Posts

Choosing How I Use My Time

Image
One of the recurring themes in my life is "Choosing How I Use My Time." I talk to interns about it, I talk to my family about it, and I talk to others about it as well. I recently read a blog post about getting started in a small business while working full-time, and I found some things to think about, especially when it comes to choosing how I use my time.

I talk to people all the time about time management, organization tips, and making choices. These topics are based in my own experiences over the years and the systems that I have established for my own work life, personal life, and well-being. I have been a good time manager and a lousy one. My organization systems are always evolving and never exactly what I want them to be, but I continuously strive for the one system to rule them all! I also make LOTS of choices about how I use my time.

I choose to do the fun things about being a music therapist (other than leading sessions, of course) at my home. I am often creating th…
Post a Comment
Read more

Fun Friday - Here I Go Again...

Image
I am going to try an abbreviated day again today. The plan is that I will take 3 hours off my regular schedule and work from 9-2 today. Last week's plan to do the exact same thing was thwarted by a last minute school cancellation by the superintendent. Today it looks like I'll be able to carry out the plan - there are no school closings in the area, and the temperature is 28 degrees Fahrenheit with a high of 40 as the forecast. There is a chance of afternoon rain showers, but it should only be rain as the temperatures will be above the freezing mark.

I'm saying all this because I have a need to reassure myself that I will get to enjoy some time off today. The last time I wrote this down, the superintendent did his thing and changed everything. I think I'll go check the closing list again..."about 0 school listings found."

I will now start to decide what my Fun Friday will look like. These are not in any particular order...
Breakfast of some sort. Maybe some chic…
Post a Comment
Read more

Thoughtful Thursday: Why I'm a Member of My Professional Organizations

Image
I recently re-upped my membership in the World Federation of Music Therapy. I have to admit that I haven't been a member for a long time, but I decided it was something that I need to do as a music therapist in the world. I am also a certificant of the Certification Board for Music Therapists and a professional member of the American Music Therapy Association as well. My memberships with those last two organizations have been constant (while my membership with the World Federation has not been steady at all) because I find that membership is important.

I am of the opinion that if I don't join, then I have no leg to stand on when it comes to changing what these organizations do to represent my profession. Nothing frustrates me more than someone complaining that "AMTA doesn't do enough to..." and then mentioning that they aren't members. (By the way, I feel the same way about voting in our quasi-democratic process of governance - if you don't bother to offer…
Post a Comment
Read more

One Foot In Front of the Other

Image
It is another snow day here in my neck of the woods. I am getting ready to head out a bit early so I can get to work. We'll see if I am successful or not. I'm not looking forward to going out, but both of my interns have obligations to do, and they don't go to work if I don't go to work on these inclement weather days. MY rule is that I don't do ice. I need to put on my clothes (rather than my pjs), layer on the cold weather gear, and go outside to see how much ice there is out there - that will help me make my decision about whether I chance it today or not. (There is an inch of snow covering about two inches of slush out there right now.) All of my roads are completely covered which means icy conditions and snow covered roads the entire way to work. I hate missing snow days, but I also hate sitting in ditches (which I've done on one of these days) and having thousands of dollars worth of car repairs (which I've done on a day that should have been an incle…
Post a Comment
Read more

It is Almost Music Therapy Day!

Image
Do you know that the World Federation of Music Therapy has decided that March 1st is International Music Therapy Day? Isn't that fun?

I didn't do much last year for Music Therapy Day, but I'm thinking about doing something this year. I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I'll figure out something. I'm going to start with a poster on my bulletin board. After that? Who knows??

Having a day for music therapy advocacy and recognition around the world is a really fun idea. I enjoy the thought that there are music therapy friends in Taiwan who are celebrating this unique profession at the same time that there are music therapy friends in South Africa and Canada and Sweden and here in the states doing their own celebrations. I wonder what we can do to make this more of a recognized day rather than just something that we do as music therapists...

I encourage you to head over to the World Federation of Music Therapy site to see what types of things are happening in th…
Post a Comment
Read more

No More Complaining About the Weather - Let's Focus on the World of Music Therapy Instead!

Image
There are times when my mind gets mired into specific trains of thought. This is one of those times, I think, and I am trying really hard to pull myself out of the quicksand that is inclement weather days into something else. I've been writing lots about the "me" side of this blog lately and not so much about the "music" and "therapy" parts. It's easy to do when your schedule gets messed up and all you see is more inclement weather in your future...

Time to pull myself up and out.

I love being a music therapist. I love working with other music therapists to help them get to the best type of therapist that they can be. I thoroughly enjoy working with music therapy students and helping them figure out how to become music therapists during their internships. I like doing these things both in person and via webinars/recordings. I love starting an idea, offering that idea to other people, and then watching that idea expand in ways I never would have envi…
Post a Comment
Read more

Song Conversion Sunday: I Like the iTunes Version, So...

Image
The last time I selected a song, I found it on my iTunes account, and that worked really well for me, so I think I'll do that again. I set my music to shuffle and press play. Here goes - let's see what song comes up...
Zen Buddha Indian Meditation Music for Awakening, by the Sea Tranquility Academy, on the 111 Ambient Nature Sounds album.I really like it when fate takes me on paths of exploration and learning. I know very little about Buddhism or meditation, so I will be trying to find out as much information as possible about this particular piece of music as well as why it is titled what it is titled. I don't know that I will be able to do this music any justice whatsoever, but I will make an effort to learn what I can about this piece and the people who present it to the world.

A Google search for "Sea Tranquility Academy" reveals that this type of music seems to be what this group does. There is little information about who is behind the music under the label, …
Post a Comment
Read more