Thoughtful Thursday: Structures and Restraints

 This is a quotation that I keep on one of my bulletin boards at home. (I should probably get a copy for my office at work...hmm). I have had this quotation around me somewhere ever since I started to work as a music therapist. I have no idea where I first found it, but it wasn't given to me - I did find it all on my own, and it really spoke to me then. It still speaks to me now.

 I've done a bit of research on Corita Kent recently and found that she was a Catholic religious sister who expressed her ideas about social justice and tolerance. She is classified as a pop art icon and silkscreen was her primary medium. Most of her artwork brings back memories of color schemes and the times in which she created - very 70's and 80's. When I first found this quotation, I had no idea who Corita Kent was, but I really felt that her idea about structure encapsulated my feelings as well. So, I adopted this quotation as my own. (If you are interested in more about Sr. Kent and what I think about her, check out this blog post from 2015 - it was part of a blogging challenge run by Julie Palmieri from Serenade Designs. Hey, Julie, any time you want to do another challenge, I'm up for it!!)

 I think that this quotation resonates (yep, I did it) so strongly with me comes from my education and my need for creativity. In my undergraduate program, I apparently did not do my assignments the way that others did theirs. One of my professors wrote, "Not what I was envisioning, but excellent job. Definitely a Mary Jane take on how to do this project." I didn't realize that my way wasn't "THE" way - I had little to no directions, but I did follow the directions that I had. I still am not quite sure what my professor meant. I never had a chance to see what the others in my class did for their projects. I guess I've been creating unusual things within structures and restraints for a long time.

 This brings me to my current self-imposed challenge of "NTM" TME usage (read more about this acronym and what it means here). I have given myself the structure and the restraints. I have to use a new TME with clients every day. It does not have to be my own composition, but it has to be something that I've never done with clients before. I'm on day three of this new challenge, and I'm enjoying it. I found some new music resources, and I've tapped my own resources to make use of them with my clients right here and right now.

 I have the structure - music therapy services for my clients. I have the restraint - something new to me shared with my clients. The creativity is happening. I am using the time that I have in my office while I am observing my intern leading groups to write up my therapeutic music experiences (TMEs). I have completed one already. The second one (from the "NTM" TME of yesterday) will be completed this morning. This is exciting me, and it is giving me a bit of a challenge that has to do with my day-to-day work and routine. It is something that I've been missing lately - challenge.

Structures are restraints - a way of limiting. What you can build within restraints and structures is almost limitless.   - Corita Kent
Yep, that's an arm under my quotation - Do you ever need an extra hand?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sing A Song Sunday - The Time Change Song (Fall)

It's the time of year where most of us here in the states get to fall back one hour. This is a wonderful time as it gives us a chance to get an extra hour of sleep and to reset our internal clocks to be in sync with the earth's rotation a bit more than we are during the summer. I love this time of year and really dread moving to Daylight Savings in the Spring. Today' song is directed towards choir members and can be found here . There is also a spring version, and I'm sure I'll post a link to that one next year when we [shudder] spring forward yet again... Here is a YouTube video of a guy singing the song. I'm so very sorry for the pitch, but at least he's out there trying his best. Yipes. Anyway, the song itself is based on a hymn composed in 1907 by John Hughes. The words are by Dean McIntyre and were written in 1995. I find the song a bit tongue-in-cheek, but they give me a giggle every time I read them, so enjoy!! Sorry for the lack of diagram
Read more

Being An Internship Director: Why I Do Very Little Active Recruitment

Image
I am not someone who participates in every single internship fair or makes ads for my internship program to put on social media. I do not feel an obligation to anyone to fill all of the openings that I have every year. I operate on a "if you build it, they will come" type of viewpoint. I figure that the interns who are meant to be with me will find me. As a result, I do very little active recruitment. I will be part of the AMTAS Virtual Internship Fair this upcoming Sunday. I am not really expecting too many applications coming from this meeting, but I am interested in how it is going to be run. I decided to sign up because I want to see what others are doing and offering out there. So, this Sunday, I will be sitting in front of my computer, listening to what others share about their internships. One of the things that I like about being a National Roster Internship Director is that I have the ability to decide how many interns and when those interns work with me. I occasiona
Read more

Dear AMTA

Dear American Music Therapy Association: I am debating long and hard about remaining in this relationship. I have been in this relationship since college, and this is not a decision that I am taking lightly or without great cost.  I am not happy with what you are bringing to this relationship. Now, I have been a selfish partner over the past several years - mainly because I am not feeling like we share a common mission anymore. It is easy for me to place the blame on you, but I know that this is not all on me. I have tried to be invested in communication and support and understanding, but everyone comes to a time where enough is enough. I am trying very hard to decide if the benefits that you provide to me are worth the feelings that I have about where I think you and I are going. I am not sure that our destination is the same anymore, and this makes me sad. To be completely honest, I am only in this relationship these days for the music therapy interns. I don't think that is a hea
Read more