Children’s Music Fund Establishes Fully Paid Music Therapy Internship

Expands access to music therapy for children with chronic conditions or life-altering illnesses; covers living expenses for two interns at UCLA Health

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, April 2, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Children’s Music Fund (CMF), the nation’s leading pediatrics-focused Music Therapy charity and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, today announced funding to fully finance clinical internships for two Music Therapy students at UCLA Health. The stipend expands patient access to the healing benefits of Music Therapy while supporting the educational requirements for board certification and licensure of students to attain the highest level of distinction in the field of Music Therapy.

Music Therapy is an effective integrative medicine tool that uses research-backed techniques to achieve clinical goals and manage pain, neurological conditions, trauma, high levels of emotional distress, and palliative care needs. It is impactful for people of all ages, but especially for children and young adults who are experiencing long hospital stays, as it helps them maintain developmental milestones.

“Music Therapy has such a positive effect on children experiencing difficult medical circumstances. Its healing benefits are research-backed, so it’s important for families to know about this natural form of treatment and that it is available to them,” said Dr. Raffi Tachdjian, MD, MPH, founder and president of Children’s Music Fund, and associate professor of Pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “As a result of the funding we are sponsoring for two Music Therapy interns, children and their families at UCLA Health will receive more than 2,000 hours of Music Therapy.”

To practice Music Therapy, students must complete a clinical internship before sitting for boards and earning certification to practice. Conventionally, these internships are unpaid, but this stipend will now cover their living wage in a competitive city such as Los Angeles.

“Working with children and their families every day, we know firsthand how beneficial Music Therapy is to patient health outcomes. Music Therapy interns take on a full caseload of more than 20 patients and work side by side with a multidisciplinary team including physicians, bedside nurses, and social workers,” said Jenna Marcovitz, Director, Music Therapy, Integrative Medicine, UCLA Health. “The funding provided by Children’s Music Fund establishes the support necessary for these students to show up empowered and emotionally nurtured, ready to guide the lives of these children and families.”

The recipients of the first Children’s Music Fund Music Therapy Internship Sponsorship are Audrey Creevey and Rose Koo, graduates of Berklee College of Music's undergraduate program. They began their internship at UCLA Health in January 2025 and are projected to complete it in August 2025. Throughout the internship, they will also contribute to research that will further quantify the measurable health outcomes that Music Therapy brings to conventional medicine.

To learn more about Children’s Music Fund and to donate in support of its mission visit theCMF.org.

About Children's Music Fund
Children's Music Fund provides Music Therapy to children with chronic conditions or life-altering illnesses, such as different forms of cancer, blood disorders, lung/heart/kidney disease, autism, rare diseases, and immune deficiencies to help improve their quality of life. Engaging children in Music Therapy helps reduce pain, fear and anxiety, and provides a much-needed coping mechanism to improve their mental well-being while undergoing medical treatment, during hospitalization and throughout their lives. The organization connects eligible children and young adults to board-certified Music Therapists who provide a personalized treatment plan at home and in hospitals, gifts musical instruments in support of those receiving Music Therapy services, as well as conducts and sponsors research on Music Therapy to further innovate the field and work to integrate music with medicine. Children’s Music Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and member of the American Music Therapy Association. We believe that Music Makes Us Better.

Learn more at theCMF.org

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Children's Music Fund
CMF@racepointglobal.com
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