tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261864552024-03-19T05:56:35.964-05:00music, therapy, and me...a place for the ramblings of a music therapist constantly thinking about music as a therapeutic medium...mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.comBlogger3452125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-77094683570213382412024-03-19T05:55:00.002-05:002024-03-19T05:55:44.231-05:00TME Tuesday: Introducing Woodwinds to My Clients<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDem7uMNURRH5hBvNxTjEAsn7lYQvC_M7XOjQnHMFK-Dk-d6e3U9AIXl5_y8F5XQ0-8HzFS76tqR_IhQc7mKmZigV5GHbhN5AoSUxQYw2chO_bJwWMJT9xlU1CsxQbBzn3meUUPpApmgtld28bwXjWc_Ooanv54DO9cXY2TslrS5Sn_-lXJsYwCA/s1024/NTM%20TME%20Post%20Header.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDem7uMNURRH5hBvNxTjEAsn7lYQvC_M7XOjQnHMFK-Dk-d6e3U9AIXl5_y8F5XQ0-8HzFS76tqR_IhQc7mKmZigV5GHbhN5AoSUxQYw2chO_bJwWMJT9xlU1CsxQbBzn3meUUPpApmgtld28bwXjWc_Ooanv54DO9cXY2TslrS5Sn_-lXJsYwCA/s320/NTM%20TME%20Post%20Header.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I teach in a school setting. My clients are not easy to teach and often have aggression and significant difficulties with communication of emotions, wants, and needs. They often have not had many positive experiences in school settings and come to us for specialized special education services. One of those services is educational enrichment music therapy services.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Being an educational enrichment therapist means that I see every student for an hour per week. I do not have IEP goals for clients - music therapy is not considered a related service at my facility - I do not have to do eligibility assessments because every student is automatically eligible for music therapy just by being admitted to the school.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">All of this is just to give you a glimpse into my facility and how I operate before I head into my current sessions.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Part of what I do in my sessions is introduce my clients to some general music education concepts because many of my clients have never been allowed to engage with instruments due to their pervasive behaviors of concern. So, I introduce them to an instrument family or music ensemble each month. This month is woodwinds, so I have looked for any and all therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) that support this educational enrichment experience.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">To start with, I am playing the saxophone for my students.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Let me tell you, I am NOT a woodwind musician! My primary instrument in college was voice, and I play the cornet, so I am not a good saxophone player! I told one of my groups to prepare for the "squonks" that happen when I play. The saxophone that I have is my brother's instrument, and it is not in the best shape. There are bits and pieces of it that are falling apart, but it still works well enough to share the [ahem] music.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">The problem with demonstrating woodwind instruments is that they are not easily shared so some of my clients will be very upset that they cannot also play the saxophone. I provide them with recorders and harmonicas that they can play, but there is no substitute for the real thing. I will have students who do not understand why I can make sounds, and they cannot. They will not be able to make the same sounds because I take off the neck piece and the mouthpiece to protect them from my germs. They will lose interest in the instruments very quickly, but they will be offered the opportunity to try.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">With my students, I feel that having opportunities to try things is important. They do not have much choice when it comes to most of what happens in their lives. So, I respect choices (except in cases where safety is concerned), and many of those choices are yes/no choices. "Do you want to play the harmonica?" "No." "Okay, thank you for telling me your choice. If you change your mind, let me know." (I don't usually use all of those words, but you get the idea...) I do not penalize my clients for not wanting to try something new. I want them to be interested, but I also want them to feel some security when it comes to new experiences. I want them to feel in control of how they use their bodies and interact with musical instruments.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">So, we are listening to some saxophone squonks, playing harmonicas and recorders - and the melodicas! We are also trying our best to expand our experiences from where we were into something new to consider and experience.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I wish I could find my clarinet and my flute. They are buried in my home somewhere. I have no idea where I have stashed them. I can't find them in my music room (which is a MESS) - that would be the logical place where they would be contained, but my home environment is not logical - YET!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Eventually I will find those instruments and put them in my music room. Will it be this week? Probably not, but who knows??</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">For now, my students will hear me play a bit and will get to play two other instruments this week. We will think about woodwind instruments and be exposed to information about the instruments that are part of the bigger world of music.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Time to get squonking!</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-19930722769665707612024-03-18T05:46:00.003-05:002024-03-18T05:46:57.194-05:00Being an Internship Director - On Hiatus<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROk0-4J5SVq4t2Bqi91G0kbZaun7PwCgBKCuQHWIm6g9Wx1VQKPLslLjFu78O-9r69BIPQz0XvZBG1TflraXB8tMw0Xrx-x6G2wB8UKBD_MrxX78REHHoIHpecV2ERqQWDbRCmGhmED4V4-TceBBc1KCTNavGoxnJM5D4bi0k9WyLbPGFDDFOUA/s1080/Being%20An%20IS%20-%20On%20Hiatus.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Being an Internship Supervisor – On Hiatus – Graphic looks like a hanging sign. The top of the graphic includes the website URL, “www.musictherapyworks.com” followed by the title, “Being an Internship Supervisor.” and the words, “on hiatus,” on the part of the sign that dangles below." border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROk0-4J5SVq4t2Bqi91G0kbZaun7PwCgBKCuQHWIm6g9Wx1VQKPLslLjFu78O-9r69BIPQz0XvZBG1TflraXB8tMw0Xrx-x6G2wB8UKBD_MrxX78REHHoIHpecV2ERqQWDbRCmGhmED4V4-TceBBc1KCTNavGoxnJM5D4bi0k9WyLbPGFDDFOUA/w320-h320/Being%20An%20IS%20-%20On%20Hiatus.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It is the Monday after Spring Break, and I am trying really hard to get back into my work routine. I did not sleep well last night - probably because I had the alarm set which always leads me into not sleeping well. I was up about 2 hours before my alarm was set to go off. I will be doing three groups and a dyad today, bus duty, and then occupational therapy after work. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am currently stuck in limbo mode when it comes to my internship process. None of my applicants have completed their applications - I am waiting on one letter of recommendation for them all, so I am not ready for an intern in June. Three months is a bit too short of a transition period for me. I am also waiting to hear about a job application that I submitted, and things are changing at work as well, so it may be a good thing that applicants aren't showing much interest in the internship.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I have not had an intern since the middle of January, and I am enjoying aspects of being the sole music therapist at the facility. It is nice to know that things will be in the place I put them all the time. It is also important to understand that anything that is out of place is my fault and mine alone. At the same time, there are things that I am missing about not having interns right now. I miss the opportunity to talk to people who know what music therapy is. I miss the camaraderie and the shared looks across music therapy groups when something significant happens. I miss the opportunity to act as mentor and guide.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am debating whether I keep my program open. With so many incomplete applications, I am feeling like there is not much interest in what I can offer to interns. These two things may not be related at all, but I tend to go with self-criticism when these types of situations happen. I am also looking towards the future. I have two years and three months until I am eligible for retirement from my school job with my full pension. I have an open job application for a different type of job. I do not want to accept an intern to my program and then desert them if my life situation changes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">So.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Do I offer an internship position, just to desert the intern if my life situation changes? Do I close the position and inform my applicants that the position is not being offered? Do I close the internship completely? It will have to be closed in two years anyway, so do I just do it now? There are so many things to think about while on hiatus.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am a pro/con list type of decision maker. When I have big decisions to make, I sit down with paper and a pen. I list all the thoughts that I have about my situation. Then, I prioritize the thoughts and look at them closely. I allow my emotional mind to have a say, but I try to keep my decision process in my rational mind as much as possible. I have this list started at work on a OneNote file. I have more information to add to this file after a week off, so I will end up working on this question of whether I want to continue my internship or not this week. Ultimately, this decision is mine alone because my facility does nothing to support my internship other than allowing me to host interns and pay for background checks and all-employee perks. I do not get any sort of financial benefit from being an internship director, so if I decide that it is time to stop the program, I can do it without an issue from others at my job.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I have just as much anxiety with the thought of closing my internship as I do about accepting interns at the moment. Isn't that interesting? I might just be tired, but that is something to acknowledge in my decision.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">For now, though, it is time to head out into the below freezing temperatures to meet my clients where they are on this first day back from break. My first priority has to be my clients - always - so, off I go!</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-47455467741679905352024-03-15T07:48:00.002-05:002024-03-15T07:48:21.991-05:00Systems in Music Therapy: Color-Coding<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjedrY79NmYNm7foa3uG4vZF8FdF4pNH1nZ_60q9Hz4qLVMNAsJPtNapS9UUQw7nXAPb6PfA3S5_WTr8hhLQGBlR9eBgThFa8Kne2vG9qIKlRREvhiWuR2r20HqOoM47Uf8lEGwrDlU0cFtXnFEluRJHtL1g2_5Sw_i_z-e6DHdDYztkAdQsei0Ew/s1200/Systems%20in%20Music%20Therapy%20How%20to%20Make%20Your%20Best%20Even%20Better.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Systems in Music Therapy: Graphic includes picture of three daisies in a vase off-set in an oval on the title box. At the top left, there is a decorative box with the title, “Systems in Music Therapy.” Under that title are four bullet points, “Making my music therapy life easier, Fridays, Tips to make your life easier,” and “Every week on the blog.” The graphic includes the website URL, www.musictherapyworks.com." border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjedrY79NmYNm7foa3uG4vZF8FdF4pNH1nZ_60q9Hz4qLVMNAsJPtNapS9UUQw7nXAPb6PfA3S5_WTr8hhLQGBlR9eBgThFa8Kne2vG9qIKlRREvhiWuR2r20HqOoM47Uf8lEGwrDlU0cFtXnFEluRJHtL1g2_5Sw_i_z-e6DHdDYztkAdQsei0Ew/w213-h320/Systems%20in%20Music%20Therapy%20How%20to%20Make%20Your%20Best%20Even%20Better.png" width="213" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Fridays are for focusing on things that work for me in my music therapy life which I then share with others in the hope that someone else might benefit from my lived experiences. Today, as I am surrounded by the leftover piles on the floor from my intense need to rearrange my office space, avoiding the thought of what I still need to put away and find places for in this area before the HVAC guy arrives at some point, I am thinking about my most successful organization tool - color-coding.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It seems really simplistic, doesn't it? That's because it really is! I use color-coding for many things, but it really is most important in my storage and use of visual aids in my music therapy space.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I have lots of music therapy visuals. Many of them I have purchased over the years, but many more are ones that I have made for my clients. All of my visuals are stored in boxes, but it is sometimes difficult to find what I want. As a result, I color-code things to help me find things based on primary function first and by title second. So, I use a color-coding system to help me find what I am looking for as quickly as possible.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Each treatment domain has a color. I use the rainbow colors because I like the esthetic that comes from using ROYGBIV in my spaces. At this time, I have not arranged my visuals in rainbow color order, I just use the colors to indicate what treatment domain is addressed with which visual aid.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Here is how I arrange things - now, this is just the way I do things - it is your job to figure out what works for you in your space, but having some sort of organizational system will help you find materials quickly and save you time when you really need it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Red - this is for all things that address the motor domain. Anything that has to do with movement goes into a red container of some sort. I have red file folders, boxes, plastic envelopes, binders - you get the idea. If I want something that will encourage movement with my clients, I know that it is in something red. If the primary use for the material or object is motor, but there are other things as well, then I use dot stickers to indicate the secondary and tertiary goal areas.