Wartburg music therapists stand out from the crowd 

NAME: Payton Brinkman
CLASS YEAR: 2020
HOMETOWN: Cassville, Wisconsin
MAJOR: Music therapy

INVOLVEMENT ON CAMPUS: Wind Ensemble, Castle Singers, Phi Eta Sigma national honor society, Wartburg Student Music Therapy Association, and Psi Chi psychology honor society

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE WARTBURG: I chose Wartburg for the music therapy program. It’s one of only two in Iowa and the small, private college feel was just really my style. I’m able to get involved while exceling in multiple areas rather than just sticking in my major. I’ve gotten to be a part of organizations and have friends across campus in all the different majors.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON YOUR MAJOR: I really love music and I love helping people which makes it a great in between science and music. It’s a way to work in the health care professions and use music as a tool.  

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER GRADUATION: I will be a music therapy intern at West Music in Quad Cities.

HOW HAS WARTBURG SET YOU UP FOR SUCCESS IN YOUR FIELD: I think Wartburg does a really great job with music therapy because we take classes in a variety of areas like science, anatomy, and psychology, and it really encourages us to get involved, which makes music therapists from Wartburg stand out from other universities. Students here are so involved, and other campuses don’t have that.  

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WARTBURG MEMORY: My international tours with Castle Singers and Wind Ensemble have been some of the best memories during my time at Wartburg. Riding a boat through the fjords in Norway was an amazing experience with snow on one side and sun and waterfalls on the other side of this huge mountain. In Japan, just seeing other cultures that I wouldn’t have had the chance to if I wasn’t at Wartburg.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR CURRENT STUDENTS: Get as involved as you can. It can be busy and overwhelming, but your involvement really shows after you graduate to your future employers and internship directors that you’re willing to put in the work and be a well-rounded student.

WHY IS WARTBURG WORTH IT: The support that the professors give, and that the college gives to each student is worth it because you don’t get that at any other colleges.