The Plan for Laryngitis
I have laryngitis. It's a wonderful effect of the asthma medication that I'm on, and it is not getting any better, it's getting worse since the medication has increased significantly in the last three days. Wonderful, hunh? It's time to break out the laryngitis plans and do music therapy without singing or speaking.
Easy to do?
Of course not!
Necessary?
You betcha!
What am I going to do this week? First of all, stay as silent as possible. I will play the guitar, I will start and stop the graduation songs, but I will not be able to sing along. I will do a saxophone and clarinet demonstration - playing what I cannot sing or speak about. If I really get in a bad way, I'll play my clients one of my favorite music-based Disney DVDs. I can also break out the card games, Jeopardy, mini-Uno, rhythm BINGO, the instrument memory game, Instrument Go Fish, or any of the other non-verbal TMEs that I have in my TME file. We could also have a dance party or do karaoke (yet again - I do NOT like karaoke days!).
It's essential to have plans for those times when you are not performing at your best but are not sick enough or contagious enough to stay at home. There is nothing other than my laryngitis and my asthma to keep me from being at work. I cannot fulfill my main job responsibility of singing, but music therapy is not just singing. It's so much more than that - fortunately.
I went to my church Director of Music job yesterday to play hymns and lead the choir. I usually lead the singing during worship as well, but I couldn't sing much yesterday. I mouthed the words and did not announce the hymns so I could save some of my voice for the anthem. It was a week where my sopranos were absent, the altos were doing other things, and the tenor was injured, so we needed every voice we could get! I was able to hit half of the notes in the alto part - the melody line, of course - so I was glad that I saved my voice. That was more than I would have been able to do if I had pushed my voice during the entire morning.
Until my voice starts to get back to normal, I will be as quiet as possible. I will save my voice until I really need it. I will hydrate. I will use my favorite remedies, and I will be quiet. Silence is the most difficult part for me.
So, the plan for music therapy this week?
Some groups will dance. Some groups will sing the graduation songs and then play games. Other groups will get to experience my less-than-stellar woodwind skills. Some groups will do all of these things. I will communicate with hand gestures, American Sign Language, and writing on my dry-erase board.
Easy to do?
Of course not!
Necessary?
You betcha!
What am I going to do this week? First of all, stay as silent as possible. I will play the guitar, I will start and stop the graduation songs, but I will not be able to sing along. I will do a saxophone and clarinet demonstration - playing what I cannot sing or speak about. If I really get in a bad way, I'll play my clients one of my favorite music-based Disney DVDs. I can also break out the card games, Jeopardy, mini-Uno, rhythm BINGO, the instrument memory game, Instrument Go Fish, or any of the other non-verbal TMEs that I have in my TME file. We could also have a dance party or do karaoke (yet again - I do NOT like karaoke days!).
It's essential to have plans for those times when you are not performing at your best but are not sick enough or contagious enough to stay at home. There is nothing other than my laryngitis and my asthma to keep me from being at work. I cannot fulfill my main job responsibility of singing, but music therapy is not just singing. It's so much more than that - fortunately.
I went to my church Director of Music job yesterday to play hymns and lead the choir. I usually lead the singing during worship as well, but I couldn't sing much yesterday. I mouthed the words and did not announce the hymns so I could save some of my voice for the anthem. It was a week where my sopranos were absent, the altos were doing other things, and the tenor was injured, so we needed every voice we could get! I was able to hit half of the notes in the alto part - the melody line, of course - so I was glad that I saved my voice. That was more than I would have been able to do if I had pushed my voice during the entire morning.
Until my voice starts to get back to normal, I will be as quiet as possible. I will save my voice until I really need it. I will hydrate. I will use my favorite remedies, and I will be quiet. Silence is the most difficult part for me.
So, the plan for music therapy this week?
Some groups will dance. Some groups will sing the graduation songs and then play games. Other groups will get to experience my less-than-stellar woodwind skills. Some groups will do all of these things. I will communicate with hand gestures, American Sign Language, and writing on my dry-erase board.
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