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Orange - holiday stuff is in orange. While it may be a bit unexpected to see a Christmas carol songbook covered in orange, it helps me find the book easily in my December box. So, something that is a Hanukah song that encourages gross motor movement will be in an orange file folder with a red dot on the top of the tab so I know that we will be addressing motor movements while singing this song.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Yellow = this is reserved for academic/cognitive materials. I use this all the time for piggyback or Mad-Lib lyrics, lyric-based composition, sequencing TMEs, and all sorts of other things. I have lots of yellow folders.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Green - social/communication TMEs. I put as many of my PECS, icons, and pictures on green folders or binder pages as possible.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Blue - emotional/behavioral materials.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Purple - musical visuals.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">When I am designing files for my TPT store, I use this same color-coding system to indicate the primary treatment focus for the TMEs I include. I know that the people who buy my files have no idea why this one is purple and this one is orange, but I do.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">You might be thinking, "what about people who can't distinguish between colors?" I have thought about this because many of my clients do not see color differences. In those cases, I encourage people to use dedicated patterns to indicate the different categories. Horizontal lines, vertical lines, line weight changes, plaids, small symbols - all of these work as indications of different categories. </span><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">What about people who do not see? You can use textures, shapes, or foam letters - something that has a raised surface that you can feel.</span><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;"> I do not use these because this organizational system is for my use in my practice. If an intern arrives who has this way of viewing the world, I can update my categories to include patterns, but that hasn't happened yet.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">The point of a system is to make things easier for you, as the person who lives within the environment. The best thing about having a system is that it will become habitual the more you use it. I automatically reach for a yellow file folder or binder page when I am developing an academic file folder. That is the point of having some sort of system - having it become automatic.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNw-ZJYmBVvWnN_X7yLmsKbddBf_YX2YC0obJQq2yDkTtLvXAffGv_EJC8HHRcylxCOdlsV4njZ27b7WZ6I-Ea1j_3OcW9aWkYcSLBvdgTP8oMBw3BOfGaOqBjHXgSqUEcJuAJW-IiGeBbWavYUjpKFzv3yMtUund_q4ghVYWyaHG8D_hEb-_DSQ/s3456/20240315_073459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of a rolodex opened up to a card that states, "TME color-coding. motor, holidays, academic/cognitive; social/communication; emotional/behavioral (in abbreviation to allow for space); musical." The words are written in different colors to correspond to the organizational system indicated in the blog post." border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNw-ZJYmBVvWnN_X7yLmsKbddBf_YX2YC0obJQq2yDkTtLvXAffGv_EJC8HHRcylxCOdlsV4njZ27b7WZ6I-Ea1j_3OcW9aWkYcSLBvdgTP8oMBw3BOfGaOqBjHXgSqUEcJuAJW-IiGeBbWavYUjpKFzv3yMtUund_q4ghVYWyaHG8D_hEb-_DSQ/w320-h320/20240315_073459.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I have a little card on my rolodex that reminds me of my system. (There are times where I get green and blue mixed up, so it is good to have it written down somewhere I can access it easily.) This little card helps me explain my system to interns when they are trying to find visuals in my extensive library. I let them know that anything that is red is going to be movement related. If they are looking for cards or icons that depict movement, those visuals will be in something red. This cuts down on the searching by 80% since they can ignore anything that does not have a red container or a red dot on it. Once they understand the way things are organized, they seem to be able to find what they need. I do not require that they adopt my system for their own materials or visual aids, but they are required to adopt mine. So, if they are going to make a visual aid for me, I will provide them with the red file folder that I want to contain that visual aid in after they leave. They can make their own copy any way that they want (also with the materials provided by me), but my copy needs to be easily organized into my existing system. I think that's fair - if it is not, please let me know your opinions.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Happy last day of my Spring Break!</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-21471382419891627492024-03-14T11:48:00.001-05:002024-03-14T11:48:21.612-05:00Random Thoughts on a Thoughtful Thursday<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It is a late start Thursday here at Spring Break central where I decided that I didn't need to sit up too much until just about now. I decided to take an easy day after a day of working which strained my back coupled with a surprise flat tire that just ratcheted up my stress to a point of pulling me out of whack, so I am now feeling the results. I am not ready for the next home visit, but I did stop by and tell my neighbor that we will be going into her backyard tomorrow at some point. My AC unit is on her side of the fence. She also agreed to allowing me to put in a gate in our shared fence so I could access the AC unit without having to walk around her side of the duplex, so that's good.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">So, this is a late post. My tire is fixed, I stopped by JoAnn's and bought some embossing folders and three sheets of spring themed paper, and talked to my neighbor, so it's already been a busy day. It only cost me $103 for the new tire and $6.42 for the crafting supplies. Not a bad day so far.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I have accomplished my office rearranging so far. My craft desk is (mostly) cleared off, but there are still things on the floor that I want to pick up and find places for in this space. Progress has been made, and I am thankful for that fact!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It is time to work on more of my environment - there are things on the floor that now have places to reside. There are things on my desk that can be straightened and organized (did anyone else feel a chill up their back when they read that?). My back is starting to feel better, so I think I will get cracking on these tasks.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">As I am working, I will also start to jot down things that I want and need in this space. The first thing that comes to mind is that I want some sort of pedestal on my desk where I can put a small lamp up high enough to shed light on my face during Zooms and on the desk the rest of the time. My current desk has the camera facing two light sources, so I want to decrease the backlighting and increase the face lighting. I think I will start with a cardboard and decoupage pedestal to see how it will work. I have lots of scrapbooking paper that I will never use up otherwise, so why not make something? I have a closet full of cardboard, so I have all the materials that I need right here.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I also want to make a quick, spring themed book out of one of the pieces of paper that I bought this morning. A couple of pieces of paper, two pieces of cardboard, some glue, and some frou-frou, and I will have a little book to share with someone. I don't know who I will give it to, but I will share it with someone.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am not ready to go back to work yet, but it is inevitable, so I am coming to terms with it all.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">That's it. That's all I can think of at the moment. Perhaps tomorrow will be a better writing day...we shall see. Time to take a nap. See you tomorrow??</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-83997486721263030362024-03-13T07:01:00.002-05:002024-03-13T07:01:34.151-05:00Wednesday - Figuring Out the Next Steps<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ84bF-XMnweEXK7O5wqPgd0hi9NWXHS9R-HsFppyFIfnQLzhFusPsiDVSrcsRFqYF2c_a7Gwgv4hbhEC3AfmTIWSMLAgqTM_nM5F74ejsZCviAr0u3zS_QQJXbGFhvUKZD0Tc5jR1EUkk6uno04tZJPzFkphXWxMQvOVqhL0_U-ssFmG5DwAacw/s3456/20240309_080225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="View is of a messy desk with a computer monitor on top of some storage drawers. There are all sorts of things piled around the desktop." border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ84bF-XMnweEXK7O5wqPgd0hi9NWXHS9R-HsFppyFIfnQLzhFusPsiDVSrcsRFqYF2c_a7Gwgv4hbhEC3AfmTIWSMLAgqTM_nM5F74ejsZCviAr0u3zS_QQJXbGFhvUKZD0Tc5jR1EUkk6uno04tZJPzFkphXWxMQvOVqhL0_U-ssFmG5DwAacw/w320-h320/20240309_080225.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am halfway finished with a project, but only halfway there. I am at the state where everything looks overwhelming and where I just can't fathom being able to finish anything at all. I am also at the halfway point of my Spring Break, so I know that the time is ending.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Here is my current situation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">To avoid having to do anything with my library (my original focus for this week), I started moving my office desk from sitting out in the center of the room to against the wall. That required me to take things off of five shelves and pile the contents on the floor. I also had to take some non-decorative things off the wall because I can no longer reach those things. I worked on this project for about five hours yesterday - working until my arthritis and sciatica took over, so I have moved everything that needs to be moved. but there are piles of things on the floor that still need my attention.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am working on setting up zones in this space. The first zone is my "tools and things I don't need access to often" zone. I decided to dedicate two cheap bookshelves to this zone, and I put them in the landing at the bottom of my stairs. That space has been empty for the two years I have lived here, and I have wanted to do something with the space this entire time. So, I moved two three-shelf bookcases to the landing that will soon store things like extension cords, random electronic cords, and tools. It will be a place where I can display some of my collectibles as well. The second zone is my "work materials" zone. On these three bookshelves, I store paper, labels, office supplies, and file folder making materials. This is the zone where I will work today.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Today's primary task will be tossing things that are no longer functional for me. Tomorrow is trash day, so I can fill up the trash can and remove things from my space easily. I can also start throwing more stuff out after the trash is picked up. That is the end goal of this process - throwing stuff out.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I just checked my new camera angle, and I don't like it. I will have to play around with lighting and the background of my downstairs area to make it work better for my sense of esthetics and what I want to show others during Zoom meetings, but it works for the moment. That task can wait until after I clear the floor of the stuff that is covering it right now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMnyP3oajRg5jJM3hx8C9dHo4CXzVrlVk8Ojmv77O5J2Se55s1NOBXJIMGYEol0Ab8ZCyB7-ujMU-y8sj_Tvn0fyw67j2qUD0E179ySO12CPEM1_K4EyYgmOJRrkEHzBn3WVWipBzljwVDEcdT1gc8nPPvdFK9KFOF6Sju8FjN8wgbdk5AALdKg/s3456/20240313_063718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Image includes a much cleaner desktop with the computer monitor still on storage containers but with less piles around." border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMnyP3oajRg5jJM3hx8C9dHo4CXzVrlVk8Ojmv77O5J2Se55s1NOBXJIMGYEol0Ab8ZCyB7-ujMU-y8sj_Tvn0fyw67j2qUD0E179ySO12CPEM1_K4EyYgmOJRrkEHzBn3WVWipBzljwVDEcdT1gc8nPPvdFK9KFOF6Sju8FjN8wgbdk5AALdKg/w320-h320/20240313_063718.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">There is something nice about going through things that I have stuffed in corners and in piles. I can see progress, and then I feel better about my space. Right now, though, I can only see piles of stuff. No end in sight, but I have a feeling that I will get there...eventually. I will have one week off between the end of the school year and the start of our summer session that I will use for more organizing and clearing out. this is a never ending process and quest for me - that of being more organized!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">When I think about organization, I tend to think about having a place for everything and then putting everything in its place. My music therapy clinic is organized. My music therapy storage is not as organized, but there is still a logic and a system to how I organize things. For years now, I have encouraged other music therapists to find their systems and use them. I do that in my spaces, and it works for me...until it becomes overwhelming.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">When talking to others about organization, I encourage folks to do things like label, color-code, and set up spaces where things are always placed. This type of system can become automatic for you and for others who are in your clinical spaces. In my room, I have four cabinets that store a different type of object. One cabinet is my non-music material cabinet where I store all of my toys, manipulatives, and props. I have an Orff instrument cabinet which fits all of my Orff instruments but one, a hand-held percussion cabinet, and a string instrument cabinet. Where the materials go in each cabinet is less important than their placement in the correct cabinet. If I need some triangles, then I need to find them in the hand-held percussion cabinet. My interns are usually pretty good about sustaining this system - mainly because I ask them to do so. It is a system that works for me, so I am working on making this what I do here at home in addition to what I do at work.