music, therapy, and me

I am sitting at my computer, listening to an episode of J.A.G. , and wondering what I can possibly write about on this morning. This is why I need themes. I like having enough structure that I can predict what I will write about on most days, especially at the start of the work week. I don't always follow the structure, but I like having it in place. I started my Songwriting Sunday series two days ago. I continued with my Internship Supervision series yesterday, but I am not interested in doing anything with therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) this morning. I feel like I have done everything I can do with that particular topic right now. Until I get inspired with a new way to think about TMEs, I think Tuesdays will be something else entirely. I just don't know what they will end up being. Finger update - I have been playing the guitar for the past six days. My finger still hurts, but I am able to bend my finger enough to get all the chords and the strength seems to be okay - n

I must admit that I am getting ready for some changes in my internship program these days, and I am starting with the AMTA Professional Competencies which feel like they have changed since the last time I really looked at them, but I guess not (when I look at my current evaluation). Perhaps my thoughts about how different things look are spurred on by my desperate wish that the membership would have actually followed through on the "revision every five years" provision that was put into place about 10 years ago and would have revised this document twice in the past 10 years. This is not supposed to be a rant, so I will simply say that I feel that this document needs to be revised more than once every decade. Anyway... I am currently working on a competency-based clinical training project that is requiring me to delve deeply into the competencies, and I am enjoying the opportunity. There are so many things that I like about competency-based clinical training that I can go on a

Okay, all. I am here, trying out a new blog series that I haven't really tried out yet, but that is something that supports what I am already doing as a music therapist. Here we go - Songwriting Sunday !! Now, songwriting is something that I do all the time. I hope I'm not alone in this, because songwriting is also something that is just fun. After all, we had to go through all of our music theory courses, so why not use that knowledge for something that enriches our professional existence and that makes others look at us in awe. Songwriting is a superpower! Seriously. Who else can figure out melodies, harmonies, pitch centers, rhythms, tempi, lyrics, dynamics, styles, forms, and all that in a short amount of time. There aren't many people out there who can take an idea and turn it into a piece of music. We are part of a small group of people who have these skills. We need to celebrate that as much as possible! (Is anyone's imposter syndrome starting to rear its ugly he

Dearie, me. It is already Friday, and I have blogged about three or four of the last seven days here. I am getting closer to figuring out what I want to start writing about as themes (which is something I find I need in order to keep going with music therapy related topics on this blog - otherwise I end up just babbling on and on and on...). I am wondering if writing about composition from a clinical perspective would be something that would help me figure some things out. I used to write monthly therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) for sing about songs , but I stopped doing that on a regular basis a while ago. It would be nice to get back into writing music as a part of my regular routine. So, how about Songwriting Sundays? (I like alliteration, so something with an "S" at the beginning HAS to be on either Saturday or Sunday - it's corny, but it makes my heart happy, so...) I enjoy writing songs. I enjoy making things up as I go along as well. So, having a songwriting to

My goodness. My blogging practices are lagging this week but are significantly better than last week's. Usually, on Wednesdays, I spend time just talking about anything at all. In the past, I have used labels such as "woeful Wednesday," "weekly wrap-up Wednesday," "website Wednesday," and "webinar Wednesday." I remember why Wednesdays were woeful - that group was horrible and set the tone for the entire day, but that group is no longer together. Things have changed. As I continue to work on my journey of whatever this is, I am trying to figure out what types of things I want to focus on here. Perhaps Wednesdays could be a day where I think about what types of things I think music therapy students need to hear from professional music therapists. I could call it "Dear MT Student:" and go from there. Who knows if I will, but it is an option. I wonder if students would ask questions to be answered? That might be a good way to go. I enjo

I was able to wake up on time this morning and also haul my ponderous self out of my very comfortable bed only an hour later, so I am considering this a win. I have had significant difficulty getting up and out of bed since our last time change, and this is unusual for me. I can say that I feel 100% better than I did three days ago, so I am also considering that fact a win. As a result of recovering from my latest illness and my need to do things differently, I am trying to come up with new things to talk about here on my blog. This happens occasionally. I get an urge to shake my thinking up and one of the ways that manifests is in new topics for this space. So, I am not doing an internship supervision post today. If that is what you look for in my blog, please send me a message or leave a comment. I can continue that topic, if you want. Otherwise, I think I am going to leave that topic behind for a bit. In the past, I have used the following Monday labels: Make It Monday and Music Mon