Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Gladstone, MT-BC.
Hi Rebecca, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I have always loved music. I love how it makes me feel, I love how it makes others feel, and I love how it brings people together. When I was in High School, I was super involved with all things music and singing- SO many choirs, musicals, summer programs, and my senior year I attended an arts high school. The only thing was- I had major stage fright and hated the pressure of performing…so I decided a career in music was not for me. That was when I discovered music therapy.
In my Sophomore year of high school, I started researching all things music therapy. Reading music therapy case studies, learning about the neuroscience behind the music, and reaching out to local music therapists. I was so fascinated and excited to learn more. For every school assignment I was given, I found a way to make it about music therapy, an excuse to learn even more! The fascination continued throughout high school, so in my senior year, I started applying to schools that offered music therapy. There were 50 schools offering the program at the time.
I grew up in New York, and my family told me that they could only afford to send me to a state school. Only one state school offered music therapy in a small town in the middle of upstate New York. With all the pressure I put on myself for the audition- I got nervous and didn’t get in.
I applied to the University of Miami as a joke. The tuition was so incredibly out of my family’s price range- I felt silly even applying. My grandparents live nearby and I was coming to visit, so I figured I may as well audition here since they have a music therapy program. After a day on the beautiful campus, enjoying the sun, I went into the audition without a care in the world. I did great. I walked out and said, “I can’t believe I wasted my best audition on a school I’m not even going to.” I ended up being extremely lucky and received a talent scholarship from Frost School of Music, bringing the tuition to just about the same as a New York state school. That august I headed off to Miami which would become my new favorite place.
After graduating from UM and I completed my 6-month internship at Memorial Regional Hospital’s Inpatient Rehabilitation unit. I then passed my board exam in March of 2022. From there, I began working for various music therapy private practices throughout Miami and Broward counties providing music therapy, music lessons, and adaptive music lessons. I also started to get back into performing. I started performing in musicals, gigging at events, and leading high holiday and Shabbat services as a cantorial soloist at Temple Judea in Coral Gables. I realized I want a little bit of all of this in my career. I started creating my own practice and advertised through my instagram page @gladly.music. In January 2023 I made my LLC, gladly music LLC, and my website went live.
My business offers music therapy, music lessons, and music entertainment, and I sell products including resources for other music therapists and fun stickers I designed! Since then, I have had so many opportunities come my way including a group music therapy session of mine being featured in PBS kids south Florida’s Kids Vision! More and more new potential clients reach out to me each day and I am having so much fun managing the business side of things including digital design for my website and Instagram, outreach, and creating new ideas!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not always. Music therapy like any other career, especially a caregiving career comes with a high likeliness of burnout. In November and December 2022, I started to feel especially anxious, bored, burnt out, and tired. Progress with children with special needs can be slow and not very visible, so it can feel difficult when I am not receiving reinforcement that what I am doing matters or is having a strong impact.
That was when I decided to deep dive into my business, as well as my own self-care. Having this to focus on outside of my actual clinical work has allowed me to find a good balance in my career and life. I have started prioritized seeing my own therapist, exercising (I completed and trained for a 5 day trek in Peru this Winter!), and self-care routines such as yoga, journaling, meditation. I still deal with days of feeling burnt out but know that finding a new project to focus on within my business or life will help me through it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Outside of music therapy, I am working to expand music performance into a larger part of my career. I am a classically trained singer, but also love to sing all styles of music especially pop and musical theater! I play guitar and piano (among many other instruments) and love to perform acoustic cover sets. I am planning to start outreach for giging at restaraunts, events, and more!
My work as a cantorial soloist has been extremely fulfilling, allowing me to really harness my musical skills of singing throughout various styles while incorporating my love for Judaism and Jewish music, connecting with members of the synagogue, and providing a form of spiritual healing through Jewish music and prayer. It is another thing that I think fits along really well with my music therapy training and career. I am actually considering pursuing this further and attending cantorial school!
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I have always dealt with anxiety that manifested as a constant feeling of tightness in my chest. I strongly remember one day when I was feeling especially anxious and had to go to choir rehearsal.
I had so much fun in rehearsal and remember walking out of the rehearsal feeling shocked that my feelings of anxiety had completely disappeared. This experience solidified my desire to become a music therapist, as it showed me just how strong of an effect music can have.
Pricing:
- $105 per hour
- $65 per half hour
- It is important to accommodate families’ financial needs as that issomething my music teachers did for me growing up, which allowed me to get to where I am today. I am always happy to meet a family where they are at and find a price point that works best. I am also in the process of becoming an insurance provider to make my my music therapy services accessible to even more families!
Contact Info:
- Website: gladlymusic.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/gladly.music
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Gladly-Music/100089129562469/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gladlymusicllc