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I realize that this will always be a challenge for me. I do not need things to be perfect, but I do crave organization. It is the thing that tops my quest list every year, and it is something that I always feel that I cannot accomplish. For the moment, I am making progress, and that is what is most important to me right now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Progress over performance, right?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Off to do some more clearing out and rearranging. See you tomorrow!</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-34201507939767554852024-03-11T05:53:00.002-05:002024-03-11T05:53:15.099-05:00Being An Internship Director - On Hiatus<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It is Monday. It is Spring Break. I have an appointment with a plumber to install a pressure regulation valve in my water system that will happen at some point today - who knows when?? I am falling horribly behind in my #100DayChallenge, but I am learning how to let things go, so that is what I will be releasing for the moment. I want to spend some time rearranging my craft area to give me some more room, but there are so many things that have to happen before I get there that I may not be able to accomplish that goal. We will see.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Is anyone else reading through the Commission on the 21st Century Music Therapist report?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I have not read it as much as I feel I should, but I am interested in what they recommend happen for the next 70 years. I am sure that this will go by the wayside like all the other recommendations and requests from AMTA members, but at least it is reiterated - yet again - that our educational and clinical training processes need reformation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Duh.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">This has been a constant theme since I have been a music therapy supervisor. It amazes me how much talk happens around this theme without ANY forward movement at all! I think that is what frustrates me the most about professional organizations - the lack of meaningful change in a timeline that reflects the needs of the professional demands out in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Now, our organization is not unique in this in any way, but we seem to be lagging behind other therapeutic groups in terms of education and clinical training. It is frustrating to watch other professions change and adapt to professional expectations while we do the same old things that we have done for all of our professional lives. The biggest thing that I have noticed in the Commission report so far? That we should use the competencies as originally designed - as a more robust screening tool to shape education and clinical training experiences of students. THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL INTENT!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I, obviously, need to read more of the report before I talk too much about it, but I am curious about the time, money, and resources dedicated to this to just read the same old, same old. We will see... </span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-28876215244595026452024-03-10T07:06:00.000-05:002024-03-10T07:06:01.239-05:00Sentimental Sunday: Post #547 - 7 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Music Therapy<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJzJhyphenhyphenO3AtoZTDPrjTN8QUosYy_UNdRlywun4JINJmMi_lE6-Sn2uProFyeDDZSds3VTBePlB1Z7es6B53P9FmJQBYKKdZDeUpKDWrXfRfB1oB1kDJ_SruoNSxZswBphazehQJP5vKu3vGzedXZ_wlr4J0K-bsdLfsUiaE8A8lSrBOW_dfGFFJQ/s1080/Sentimental%20Sunday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJzJhyphenhyphenO3AtoZTDPrjTN8QUosYy_UNdRlywun4JINJmMi_lE6-Sn2uProFyeDDZSds3VTBePlB1Z7es6B53P9FmJQBYKKdZDeUpKDWrXfRfB1oB1kDJ_SruoNSxZswBphazehQJP5vKu3vGzedXZ_wlr4J0K-bsdLfsUiaE8A8lSrBOW_dfGFFJQ/s320/Sentimental%20Sunday.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Today's Sentimental Sunday post is the most viewed post on my blog - ever, and I am glad that I happened upon this one in my morning perusal on this Spring Forward Sunday. Here it is - <a href="https://musictxandme.blogspot.com/2014/07/7-things-i-wish-someone-had-told-me.html">the 7 things I wish someone had told me about music therapy</a> post. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">The sad thing about this post is that I think we still do not talk about these things much in the music therapy world. It has been almost 10 years since I wrote this first post and not much changes in the world of music therapy...ever.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I still think that we, as a profession, are on a precipice. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">We have to do better, as a collective group of professionals, at preparing our future professionals for this life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am reading through the report of the commission for the 21st century group very slowly. My initial reaction is that what I have read is very similar to what was recommended 10 years ago, but I haven't delved into things the way I should before I start to talk about it all. </span><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">I am frustrated with how long it takes to get any sort of substantial change around our profession. I am also frustrated with bureaucracy in many different places, so I may be projecting some of my frustrations onto music therapy - I will figure out which after I read the entire report.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">This topic from 10 years ago makes me think about the things I wish we, as a profession, would do differently. My thoughts have not coalesced yet, but they are definitely swirling around in my head.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">More thoughts to come...</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-21071195839173225152024-03-09T06:57:00.002-06:002024-03-09T06:57:39.626-06:00Spend Time Creating: Space<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1vT-BDwXa_QjxSpYU2KUFZPA_IKjMGfsrTpsJIVHh5u3-KZSQgZjhsoS7eR6aSzqWbu2C9lSer_HJagOhbSDTT_z2uv7Ik1aPaaw-A1VdULNBjs1gdhJFd1UeN30CKk9VsvNEf2SzThB4iJn-8lGafgcyaRfKvPsjpgKWErVwgqVap8mWHlLqQ/s1080/spend%20time%20creating.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Spend Time Creating: Watercolor swirls in pastel colors in the background. Text includes the following: “#MusicTherapyMaker,” “Saturdays at musictxandme.blogspot.com,” and the website URL: www.musictherapyworks.com." border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1vT-BDwXa_QjxSpYU2KUFZPA_IKjMGfsrTpsJIVHh5u3-KZSQgZjhsoS7eR6aSzqWbu2C9lSer_HJagOhbSDTT_z2uv7Ik1aPaaw-A1VdULNBjs1gdhJFd1UeN30CKk9VsvNEf2SzThB4iJn-8lGafgcyaRfKvPsjpgKWErVwgqVap8mWHlLqQ/w320-h320/spend%20time%20creating.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It is Saturday, and I am back to blogging after a three day hiatus. I haven't blogged lately just because. I have no excuse except I just dinna wanna write anything. I have also not done anything on my #100DayChallenge since last Saturday, so I haven't been very productive outside of doing my regular work practices. I am trying to be okay with that, but there is always a little bit of self-criticism and flagellation in the back of my head. My goblins come out to play.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am officially on Spring Break at this moment. The entire break is before me at this point, and I am going back into old habits of establishing so many goals and objectives that I may not be motivated to accomplish. I have a home repair scheduled for Monday and a home evaluation on Friday but nothing else to take up my time, so I am on my own for filling up the week.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">One of the self-critical moments that I had yesterday (while in the midst of low-grade anxiety about my fingers and having to physically assist students in crisis again) was my recent lack of using my planner in a way that I feel is productive. So, I decided to try to do something different this week. This morning, I set three goals for myself. I want to cook the hamburger in my fridge, clean off the desktops down here, and upload my tax documents. Of the three tasks, the cleaning off the desktops will take the most time, but the other two tasks are the ones that I am dreading the most - not because they are difficult, but because I am uninterested in doing either of them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Motivation is the maker and breaker of my goals lists.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I hate chores, and I find that much of what I want to do in life shifts into that category rapidly. I might think that cleaning off the desktops sounds good, but then I look at the desktops and rapidly become overwhelmed with how much work is before me. There goes the motivation - out the door!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">So, I have to figure out ways to keep myself motivated and focused.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">My end goal for this week off is to create more space for myself in my home.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am feeling overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that surrounds me, so I want to change that a bit. I am focusing on the library room this week. A couple of months ago, I put a bunch of boxes of stuff in the library, and I haven't touched them since. It is time to go through them all, clear things out, give things away, and organize! I have a very big closet in that room that is currently full of other boxes, so I would like to get to the point where I can move the boxes out and set up some shelves in that closet for books and my file folders. I have a vision, now I need to take steps to get closer to that vision. First, though, I want to clean up the work areas around me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">My creative work for this day will be creating space in my office and craft room. It is time to start up the process - first, I want to get some floor space cleared. There is a pile of stuff in front of my desk that I want to clear, organize, and vacuum. I have a starting point! I am going to take pictures to keep myself motivated, but I will probably not be sharing those pictures because I am ashamed of my level of clutter. There you go. The pictures will be for me and for me alone!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I hope that you get to spend some time being creative today.</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-31094376358426009452024-03-05T05:52:00.004-06:002024-03-05T05:52:52.302-06:00Is It Time to End This Topic??<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfWoYzql1rc_x9rlSf0e4vZ9VShz_ck2myOHaYcjJa6WFKutD4euqS4ejMgHRTbL7Gqr-nL8hiNcnzjVITSLZFH4IZKoiCc5L0xi26YznES3NY67o_7V7FFuROqKUl7gvbfo5JoQ9ya-BUxCGSrnlf0Pr4rOxG8C3Bs6AhLtAS9kHS_1VZDhGGQ/s1640/TME%20tuesdays.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfWoYzql1rc_x9rlSf0e4vZ9VShz_ck2myOHaYcjJa6WFKutD4euqS4ejMgHRTbL7Gqr-nL8hiNcnzjVITSLZFH4IZKoiCc5L0xi26YznES3NY67o_7V7FFuROqKUl7gvbfo5JoQ9ya-BUxCGSrnlf0Pr4rOxG8C3Bs6AhLtAS9kHS_1VZDhGGQ/s320/TME%20tuesdays.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">When I first started TME Tuesdays, I wanted to share ideas and get comments and interact with other music therapists who were interested in providing music therapy ideas and experiences with clients that were new and different. I wanted to create community, but then I got cranky. When I was a part of <i>Music Therapists </i>[Aren't] <i>United</i></span><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;"> (the additional word is completely mine and mine alone), one of the people posting went on a rant about gatekeeping and how music therapists should just give things away to younger music therapists rather than expecting to be paid for TME ideas, visual aids, business advice, etc. I got angry at that because I feel that we should be paid for the work that we do. I don't believe that I should give away my hard work to everyone and anyone just because they feel that they want to take it. There is a difference between sharing with someone and someone just taking from you without reciprocation. That is when I stopped publishing my therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) on this blog.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">I am person who likes to share. I enjoy taking an idea and developing it within the music therapy community. I enjoy speaking to other music therapists and figuring out ways to enrich client interactions and treatment protocols.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">I wonder if I should go back to sharing practical things to do with clients in these posts. I wonder if I should abandon this topic entirely. I wonder about lots of "shoulds," and I know that there are no absolutes in life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">Lately, my TME Tuesday posts have not been about sharing ideas. They have been about wanting to do more for my own clinical practice. I would like to share more, but I do not often get responses, so I don't know if people are actually engaging with these posts in the ways I want. I often treat this blog as an online journal - there is lots of "me" in music, therapy, and me, and I don't think that's a bad thing. It just is a thing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">Perhaps it is time to go back to the very beginning of this blog and this particular topic to see what I wanted to get from sharing my ideas with the music therapy void in the first place. It is time to look at whether this topic allows me to continue my personal mission as a music therapist of wanting to share and collaborate with other music therapists, music therapy students, and others interested in music as therapeutic medium. It is time to reflect and refresh.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">I will have this opportunity to focus on reflection this upcoming week. It will be Spring Break, and I have nothing to do except clean my house and supervise a couple of home maintenance reviews and repairs. I will have some time to think about what I want to focus on in this blog and on my website. I will be able to think about who I want to reach in our larger community, and I will try to get those things to happen.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">Here is a TME that I wrote a long time ago. If you decide to use it, please let me know. If you decide to use it and change it, then let me know how so I can add your ideas to my own. That's what I really want out of this type of post - an expansion of my idea into what others will do with their clients...</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">Therapeutic Music Experience<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">Ta-ti Instrument Game<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Roboto;">Mary Jane Landaker,
