Favorite Things Friday
Happy Friday, everyone!
I'm trying to think of something that I can write about today. I started this post with a diatribe about Black Friday, and then I realized that I didn't have to sink into that particular morass of thought, so I broke out of that post into this one. So, today I'll write about 4X6 index cards - my favorite type of index cards!
If you are still reading, bear with me. I think it will get more interesting.
My love affair with the 4X6 card started in the Spring Semester of 1989, when we were assigned to start a TME (Therapeutic Music Experience) file in our Music Therapy Observation class. We had the freedom to choose the type of index card that we wanted to use, and I started my exploration of what was out there.
It was a Goldilocks-type deal.
I bought a package of each type of card and went to work.
I tried the 3X5 cards.
They were just too small. I ended up with 5-10 cards per TME. I couldn't get enough stuff on them to make them doable, so I went on.
I tried the 5X8 index cards.
The 5X8s were just too big. While there was plenty of room to write, I wasn't able to juggle them well while simultaneously playing the guitar and facilitating groups (which I wasn't doing that much in the spring of 1989, but I was starting to think like a therapist).
The 4X6 index cards were the best. They were large enough to write an entire song on one-two cards, and they fit on top of the guitar when I was playing. So, I went down the 4X6 path and never looked back. As you can see, I have used these cards for everything and anything I can think of that has to do with music therapy. I have basic ideas jotted down on these cards. I have full out TMEs on these cards. I have works in progress recorded on these cards as well. I've cut out and pasted things to 4X6 cards. I've cut the cards into little pieces, and my card box is never far away from my clinical creation space. I no longer rely on index cards for my TME file - I've gone electronic - but I still have to have them around for those moments when a song just pops into my head or when I need to write a note. I also spend time flipping through the cards when I'm stuck in a creative rut. One of the things that I've found useful over the years is that I can cut out the printed sheet music I create and tape it to a 4X6 card to keep on the side of my guitar (if I haven't really memorized the song yet...).
It's a little thing, an index card, but it has been one of the most valuable tools in my music therapy arsenal over the years. That humble index card offers so much space, so much promise, and so much security to me.
One of my favorite things - the 4X6 inch index card!!
I'm trying to think of something that I can write about today. I started this post with a diatribe about Black Friday, and then I realized that I didn't have to sink into that particular morass of thought, so I broke out of that post into this one. So, today I'll write about 4X6 index cards - my favorite type of index cards!
If you are still reading, bear with me. I think it will get more interesting.
My love affair with the 4X6 card started in the Spring Semester of 1989, when we were assigned to start a TME (Therapeutic Music Experience) file in our Music Therapy Observation class. We had the freedom to choose the type of index card that we wanted to use, and I started my exploration of what was out there.
It was a Goldilocks-type deal.
I bought a package of each type of card and went to work.
I tried the 3X5 cards.
They were just too small. I ended up with 5-10 cards per TME. I couldn't get enough stuff on them to make them doable, so I went on.I tried the 5X8 index cards.
The 5X8s were just too big. While there was plenty of room to write, I wasn't able to juggle them well while simultaneously playing the guitar and facilitating groups (which I wasn't doing that much in the spring of 1989, but I was starting to think like a therapist).
The 4X6 index cards were the best. They were large enough to write an entire song on one-two cards, and they fit on top of the guitar when I was playing. So, I went down the 4X6 path and never looked back. As you can see, I have used these cards for everything and anything I can think of that has to do with music therapy. I have basic ideas jotted down on these cards. I have full out TMEs on these cards. I have works in progress recorded on these cards as well. I've cut out and pasted things to 4X6 cards. I've cut the cards into little pieces, and my card box is never far away from my clinical creation space. I no longer rely on index cards for my TME file - I've gone electronic - but I still have to have them around for those moments when a song just pops into my head or when I need to write a note. I also spend time flipping through the cards when I'm stuck in a creative rut. One of the things that I've found useful over the years is that I can cut out the printed sheet music I create and tape it to a 4X6 card to keep on the side of my guitar (if I haven't really memorized the song yet...).It's a little thing, an index card, but it has been one of the most valuable tools in my music therapy arsenal over the years. That humble index card offers so much space, so much promise, and so much security to me.
One of my favorite things - the 4X6 inch index card!!
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