I was able to get in touch with her family and give them copies of the finished product (after a few more issues with burning the discs). The finished product was something of which I was very proud. The family was happy to receive it. The resident's daughter sent me a card saying the whole family was going to watch the video together on Thanksgiving. All in all the project cost me a decent chunk of my own money and MANY unpaid hours working on it, often at 3 or 4 in the morning. It was not something I had to do. It was not something the family asked for from me. I saw an opportunity and I went for it, and despite the extra personal cost and the time and the frustration and inconvenience, it was completely worth while.

I have another resident and he is a joy. He loves to sing his favorite songs and a smile spreads across his face and he makes the comment that the music "makes the old ticker go." When he sings, the other staff even stop to watch and listen because he is so animated and when he finishes a song and has done all the words, he smiles so much and is so proud of himself he sometimes is moved to tears of joy. It is beautiful to be a part of that. He had family visit from out of town last summer and I met them coincidentally on the elevator coming back to the floor from my dinner break one evening. I told them about his singing and they said they couldn't believe it. So, I grabbed my guitar and spend a half hour helping them connect with their uncle through his favorite songs. Then I explained the concept of a Legacy video project. They were very interested in having something like that to hold onto to remember him when he is eventually gone from this earth. I said I would make him my next project. Then I just had no extra time at work. I still intended to do it at some point but it wasn't a priority. He wasn't declining and he was singing as well as ever. But, then I got a new job. I knew I needed to do this Legacy video before I left my position. I had promised the family.

When I was working on memorial day I got the resident and the video camera and did some recordings of his favorite songs. Transferring them to the computer was easier now that my programs were the correct versions. I even figured out a few extra touches to make this finished product better than the first one. The whole thing took much less time now that I know what I'm doing. I finished the video and went to transfer it from iMovie to iDVD so I could burn it, and I got a warning message saying that my startup disk was almost full. FYI that is NOT a good thing. The start-up disk for the non-tech-savvy people is the hard drive apparently. Well, it still said it was processing the video and would be done transferring in 3 hours. 2 hours and 45 minutes later it gave an error message saying the video was too long and there was not enough space to transfer it. I went through my files, I deleted unnecessary ones, but that didn't really work. Then, I got a phone call at work. The resident's niece was visiting again from out of town. She was hoping to be able to visit during music time. That was on Tuesday. Well, that timing was just way too convenient. I was so close to being done with this video and could give it to her while she was in town and save myself cost of shipping it.  At this point, I decided I absolutely had to do this. I ordered myself an external hard drive and had it rush delivered so I'd get it by Thursday. (I got a pretty good deal, but still, external hard drives are expensive.) That would give me time to clear some space and transfer and burn the disc to give to her before the weekend. Except that UPS required a signature and delivered it while I was at work, so they didn't leave it. I talked with the family and they gave me their phone number and contact information for where they were staying and said to just let them know if I had a chance to get the video finished before they left. Friday I left a very strongly worded note for UPS on my door indicating the importance of them leaving the package even if I wasn't there to sign in person, and signed the note indicating I accept full liability if anything happens to the package. Luckily they left it for me. I finished the DVD and it turned out so nice. I added chapter markers and music during the menus and credits. I added some nice photos of him.

I called and left a message for his family saying I had a DVD for them. I made a special trip in to work today (Sunday) to meet his niece so I could give it to her. She wanted to watch it with me and her uncle. I put it on the widescreen TV in the dining room and a few other residents joined us. I was out with my mom when the family called and asked if I could bring it, so my mom was there, too. The resident was so excited to see himself on the television singing his favorite songs. He started singing along with the video. His niece sat next to him and sang with him. She was so touched, and they had such a beautiful connection with each other for the 20 minutes he sang with me on the television. She cried; so did he. My mom got to see one of the more awesome sides of my career. The last couple weeks have been tough at work. Staff are rude and making nasty comments to me or ignoring me completely since they found out I'm leaving. But, none of that mattered in those moments watching this family find common ground in something so simple. These Legacy videos that have had so much overhead costs and have taken so much personal time and inconvenience, just to give them away for free... they aren't a job requirement, they aren't even an expectation. They were simply something I got the idea to do one day, and decided if I was going to make something like that, then I was going to go the extra mile and make it the best product I could. I wasn't certain it would be worth it in the end; I didn't know what the reaction to them would be. Today, I got to experience the reaction first-hand. While everyone else was watching the television I was watching the beauty in front of me, a true connection between this resident and his niece. Something she knows she can always treasure with him each time she sees that video. I wish I could explain it better... the look on their faces... the honor of playing a part in that. I guess all I can say is that sometimes you have to be willing to go the extra mile because the final destination is so incredibly worth it.