MME, MT-BC</span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Roboto;">Copyright 2010 </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;"><b><u>Purpose</u>:</b>
To assess mastery of Ta-ti recognition; to assess mastery of Ta-ti notation
patterns; gross motor development; fine motor development; sustained attention
to task; entrainment to external stimulus; short-term memory; impulse control
through waiting for turn until indicated; multi-step directives<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Roboto;"> </span></o:p><b style="font-family: Roboto; text-indent: -0.5in;"><u>Source</u>:</b><span style="font-family: Roboto; text-indent: -0.5in;">
Original game. © 12/27/2010 by Mary Jane Landaker, MME, MT-BC</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Roboto;"> </span></o:p><b style="font-family: Roboto; text-indent: -0.5in;"><u>Materials</u>:</b><span style="font-family: Roboto; text-indent: -0.5in;">
Prepared large rhythm cards with Ta and ti indications – may use cards with
Ta-a if relevant to the group playing the game; instrument cards; percussion
instruments to correspond with cards; egg timer(s); OPTIONAL: external steady
beat either on CD playing or using instrument to maintain steady beat</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Roboto;"> </span></o:p><b style="font-family: Roboto; text-indent: -0.5in;"><u>Environment</u>:</b><span style="font-family: Roboto; text-indent: -0.5in;">
Instruments scattered around the room for use during the game; group members
sitting in circle (either on the floor or in chairs) where they are able to see
rhythm cards</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Roboto;"> </span></o:p><b style="font-family: Roboto; text-indent: -0.5in;"><u>Procedure</u>:
R = Reinforcement opportunities; C = Redirection/Cue opportunities; A =
Assessment</b></p>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">Set up game by placing instruments
around the perimeter of the room – gain assistance from group members if
possible<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">C=show group members the cards for
rhythms and the instrument cards. Ask group members to identify what the
pictures/rhythms indicate<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">A=assess which group members can
recognize rhythmic patterns by name or by clapping<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">A=assess which group members can
recognize the instruments indicated by the cards through either naming the
instruments or pointing to the instruments’ locations in the room</span><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">C=provide
additional review/instruction to group members who are unfamiliar with
information presented on the cards<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">R=reinforce
correct information presented by group members through verbal and
nonverbal means<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">Start
game<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">C= (may
start metronome or steady beat at this point to assist with entrainment to
external stimulus) demonstrate how to play the game by modeling. Choose an
egg timer, flip it over, and choose a rhythm card and an instrument card.
Move to the correct instrument as indicated on the instrument card and
play the correct rhythm. Return to seat and flip over new cards. Play as
many combinations as possible until the egg timer runs out. Tally up how
many combinations completed in time allotted. Challenge group members to
finish as many or more combinations in time allotted.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">Repeat
step 8 with group members completing all tasks<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">A=assess
if group members are able to retain pattern for time required to find
instrument and play pattern<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">R=reinforce
correct pattern play by giving a point/tally for each pattern completed
during the indicated time<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">Repeat
steps 8-11 until all group members have had a turn to be the timed participant<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: Roboto; text-indent: -0.5in;"><u>Therapeutic
Function of Music</u>:</b><span style="font-family: Roboto; text-indent: -0.5in;"> The music is the format for assessing and testing
group members’ awareness of music notation and instruments. The correct
completion of indicated patterns further denotes that group members are able to
understand music notation. The juxtaposition of instruments and rhythm patterns
challenges group members’ memories, especially short-term retention and recall.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: Roboto;"><u>Adaptations</u>:</b></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">Change
the amount of time to complete patterns<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">Simplify
the patterns to accommodate different functioning levels<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">Use
large and small examples of each instrument to indicate Ta and ti. For
example, use frog cuicos and assign Ta’s to the large frog and ti’s to the
small frog. Group members have to move from frog to frog in addition to
moving through the instrument and the rhythm pattern<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: Roboto;"><u>Extensions</u>:</b></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">Set up
competition between group members or between group and therapist<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;">Randomly
choose the egg timer to produce different times for completion – do not
indicate which egg timer provides the longest time</span><o:p></o:p></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;"></span><p></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-69974319311618436992024-03-04T05:49:00.003-06:002024-03-04T05:49:30.453-06:00Being an Internship Supervisor - On Hiatus: Enjoying the Relaxed Schedule<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I do not have any interns these days, and I am enjoying the opportunity to leave at the end of my contracted hours. This may seem like a small thing to be happy about, but it is one of the perks to not being supervisor at the moment - I get to leave my workplace at the end of my day!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Let me explain.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">In order for my interns to be able to finish up the 1020 hours that are required by most university programs in seven months (with a generous time off schedule), they have to work 8.5 hour days. I need some quiet time every morning, so I tend to arrive at work between 6:45 and 7:00 am. My contract time starts at 7:15 am. Interns arrive at 7:30 am which means that they leave the workplace at 4:00 pm in order to get their 8.5 hours each day. Since I do not believe that I should require them to work when I am not present, I end up working until 4:00 pm each day.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">When I do not have interns, I get to arrive when I am ready to arrive and leave when my 8 hours are finished. This means that I get to my house an hour earlier than when I am an acting supervisor which feels like lots of extra time at home. It is wonderful to have that extra time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">There are other benefits as well. I do not have to interrupt my work process to accommodate the needs of others. I can deal with my own messes in my way. I do not have to explain client behaviors or quirks or responses to anyone. I can spend time in the quiet and in the dark at the end of my day,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">At the same time, though, there are detriments to not having interns in my clinical space. Interns challenge my ways of thinking about why I do what I do. They make me think more about my reasons for doing things with clients. They take my ideas and change them in ways I never think about - which is so much fun! They also are company in the music therapy suite. Interns bring much more positivity to my professional existence than negativity which is one of the reasons that I continue to be an internship director and supervisor.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">So, I am going to head to my quiet music therapy space where I will lead the three group sessions and the dyad session that I have on my schedule and then turn off the lights and enjoy the dark and quiet when my day is done. First, though, it is time for a shower and then the commute.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">This will be a long week - we have a 12-hour day on Thursday (our LAST one for the year!) and an inservice on Friday. I have a hand doctor appointment on Friday and OT today, so I have some things to do outside of my house and work schedule. I forgot about my OT appointment until just now. I need to make sure that I remember this afternoon or it will be more complicated than it needs to be...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am guaranteed paraffin dips from now on! Huzzah!!</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-58809544345263358502024-03-01T05:50:00.004-06:002024-03-01T05:50:40.550-06:00Forty-Five Minutes<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I have forty-five minutes to go until I leave for work. I am tired. There is one more week until the time change, Spring Break, and a week of sleeping. I hope that I will feel less exhausted once break is over, but history tells me that I won't.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Forty minutes to go until I leave for work. I decided not to stress about putting together a job application that is officially due today. I will work on it this weekend. I didn't get the invitation until 3 days ago, so I don't think that things I've written in three days are as put together as things I write with six days worth of contemplation and review. So, I will continue to work on things this weekend. If I don't get considered for the job, that's okay with me because I didn't plan on applying - it was an invited application...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Thirty-eight minutes to go until I leave for work. I am hoping that I will finish my documentation for this week this morning because I have not done much on that task this week. This is the reason that I strive to finish my documentation the next day rather than letting it pile up.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Okay - enough with the time tracking. I did something yesterday that has been pretty helpful lately - a Wednesday review and reset. Of course, I did it on Thursday, but I did it. I have developed a list of questions that I ask myself to help me be a bit more mindful about how I am feeling about work and other situations.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">One of the things that I think about each week is what is working in my professional life. Right now, I feel like time blocking is going well in my work existence, so I will be continuing that practice. I have put together daily schedules where I track how I am using my time by every half hour of the day. I waste lots of time, but I also do lots of things, so I think it all evens up. Today is my preparation day, so I have only two hours worth of clinical interaction with students. The other six hours will be spent in jobs around my music therapy room. I have a messy storage room right now, so that will be my task for this morning.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I moved things around in my storage area in early February to accommodate the drum set in the room. I moved storage containers, a card table, and bookshelves. It is time to organize the space and make it functional again. I want to be able to get back into making file folder activities, but I need a place to make those activities. There's my focus for the morning. I will turn on a movie, and then I will be able to work with background sounds.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It is time to get to the preparation time of my morning. I need to take my shower, brush my hair, go get gasoline for my car, and then head to my workplace. Next Friday is the first day of break for my students and a work day for teachers and therapists. I have a hand doctor appointment, so I will probably end up at work about the time everyone else gets to leave, but I can use some work time on my own. After I do my time, I will head out into the Spring Break world. I have some appointments for home review and maintenance during break, but the rest of the time is my own. For now, though, I am going to finish my routine - 12 minutes to go before I head to work...actually, I can take another 30 minutes, if I want to, but my time anxiety takes over and off I go!</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-79826650053770397952024-02-29T06:21:00.005-06:002024-02-29T06:21:46.429-06:00Thoughtful Thursday: Books That Have Influenced My Music Therapy Practice<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOLwYxCtO8-W1AJwgw9tme5msWne7oA15l27Kz2zVuH_kQBYYcO8933fqpX1XQ-tpUZ5uLVw1ssOU-T0GCnJZ_wEc-w4KpTzuKCJV8Gc4DKVQ2ECEm2nCLyA7EezNOjMEujMYzjEGcfu7c0B-OR55L9b5XmF2Efg5DS11EcCdr5R6lCJCJDnaqw/s1080/Thoughtful%20Thursday%202022.