Nearly $20,000 in scholarship funding through TFEC has helped an Elizabethtown College student focus on her education and prepare for a career in music therapy.
A required career assessment gave Hannah Jessep an unexpected answer: music therapy.
Jessep had played instruments since age 8 and knew she wanted a career that would allow her to help people. When the assessment introduced her to music therapy during her junior year of high school, she saw a way to bring those interests together.
“I had never heard of it before,” Jessep said. After researching the field and college programs, she knew she had found the right path. “There was really no other option for me once I found it,” she said. “I knew this was perfect for me.’”
Today, with scholarship support from The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC), Jessep is studying music therapy at Elizabethtown College. Since 2023, she has received nearly $20,000 through TFEC scholarship programs. The funding has helped make college possible and given her more time to manage a demanding course load, build her skills and prepare for a career helping others through music.
Using Music to Meet Individual Needs
Music therapy uses music and a therapeutic relationship to help people work toward goals across many areas, including, but not limited to, physical, social, emotional and cognitive needs. Depending on the client, a session may use music in a wide range of ways, such as listening, playing an instrument or writing a song.
“There are a lot of ways that music can speak to people that words can’t,” Jessep said.
Elizabethtown College’s music therapy program combines coursework in music therapy with studies in music, psychology and neuroscience. Students also gain clinical experience in settings that include hospitals, schools and senior living communities.
Jessep plays clarinet as her primary instrument and has also learned piano, guitar, voice and percussion, training she said focuses less on performance and more on using each instrument in practical ways to support clients.
A therapist might play while a client listens, perform alongside a client or use songwriting to encourage expression. Even an opening song can help people settle into a session, introduce themselves or communicate how they are feeling.
“The curriculum is learning all the different ways to use music with your clients,” she said.
A Personal Connection to Music and Memory
Jessep hopes to work with older adults in memory care settings, including those living with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.
Her interest in working with older adults is deeply personal. Jessep assisted in caring for her grandfather, Roy Campbell, who is 92 and played an important role in shaping her love of music. When Jessep’s brother wanted to learn piano, Campbell passed along a family piano that held special meaning for him. Jessep later learned to read music on that instrument, setting her on the path she follows today.
“That’s how I learned how to read music and got into music,” Jessep said. “It’s all because of him.”
That connection now shapes the kind of therapist Jessep hopes to become. She wants to use music to help older adults maintain skills, connect with others and access memories that may otherwise feel distant.
“They might not know their family members’ names, but they can sing an entire song that they knew from when they were younger,” she said.
Moments That Confirmed Her Path
Elizabethtown College students begin observing music therapy sessions during their first year. Jessep remembers watching a senior work with a young child during her first week on campus. She teared up as she watched and thought, “This is incredible. I can’t wait to do this every day.”
That sense of purpose has continued through her own experiences. During an interactive recital at a long-term care facility, one resident who had been unable to respond took Jessep’s hand and simply said, “Thank you.”
Moments like these have shown Jessep how music therapy can strengthen individual lives and build a more connected community.
More Time to Learn and Serve
Music therapy students often carry heavier course loads than students in other majors. Jessep said she has taken between nine and 13 classes in a semester, along with ensembles, practice time and clinical responsibilities.
That schedule leaves little time for outside employment.
Scholarship support has reduced the pressure to earn money for tuition, giving Jessep more time to participate in weekend outreach through the Music Therapy Club instead of working additional shifts.
“These funds have truly made it possible for me to attend college without taking on an overwhelming amount of student loan debt,” Jessep said.
After completing her undergraduate program, Jessep plans to complete a clinical internship and take the certification exam to become a board-certified music therapist. She would also like to pursue a master’s degree in the future.
Most of all, she looks forward to using her education to help others in the community.
To the donors who have supported her journey, Jessep has a simple message.
“First and foremost, I would just say thank you,” she said. “The funds I’ve received have decreased the financial burden of college on me and my family and made it possible for me to focus on my goal of becoming a music therapist. I’m incredibly grateful, and I can never say thank you enough.”
Help Students Build a Stronger Community
Scholarship support gives students like Hannah the freedom to focus on their education and prepare for careers that will serve others. By investing in students today, donors help strengthen the communities those students will support in the years ahead.
To learn how you can help students like Hannah, contact TFEC’s Philanthropy Team at philanthropy@tfec.org or 717-236-5040. Together, we can open doors for students and build a stronger community.