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Thoughtful Thursday 2022: Graphic includes a blue circle with a lightbulb on the right side of the circle. The circle includes the title, "Thoughtful Thursday," with additional text, "www.musictherapyworks.com" and "Thursday thoughts and musings."" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOLwYxCtO8-W1AJwgw9tme5msWne7oA15l27Kz2zVuH_kQBYYcO8933fqpX1XQ-tpUZ5uLVw1ssOU-T0GCnJZ_wEc-w4KpTzuKCJV8Gc4DKVQ2ECEm2nCLyA7EezNOjMEujMYzjEGcfu7c0B-OR55L9b5XmF2Efg5DS11EcCdr5R6lCJCJDnaqw/w320-h320/Thoughtful%20Thursday%202022.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am trying to be a bit more intentional in my writing this week, so here is a topic that I hope you all will like - the books that have influenced my music therapy practice over the past "ahem" MANY years. Some of these books are music therapy texts, others are not. There have been many different books that have made me think a bit more about who I am and what I do with my clients. Here they are, in no particular order...</span><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><i>Music In Therapy</i>, edited by E. Thayer Gaston, published in 1968. You can find a copy at <a href="https://archive.org/details/musicintherapy00gast/page/n9/mode/2up" target="_blank">this link here</a>. The influential part of this book, for me at least, Chapter Two, Processes in Music Therapy by William W. Sears. This was one of the first things that I really understood when I encountered it as an undergraduate, and it still has deep meaning for me. I am lucky enough to own a physical copy of this book, and I am meaning to reread this chapter. It reminds me that there is so much more that music does than just fill the brain with stimuli. I think I would have enjoyed lectures by Dr. Sears, but I also know some of the stories of who he and Gaston were in the classroom, so I am not sure if I would have been able to tolerate some of their behaviors - I am glad that it is a different time now.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><i>Sensory Integration and the Child,</i> by A. Jean Ayres, published in the 25th year edition in 2005. This book opened my eyes to the concepts of sensory integration and had influence on how my internship was run and gave me quite a bit of insight into my own ways of experiencing the world. I think I have a physical copy of this one as well - I need to check my library. I know my mother has a copy of this if I don't. This is another one that I want to reread. I have not really been doing much sensory integration work lately, and I wonder if my current clients would benefit - I mean, I think they would, but I am not entirely sure how I could incorporate the techniques into my current space and clinical strictures.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><i>Defining Music Therapy,</i> by Kenneth Bruscia, all three editions. You can find a link to <a href="https://barcelonapublishers.com/defining-music-therapy-3rd-edition" target="_blank">this book here</a>. This book was one that I read and reread when I was an undergraduate student, a graduate student, and as a mentor/supervisor. I am always confused about the "music in therapy" and "music as therapy" parts - I would have used the terms differently, but everyone else seems to understand. I like how Bruscia defines things, but I don't always agree with some of the ideas that he holds in these books. That's okay. I think disagreement is how we learn and grow. I respect his understanding of this profession, even through my disagreement with what he states as truth. I have all three editions, and I will purchase a fourth edition, if he writes another one!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><i>Music Therapy: A Fieldwork Primer</i>, by Ronald Borczon. Again, I disagree with some of the things that Dr. Borczon recommends, but this book is what my practical, structure-craving heart yearns for when I am teaching others about how to do music therapy. This has all sorts of good recommendations on how to work with clients in a music therapy session, and I think all music therapy practicum students should be reading and using this book to help them figure out what to do in sessions! There you go.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">There are more. There are many more books that have influenced me in my music therapy profession, but these are the ones that I go back to, time and time again.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">What books are essential to your understanding and practice of music therapy? I am always interested in reading what others recommend. Comment below.</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-87914255124185203672024-02-28T05:58:00.001-06:002024-02-28T05:58:26.055-06:00Wednesday - It Shows Up Every Single Week, Doesn't It?<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I feel more ready for my Wednesday than I have for a long time. The migraine that started on Sunday seems to be mostly over - we will see - and it is cold again. There is snow on the ground after a 60 degree F change in temperature in the last 12 hours. I am sure that the snow will be gone in most places after about two hours of sunshine, but this was a good reminder that it is still February.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">This is my busiest day. I see six groups during the day, finish things off with a faculty meeting, head to the post office, and then finish the day with my next job. I will head home, speak to family, and then crash into bed to sleep before getting up to do things all over again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am not in a good place for writing these days. I am not sure why, but it seems that my brain is foggy right now. I don't know if this is the last bit of the migraine or if it is due to brain fog, but there is something going on. My sister and I were talking about this phenomenon recently. This is not something that is fun, but it is part of the job of being a woman - hormonal changes are not something to scoff at - the side effects of an aging body are interesting. I want to sit down and write things down to help me remember what I need to do in the next 48 hours.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Blech. I have to figure out some stuff to do with my groups today. I have three groups that have not done the Note Neighborhood TMEs yet, but I have three groups that have, so I need new TMEs and session strategies. My tiredness is getting in the way.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">This exhaustion and brain fog are wreaking havoc with my blogging. I am just not finding topics that interest me, but I keep going and going. I might need to write down topics so I can remember ideas. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am trying really hard to keep my brain going, but it is becoming more difficult.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Anyway, time is up, so I need to go to work and do work things. I did not do any documentation yesterday, so I have to catch up with that task. I also have to figure out what to do with clients today and tomorrow and Friday. I want to climb back into bed and just sleep, but I cannot do that. So, off into the very cold temperatures I go...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Do you all have any ideas that I can write about? I would love to hear about some topics that interest you. I promise I will write them down so I will remember!!</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-27783126539959213742024-02-27T06:04:00.001-06:002024-02-27T06:04:21.244-06:00TME Tuesday: Throwing Myself Into a Tail Spin<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Tuesday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I did not go to work yesterday because of a migraine that started on Sunday morning during the worship service I led. I spent yesterday sleeping before heading to my Occupational Therapy appointment. The headache is a bit better today, but it is not finished - as my medication is wearing off, it is coming back. I have to head to work today. I have no choice. So, I am thinking it will be a sunglasses day in the music therapy room today. Oh dear.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I have five groups today to get through. I was going to do some work on the Note Neighborhood with my students, but I am not sure if I will be able to work through these plans. I have to figure out something, though, because I will have about 40 clients who need something to do during their music therapy time with me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I also want to write some TMEs today but I'm not sure the brain will cooperate.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Blech.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Will these things happen? Who knows what will go on once I actually get to work. At this point in the day, I am just hoping that my head will not explode once I have to be under the fluorescent light bulbs. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Sorry. This is a strange day, and it is getting stranger with every moment. I don't want to share much about this, but just know that things are swirling around me... </span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-34467585897867030042024-02-25T07:13:00.000-06:002024-02-25T07:13:02.726-06:00Sentimental Sunday: Post 1711 - The Must-Do and Want to Do Lists - December 15, 2017<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOtUlhj8Ils8ynqDA460Aekn2oppt_8j-unqxGthrHia3XBID1WMMs66TiL8TqnJQ1_JHOfPiYUQx87Zy7fey9NliZfU2s5xkvnx0U6Bwiamdv99pc7cH9sCSTv1i6V9tvjVb5pWIiVzADO6E9UGCMoU74N9jgrRIsdL14cIn6zQf_p4JfDb-ZA/s1080/Sentimental%20Sunday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sentimental Sunday – Graphic has mottled gray background with yellow spindly flowers coming from off-screen on both bottom corners. In script, there is the text, “Sentimental Sunday.” Under the title text, in smaller print, the text states, “musictxandme.blogspot.com” and www.musictherapyworks.com -the URLs of the blog and the website." border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOtUlhj8Ils8ynqDA460Aekn2oppt_8j-unqxGthrHia3XBID1WMMs66TiL8TqnJQ1_JHOfPiYUQx87Zy7fey9NliZfU2s5xkvnx0U6Bwiamdv99pc7cH9sCSTv1i6V9tvjVb5pWIiVzADO6E9UGCMoU74N9jgrRIsdL14cIn6zQf_p4JfDb-ZA/w320-h320/Sentimental%20Sunday.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Good morning.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">After two days of seriously angry attitudes and just feeling like everyone and everything outside of my home was stupid and set to make me even angrier, I think I am coming out of the mood - we will see, though. I haven't left home since Friday afternoon, so I am not sure if my anger issues have receded or just been unchallenged. Today's foray into the world will let me know if I am actually doing better or not.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">My random number generator spat out <a href="https://musictxandme.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-must-do-rather-than-want-to-do-list.html">post #1711</a> for consideration today. I went back into the archives and found this post from <a href="https://musictxandme.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-must-do-rather-than-want-to-do-list.html">December 15, 2017 - titled "...The 'Must Do' Rather Than the 'Want To Do' List.</a>" </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am always a bit amused when I read past posts because they remind me that I am always struggling and striving to grow in many areas. This post tickles my fancy because it reminds me that I try really hard to be organized and to get things finished up in a logical manner but...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I haven't used my "want to do" and "must do" list viewpoint for a long time, but it really did help me figure out priorities when it came to specific tasks during a small amount of time. I am currently figuring out ways to do things in my current state of being, and I think this post is a good reminder of how to organize my work hours into things that are productive and that help me feel like I've used my time wisely at the end of each day.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Currently, I am working with time blocking and am recording what I am doing for every 30 minute period of time. I track my non-session time as well as my session time. I often do not use my time productively unless I have figured out specific tasks and priorities. I finished up three therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) this past week - original music and full procedures - with my time blocking structure. I also finished up a piggyback composition - that one is still waiting for the TME procedure to be written before it goes into my database.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Time blocking goes on the big side of my work journal spread. The small side is reserved for notes, things to think about, and I think I will add in the "Must Do" and "Want to Do" lists on that side as well. I might use the Friday small side space for that list so I can work on the tasks throughout the week.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">In the post from 2017, my main priority was to finish my documentation. That task goes on my time blocking list at the beginning of every day because it has to happen. It will not need to be on the "Must Do" list because it is already into the routine. Other things will make it on that list - things like TME production, practicing the piano, and cleaning. The "Want to Do" list might be a bit more difficult to generate as I get started back into this aspect of organization.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I often talk to my interns about time management and organization structures because I feel like mine is essential for my ability to do my jobs. I rely on a paper planner - I do not like being tied to a device as my schedule or calendar, so I use my books. My way of organizing does not work for everyone, and that's fine with me - I am not out to recruit disciples to "HOW TO PLAN AND MANAGE YOUR TIME" with MJ. I just share what works for me. Paper planner. Sticky notes. Colorful writing. The occasional sticker for decoration. List after list after list. Changing elements of my system to help with keeping my interest and to find different ways to do things.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I will try to incorporate these ideas into my current way of planning this next month. Putting together some must and want lists will help me prioritize tasks that have to be done - here at home as well as at work. I have more space in my home planner than I do in my work planner - by design - so, I can add the must and want lists there as well. For this week, one "Must Do" here at home is to fold laundry and make a clothing donation. Another one is to mop the kitchen floor - it is getting grungy. The last one for this week is to replace the furnace filter. "Want to Do" items include hanging pictures, emptying a box, and making a big pillow for my music room. We will see what I actually do.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">None of these tasks are particularly difficult or all that time-consuming, but they are not things that I will do automatically if I do not make them a priority. Onto the list they go! Once those things are finished, I can either go to the "Want" list or put more on the "Must" list and do those tasks next. I am ready to try this again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am not sure why I stopped doing it before. It was probably one of the things that I let go during COVID due to the constantly changing environment that was happening in 2020 and my own grief responses in 2021. There were times when simply thinking was difficult and planning was nearly impossible. You all know that - you were there, too. For me, it meant that I had to figure out all sorts of things in a very short amount of time, settle into a new routine, and then have all that structure yanked out from under me - time and time again. About the time I would find something that worked for my brain and way of processing, everything would spin around, and I would have to start over again. I have found something that works for me right now, so I will add this thing that worked before into what currently works to see if it strengthens my system or complicates it. If it complicates it, then I can release it again and try to remember why it no longer works for me. If it works, then I can add it into my system and make it a habit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">What types of things do you use to organize and manage your time? What tools are helpful? What things have you tried and found untenable? What things to you think would be interesting to try in your work life? Let me know in the comments.</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-55908948706402842092024-02-22T06:42:00.004-06:002024-02-22T06:42:50.220-06:00Thoughtful Thursday<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOfa-5KNXmGm7rAKmFWSJUjytCfx1l77rqHuL1w-rj14B-roq1lNVHnRIkfERlZLwD_VhnSndOFauC6pSAJKghb11rC1CMj0cisKBuZvGauPMd7jrgwzrldrY_lHtcCsdbuGq9f8j__Crw6lYwldItxDO33gfGIXD9jV2lCSuwriAXILgiLgbDQ/s1080/Thoughtful%20Thursday%202022.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Thoughtful Thursday 2022: Graphic includes a blue circle with a lightbulb on the right side of the circle. The circle includes the title, "Thoughtful Thursday," with additional text, "www.musictherapyworks.com" and "Thursday thoughts and musings."" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOfa-5KNXmGm7rAKmFWSJUjytCfx1l77rqHuL1w-rj14B-roq1lNVHnRIkfERlZLwD_VhnSndOFauC6pSAJKghb11rC1CMj0cisKBuZvGauPMd7jrgwzrldrY_lHtcCsdbuGq9f8j__Crw6lYwldItxDO33gfGIXD9jV2lCSuwriAXILgiLgbDQ/w320-h320/Thoughtful%20Thursday%202022.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I made a donation today to help save part of music therapy history.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It wasn't a huge donation because I can't really do that at the moment, but it was something. It was something more than I was thinking I could donate.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It is interesting that AMTA is going to crowd funding for things like this, and these types of money requests are confusing me right now. Why is this happening?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I make no secret on my blog about how I feel about the directions that AMTA has decided to take in the recent years. I am still a member for the sole fact that I am not quite ready to give up my internship program. I do not feel like many of the views and opinions that AMTA currently promotes are representative of my own views or opinions, so I am a bit uneasy about being a member. I have pulled away from the music therapy community due to lots of screaming voices that do not seem to care about anyone other than themselves.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">So, I am coming to this particular post from a particular viewpoint.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I love history. I have been to the music therapy archives to explore a specific theme for a paper that was handily rejected by one reviewer at JMT, lauded by one reviewer at JMT, and helpfully critiqued by one reviewer at JMT. It will never be published in the JMT, but I guess I could self-publish it. Hm. I've never thought about that. I don't have to be published in a peer-reviewed journal for my job, so I could release it to others on my own.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I enjoy seeing what music therapists from before say about the issues that we continue to grapple with. My exploration into the archives showed that many of the "NAMES" in music therapy were engaged in conversations about how to best educate students, about clinical training requirements, about how to allocate funds from membership, about how to establish research to break into various population treatment protocols. Those same "NAMES" argued with each other vehemently about all the different things that we STILL argue about as part of the community. We have not made significant progress in many of these areas.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">So, I feel that music therapy history is something that music therapists should know more about than they do. Our education focuses on the present age rather than looking much at the minutiae of music therapists past. I guess we could do more, but that is difficult to put into an already complicated skill development educational process. I am not a professor, so I do not have any say in what educators teach in their classes, but I would love to hear that an intern had to read an article from our first music therapy journal as part of a history project during their undergraduate education. I think that would be good for us all - remembering that our squabbles and issues are not unique to us - they are part of our profession from the very beginning!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">If AMTA is not able to provide this oversight of the archives through my membership dues and the dues of others, then I want to know why. Why wasn't AMTA able to cover the $4,500 dollars that were needed to preserve this journal? If the crowd funding effort does not raise the money needed, will AMTA cover the rest? Or will this piece of history be allowed to crumble? What will happen to the money that I donated? I do not want it to go to AMTA. I do not want to be contributing more to the general fund through things like this - that would be a sneaky thing. [Please note that my brain is currently snowed-under, so my brain leaps to conspiracies more readily than usual... also, I have NO idea how this crowd funding actually works...]</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It is time to head out to my job. I have three groups and one individual today. I wrote two complete TMEs yesterday. I need to transcribe the music onto a neater page so I can attach pictures to the TMEs, but that is pretty much all that has to be done today. I want to do some more exploration of how to teach logical thought and critical thinking to adult learners, so I will spend some time in research into those topics. My brain is starting to wake up, so I will head up the stairs and then head down the highway.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Happy Thursday, all!</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-36681171023611232182024-02-21T05:44:00.004-06:002024-02-21T05:44:43.298-06:00The Last Wednesday 12-Hour Day<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Today is a 12-hour day schedule at my school job. We have these days every so often where we are required to stay for longer than our contracted hours to accommodate parent/teacher conferences or professional development. When these days happen on Wednesdays, it is always challenging for me since I have a Wednesday evening job already and cannot do the full 12 hours on Wednesday evenings. We have one last 12-hour day on our calendar, and that is on a Thursday, so I will be able to stay for the entire time on that night.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">The number of evenings we have to stay late have decreased significantly with our new administration. We used to have 10 of these nights per year! TEN! It was ridiculous, and we put an end to that since our school district only has 4 of these nights as part of our contract time. We had 6 extra night obligations that no one else in the district had to do. We now match the district expectations, and that is very helpful, especially for me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am not an evening person. At about 2pm, every day, my mental facilities droop into stupor and require time away from others to refresh. When we have 12-hour days, I have to fight against my natural tendencies and go to professional development or trainings or lectures about things that rarely have much to do with me or my job. With my need for less interaction and the requirement of more interaction, I tend to be angry and a bit surly in these afternoon to evening meetings, discussions, and lectures. I just do not like these late days, and I wish it wasn't something that we had to do...but, we do, so complaining about it does nothing but help me express something that I want to express.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">So, after a long day with six group sessions, I have to head into a room where I will listen to the head of the clinical team talk about some optional meetings we have been offered, then one of my co-workers talking about a conference he attended, and then we have some "work" time. My work is done, so I have little to nothing to do for that time. I am hoping that my administrator will tell us that we can work from home on those "work" tasks because then I can head out to my next job without having to take personal time away from my hours. I have worked significantly more hours than I am contracted to work, so I will not need to make up the time by manufacturing more "work" to do once I get back to my home.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">I wrote three original songs yesterday, and I piggybacked new lyrics to another song yesterday as well. I have not turned these into TMEs yet, but I will be doing that tomorrow and on Friday. I have composed the music, written the notes out on sheet music paper, and have finished the lyrics for all of the songs. It was something I made myself do yesterday, and I am happy with how things turned out!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">The songs are based in encouraging movement and choices. I have decided to make some of my groups do lots more movement than they have been doing lately. We just need to wiggle more so our bodies can exhaust before we try to use our brains.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">Well, that's it for me today. Time to take my shower, get gas for the car, head to work #1 and then head to work #2, then stagger back home. See you tomorrow - maybe!</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-65038959830534626872024-02-20T06:08:00.001-06:002024-02-20T06:08:16.146-06:00TME Tuesday: Fighting My Perfectionistic Tendencies to Create<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AOLh6INWRsyqWvMep3Z3yQPqo6ShSVWy2IK3A0CTWA-eDsWkh5k5niKLC_xbALYcbyOvoWEfoL8V7GSeSA3Y7aFGiyt7n1QsSO6bMrL7y19KA-y7_Oi8j7JRICQCUeF1UPodpo8TjF1TOqZnbGdup0zZ4FoTS3EDI5T5-9unpQpzA8VMwl-Lpw/s1640/TME%20tuesdays.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="TME Tuesdays: Box with abstract background design including the following text: www.musictherapyworks.com; TME Tuesdays." border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AOLh6INWRsyqWvMep3Z3yQPqo6ShSVWy2IK3A0CTWA-eDsWkh5k5niKLC_xbALYcbyOvoWEfoL8V7GSeSA3Y7aFGiyt7n1QsSO6bMrL7y19KA-y7_Oi8j7JRICQCUeF1UPodpo8TjF1TOqZnbGdup0zZ4FoTS3EDI5T5-9unpQpzA8VMwl-Lpw/w320-h180/TME%20tuesdays.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It is TME Tuesday again, and I am going to head to work - reluctantly because my bed is more inviting than the thought of leaving it to go to be around other people. That is typical for me. I like sleeping so much more than working, but working is what I need to do in order to have a bed to sleep in, so I will haul my body to my car for a day of work. (I blame President's Day for this malaise this week - I HATE Monday holidays!) I will go reluctantly into this work week. Tomorrow is a 12-hour day at work - full day of work with kids and then additional professional development after school. I have to leave early because I have my Wednesday night job to get to, but I am hoping that it will be "work on your own" time that I will make up. Anyway, today is the first work day of the week.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I have about 10 minutes to write this before my time anxiety will take over and make me jumpy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">That brings me to today's topic - overcoming my tendencies to not do something because I am not sure I can do it perfectly. Does anyone else have this situation going on? I call this my "perfectionistic tendencies." Side note - I might need a picture for these tendencies like I have a picture for one of my goblins.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Here's how my tendencies go when it is time to write a new TME. (Right now, these things are complicated because I cannot play my guitar yet.)</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Sit down and decide that it is time to write a therapeutic music experience (TME - my term for the things I do in sessions with my clients)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Open up my TME jumpdrive and go to the Ideas for Development folder.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Open up my Ideas book and flip through pages until I see something interesting.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Think about not being able to wrote something that makes sense.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Stress about wanting to make things perfect.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Sit and stare at the computer while thoughts flit in and out of my head.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Look at the time and realize that I've wasted so much time that I have to go do something else.</span></li></ol><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I spend lots of time just sitting and staring at my computer screen, wasting time thinking that anything I produce will not be up to my standards that it is ridiculous. When I go to work today, I have an extra hour of time without students before my therapy day begins. I am going to write a song using my chance composition technique - dice. They will help me create something to write down. I hope to have a new song done by the end of that hour.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Time to head out into the cold with the promise of warm temperatures this afternoon. It is hard to dress for a day that has a 50 degree difference between morning and afternoon, but that is my current reality so off I go!</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-90111110915876493672024-02-19T07:44:00.000-06:002024-02-19T07:44:03.657-06:00Being An Internship Supervisor - On Hiatus<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWPHYewp2S2KazudXkaaXs7TL87fAKC8rwLkk_c764rxsc-3P08m4GyxwcZwmmLD0RnuqiyyZJKQFMciOEEAMU9eMsH3l8En3W1vEXYxRVagBa9c1ev5wf7hWxl_gayxC9Yz0HE4waBIT9f7FV5iowtiNKUE7rNv4b-1i23fu0MsTNNbTLUtl1Q/s1080/Being%20An%20IS%20-%20On%20Hiatus.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWPHYewp2S2KazudXkaaXs7TL87fAKC8rwLkk_c764rxsc-3P08m4GyxwcZwmmLD0RnuqiyyZJKQFMciOEEAMU9eMsH3l8En3W1vEXYxRVagBa9c1ev5wf7hWxl_gayxC9Yz0HE4waBIT9f7FV5iowtiNKUE7rNv4b-1i23fu0MsTNNbTLUtl1Q/s320/Being%20An%20IS%20-%20On%20Hiatus.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am not an internship supervisor at the moment. I am on hiatus, and I have been enjoying the solitary existence. I have been rearranging my storage areas without having to worry about the work spaces of others, and I am reveling in the opportunity to think through things without having to explain them. At the moment, I am also thinking about my next round of interns while I am waiting for current applicants to finish their applications. I have several of them, but none of the applications are complete at this point. All of them are waiting on a letter of reference... well, except for the two who have letters of reference but no application. It is interesting what things are revealed to me in the application process, but I digress.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">I decided to re-up my AMTA membership at a tier that I felt was comfortable for me just so I could accept interns in this calendar year. I still feel the pull towards training and mentoring, but I am not as enthusiastic about our professional organization these days. I guess I will do as many CMTEs as possible this year and then reevaluate next year about membership. For now, though, I am committing to another year of interns.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">I am going through my assignments, my expectations, and my thoughts about what interns need to be able to do while they are with me and after they leave my program. This is an interesting thing to do every so often because there are things that I am convinced need to be part of an intern's experience. I am going to try to change things up - mostly on my end rather than on that of the interns'.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">I have found that I need to teach more. I will need to be more explicit in what I expect from the assignments and how to use time wisely. This will require more time and energy on my part than I have been to devote lately. I will need to sit down and show interns the resources that are all around them. My last interns have not explored the music therapy clinic. They have not asked for the resources that are literally available to them without anything other than a request. They have not read their internship handbooks. They have not used the resources that are right there that could have helped them get through the assignments without any sort of pain. I have tons of stuff - templates, finished projects, examples - but no one takes advantage of those materials. It boggles my mind!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">So, I will change my perspective from that of internship supervisor from years ago to teacher.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">Do you remember when we were engaged in a passionate discussion about how a four-year program of student was not enough to teach all the things that someone needs to know about being a music therapist? I think we are seeing this discussion and all its implications at the moment. We are still working with music therapy students who did not have the benefit of full-time education or client interaction. Will it get better when we move out of the pandemic student era into the hybrid education student era? I wonder.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">I am not a professor. I doubt that I will ever be one because I find that world more frustrating than that of the facility where I work. I cannot fully understand the complexities of working in academia, but I know that there continues to be a disconnection between the skills that my interns arrive in my program with and what I want them to be able to do. Most of those unachieved skills come in the form of music production, critical thought, and problem-solving. Why aren't these things happening in other areas?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">I am spending time during my supervision hiatus on exploring how we can help older adolescents develop logical and critical thinking skills. This is not what I want to do when an intern comes to my program, but it seems that I will have to teach these things before an intern can actually meet the competencies where I want them at the end of the program.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">What do I want?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">I want an intern who can see possibilities. I want an intern who can play music, match pitch with their voice, and sing consistent melodies. I want an intern who knows that the theory classes that they took have something to do with their future profession. I want an intern who has experienced the need to compose a song - any song and who has accomplished that composition. I want an intern who will advocate for his/her/their time management and who will speak up rather than just avoid any and all thoughts.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">Are these things too much to ask?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">My future interns will go through a pre-internship competency-based evaluation of my designing rather than the ones that their professors have designed. These do not indicate the interns' confidence and competence on the skills that I want them to demonstrate. I want to know what they think about their competence on the skills that they need when they walk into the program on Day One. That is my constant goal, and I guess I need to be more specific and purposeful in these areas.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">Lots to think about on this chilly, sunny, holiday morning. Time to leave you to go get groceries and then cook a bit.</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-43266880737099189732024-02-18T07:20:00.000-06:002024-02-18T07:20:02.471-06:00#100DayChallenge - Day One<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hLqyUzMI3xxsYQg4mUVrc8SViiK3acaM7RNIOQH5xvrPloHnD6MH8RE1gcqeDhOGOQ4u4Ao31Lm5AakzIHi-57d0hR9XvIZOx1bT31vRpZci1vhvCrLpQf7x2xUfjNUoF3OXnbnKWxbV1gi-ChmRdLThrq1fQsuqIUpE2BlcOev_cPj07LdpSQ/s1080/spend%20time%20creating.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Spend Time Creating: Watercolor swirls in pastel colors in the background. Text includes the following: “#MusicTherapyMaker,” “Saturdays at musictxandme.blogspot.com,” and the website URL: www.musictherapyworks.com." border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hLqyUzMI3xxsYQg4mUVrc8SViiK3acaM7RNIOQH5xvrPloHnD6MH8RE1gcqeDhOGOQ4u4Ao31Lm5AakzIHi-57d0hR9XvIZOx1bT31vRpZci1vhvCrLpQf7x2xUfjNUoF3OXnbnKWxbV1gi-ChmRdLThrq1fQsuqIUpE2BlcOev_cPj07LdpSQ/w320-h320/spend%20time%20creating.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It has started - the #100DayChallenge has begun, and I have finished my first little bit of art for this challenge. I started this challenge last year, went for about 40 days and then stopped. I am trying this again by starting the challenge I abandoned last year right where I left off. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">My word of the year is "play," and I chose that word because I have felt that I have over-focused on doing more and more for the past several years. I have come up short for the same past several years - not doing what I state I want to do. As a result, I have been in a cycle of guilt and self-recrimination for all of these years. So, I decided that this year would be a year where I focus on the things that I love to do rather than the things that I feel like I should be doing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I cut out the projects that I am working on yesterday. I started to put one together, forgetting that I want to laminate the covers before I put in the signatures, but that's the way my projects often go, so I plan a prototype where I learn lots about what I want to do on the next versions of the projects.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I now have a stack of Blu-Ray covers ready to be laminated and then stuffed with paper to release on my Etsy store. I just need to fire up the laminator and move forward on this project so I can see if people are interested in these little books. Once I am finished, I can check that project off my ever-growing list of things I want to do.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Today is a day full of jobs. I have Sunday School to run for my class - I had one last week - then I help to lead worship and the choir. After that, I have to get home quickly to start the Annual Board Meeting for the Online Conference for Music Therapy, Inc. After that, the day will be pretty close to over, but I might get some laminating finished up. That would be a good way to finish the day - working on a creative project rather than working.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I put up a big poster in my Star Wars hallway yesterday. Yep, I have a Star Wars hallway in my house. It is the hallway in the basement that leads from the main rooms to the furnace room and the bathroom, and I am about the only one who sees it, so I am letting my fangirl flag fly in that back hallway. So far, the plumbers who have been here have found it intriguing rather than silly. I redeemed some Disney points for a large poster for the show, Ahsoka, and I finally put it up on the walls yesterday. I love it, but I will need to switch two small posters around to help make the hallway feel a bit more balanced. I also have four small Star Wars pictures and a sign to bring down from upstairs to put into this hallway.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Right now, I want to take my morning shower and get ready for my work day. I have started my #100DayChallenge (and will NOT be boring you for the entire 100 days about what I am doing), so I feel like I have made a good start to my day. I forget what we are talking about in church today, so I am not sure what we will be talking about at Sunday School yet, but I will get it figured out before my first customers arrive. I also want to put in a trip to Walmart for breakfast and some V-day discount shopping.</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-90389660244459386322024-02-17T07:56:00.005-06:002024-02-17T07:56:52.135-06:00Spend Time Creating: Saturday, February 17, 2024 - Creating Something New<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtnmzPFFJPtVwfRFw1ksUy3LmzOmObp5fKGvBdKdsNb7LulHJPmPziAb7MdpQbvlIsQZuO45R-CYge0242r6wd8-U4_zZ3Vmtf-sRQCk_PkBh4M12256LVi3oGt0uTv1D3CZN9bIQSKfl6vB915DtAQd_7fCqiQWi4DEj3L4VDpa8duLjFKDj0Ig/s1080/spend%20time%20creating.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtnmzPFFJPtVwfRFw1ksUy3LmzOmObp5fKGvBdKdsNb7LulHJPmPziAb7MdpQbvlIsQZuO45R-CYge0242r6wd8-U4_zZ3Vmtf-sRQCk_PkBh4M12256LVi3oGt0uTv1D3CZN9bIQSKfl6vB915DtAQd_7fCqiQWi4DEj3L4VDpa8duLjFKDj0Ig/s320/spend%20time%20creating.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It is Saturday, and I am only interested in sleeping ... and eating right now. I feel guilty when I just nap and eat on my Saturdays, so I try to make something happen on these days. I am getting ready for the start of my #100DayChallenge tomorrow. I may get a jumpstart on that by making a card today, but I might not. I am not really all that inspired to do anything right now. That might change after a nap, but it probably will not.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I want to make some journals today. I have been collecting the outer packaging to blu-rays that I purchase, and I want to laminate the packaging and make journals out of those disc covers. I have about eight covers that I have been putting off laminating because I haven't set up the laminating area that I envision, but it is time. I want to get these projects going so I can add them to my Etsy store and, hopefully, sell a couple of them to people out there in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Okay. Now I have some direction. I want to get some paper signatures ready to put into the journals which means measuring the covers and then cutting paper to fit. I have some Disney pictures that I can include as bookmarks and extras. I still get the paper brochures from Disney specifically so I can use them for various projects. I love cutting them up and pasting the pictures into different things.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Time to start collecting my papers to put into these journals so I can cut them down and put them in the laminated covers. I am going to get my project book out so I can put down the measurements, the ideas, and the different parts of things that will need to happen to make these books.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Ooh.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">A project that I've wanted to do for a long time to start and design!! What could be better? Something I can do from my bed!! Hooray! It is time to get started. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I will post pictures and links to my Etsy store once I get these journals finished!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Thanks for reading this. I appreciate you!!</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-983627829146562832024-02-16T05:51:00.002-06:002024-02-16T05:51:04.908-06:00Friday - Progress is Being Made<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I wrote two TMEs yesterday during my non-session time. I am pleased with myself and with my start on my most recent project - writing TMEs to put into my compendium and to share with others.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am tired and I am crabby and I have two days off after today. I work most of the day on Sunday - for the church and for OCMT, so my three day weekend is really a two day weekend with a day of work in the middle. That's okay. I am ready to have another day to rest and be away. After this one day off, I will have three weeks until Spring Break. I am looking forward to some home maintenance projects during Break and that is all other than sleeping and being by myself. I went home to CA during my last Spring Break because it was my Christmas make-up trip. It will be nice to stay home this time around. There is plenty of stuff to do here.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">My #100DayChallenge starts on Sunday. I have 64 cards left from last year's art challenge, so I am hoping to fill those up with little bits of art. I also want to write TMEs on work days. I am going to give myself the weekends away from writing TMEs, but I want to work on this practice again. I started that yesterday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Today, I want to write another TME. I don't know what I will write about, but I will do something.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I got up late today, so I am going to head out. If you are interested in more about TMEs, let me know. I've got lots of them!!</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-42120746773551832822024-02-15T06:27:00.004-06:002024-02-15T06:27:32.789-06:00Thoughtful Thursday: Why I am Not Watching the News<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMoy4Zp8tgwgfBTE8YAB6myS3H75G-mLRMRZQdoeRl_Tn76NcHabNLRSmQbnomDbqSJqUgiUxbftnCaRklPqmYzFcBWQ01XEo14dGJjxcBwEs42AJBHcKkW34tdQoBbw5T-IoBqWQPCfVPwvwo4qNM6gXYKiiCaZhgZ85nw8F_QFiJPj4x0ryLw/s1080/Thoughtful%20Thursday%202022.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Thoughtful Thursday 2022: Graphic includes a blue circle with a lightbulb on the right side of the circle. The circle includes the title, "Thoughtful Thursday," with additional text, "www.musictherapyworks.com" and "Thursday thoughts and musings."" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMoy4Zp8tgwgfBTE8YAB6myS3H75G-mLRMRZQdoeRl_Tn76NcHabNLRSmQbnomDbqSJqUgiUxbftnCaRklPqmYzFcBWQ01XEo14dGJjxcBwEs42AJBHcKkW34tdQoBbw5T-IoBqWQPCfVPwvwo4qNM6gXYKiiCaZhgZ85nw8F_QFiJPj4x0ryLw/w320-h320/Thoughtful%20Thursday%202022.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Yesterday was a day of ups and downs for my part of the country. We were celebrating the win of the local football team when someone started shooting others. There was one casualty and many injuries after the panic.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I heard about things when I was waiting to start the Ash Wednesday service last night. I know that two friends were present at the celebration, and it will be interesting to know if they were part of the situation at all when I make it to work this morning. We are now in a season of mourning around our area because of three people who caused this situation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I do not watch the news. I do not listen to the news. I read the news when I feel like I need to catch up with what is happening in the world. I do not find it healthy for me to watch the news or listen to the constant reporting of the bad things that happen in the world. I cannot deal with the ways that people choose to hurt other people - the emotions that come up are not good for me, and I get enough angst at work with the children and adolescents that I choose to work with without looking past my experiences.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">This week, I've been thinking about trauma and how we, as teachers and therapists working with a difficult population of humans, do not get the trauma care we need to continue to be functional. We are expected to be able to push it down and work around it rather than discussing it, working through it, and even recognizing it for what it is - trauma.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I find that watching or listening to the news adds to the trauma that I have to process, so I choose to remain ignorant of some of the happenings in the world. There is plenty of stuff rattling around my brain with the interactions that I have with my clients, so I do not have room for absorbing the trauma of strangers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Wow. This is turning out to be a very negative post. That is never my goal when I am writing this blog, but there are times when what I am processing is not light and fluffy. This has been a disappointing week when it comes to feeling supported as a human working where I work. I am not feeling like my voice and opinions are valued outside of my environment, and that is difficult to acknowledge.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Let's get back to positives.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I am working on determining my next intern interviews. I have zero full applications at the moment, so I am waiting for letters of recommendation and eligibility to arrive before inviting students to my facility for the full day interviews/auditions that I require. I am also going to do some chocolate shopping this morning. Since I need to be at work at a decent time, I am going to close now and hope that there is some good chocolate for me to get at half price! It is my monthly payday, so I can shop with confidence!! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Happy Thursday - it really is that for me, but I am still going to avoid the news.</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-80948990800763763802024-02-14T05:43:00.004-06:002024-02-14T05:43:28.270-06:00Wednesday<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It is Wednesday. I found out yesterday that a bonus situation that I was working out will not be happening which is disappointing but not really all that surprising as this has happened before. All the assurances that it WOULD happen were false and things did not pan out. So, I started thinking about interns, and that made me feel a bit overwhelmed. I had two sessions canceled due to a field trip, so I had an afternoon mostly to myself to think and stew.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Today will be completely full. I have my regular six groups and then Ash Wednesday service rather than choir rehearsal this evening. I am tired already, but less tired than I was yesterday when I woke up. It is going to be a long day, but that's what my Wednesdays are right now. Long days. </span><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">It is pretty funny because the person who put together the schedule doesn't like it and complains about how it happens. I am finding that ironically funny these days. She puts the schedule together all by herself but doesn't like how it turns out.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">There is a month left before Spring Break, and I am already ready for the break. It is ridiculous the amount of hoops that people are having to go through in education right now. We are three teachers down, have two teachers going on maternity leave, and one teacher retiring at the end of the year. We have long-term substitutes taking over the maternity leaves and one of the open spots. We are hoping to open up our two closed classrooms next year - probably with long-term substitutes since we cannot find special educators who want to work with our client population. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">I have written three different paragraphs in this post at this point that I have removed. Each paragraph has devolved into a rant, and I do not want to rant and rave this morning. I want to create and relax and get myself going to my job. Tomorrow is payday, so I have that to look forward to. Oh, and half-price chocolate tomorrow morning. Today, though, I have work and more work to do.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: large;">This week, we are focusing on percussion instruments and shifting our focus into beatboxing and vocal percussion. I have buttons with basic patterns for my clients who are non-speaking so they can participate. I have some videos from people who know more about beatboxing than I do, so we watch a short video, try out some instruments, and then engage in beatboxing. To fill up any extra time, we are playing with Incredibox.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Six groups ahead of me. One of those groups has already done the first part of my sessions, but the others have not, so I will be doing more of the percussion exploration than Incredibox today. That's okay. Tomorrow will be the Incredibox day.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I struggle with motivation this time of year. I don't know what it is, but getting up in the mornings is more difficult during the days of February. This year, I can't blame the weather because February has been wonderful so far. It seems like Spring is here, but I'm not relaxing just yet.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Today is the Super Bowl parade in Kansas City. Some of our clients will not have bus service today because their school districts have cancelled classes. It may be a quieter day around my facility, but probably not. Most of my students will still be at school. My district has not cancelled. We never cancel for things like this.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">So, I am going to take my shower, go to work, do the music therapy stuff that needs to be done, and then go to my next work. It is time.</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26186455.post-40347313464488622872024-02-13T05:52:00.003-06:002024-02-13T05:52:44.803-06:00TME Tuesday: One a Day - Can I Do It?<p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">This year, I am going to try the 100 Day Challenge again. Last year, I made it through 36 days of doing something for the challenge, so I am going to strive to get the entire 100 days this time. I am still trying my TME challenge, so I am hoping to combine the two into one big challenge. For the first part of my challenge, I am going to make a small piece of art on rolodex cards. The second part is a TME challenge.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I do these things every once in a while. I set myself challenges and then try to do them. If I do not make it through the challenge, I tend to engage in some self-recrimination, but I am working on that as well - not doing the entire self-recrimination thing. Last year, I made 36 pieces of art. This year, I would like 100 new TMEs, but I will take what I can create as a positive contribution to my music therapy compendium.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I started a TME yesterday when I was at work. I started writing up something that my students are doing this week as we explore percussion instruments and dabble a bit in vocal percussion. I am getting a TME together for introducing students to the basic elements of beatboxing. So far, my students have responded pretty well to the TME, but I've only tried it with two groups. There will need to be more trials before I am completely finished with my TME development.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">I have gone to my old-fashioned way of doing things for this project - my Word documents rather than my Google form. The Google form would be easier, but I am still tied to my documents for some reason. So, I will use both ways to enter my TMEs. I want to get back into playing my instruments and making music during the next 100 days - starting on Sunday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It is time to get myself back into writing songs. I haven't written one for a while. It is time to start up again. I am going to use the tricks that I teach - using chance to help write melodies and rhythms, using the music theory I spent so much time learning, remembering my modes, and using piggyback songs to help with the musical format.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">Today, I have three groups out of my usual five - two groups will be on a field trip, so they are canceled. I have an additional hour in my day to write and compose. I managed to clean up my office and it looks good. I have a good space to write and compose in for that extra time. I have to talk to my principal about next year's schedule so I get going on my intern selection for June, and that is going to happen today (I hope) since I have the extra time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: medium;">It is time to head out. I will write a song today. I will finish a TME today, and I will talk to my boss about next year so I can figure things out. See you later.</span></p>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07700514364556636440noreply@blogger.com0