music, therapy, and me

So, my sister likes Website Wednesday as a theme. I have done this in the past (check out the label for earlier posts), but it might just need to be something that I come back to. So, here it goes - the second attempt at this theme... It's Wednesday which means it is time to feature a website. I am currently paying attention to all sorts of music education folks - their blogs, posts, and classroom reveals. For some reason, I really like classroom reveals. It probably has something to do with hearing about my sister's themes and not being around her for the big reveal. Anyway, one blogger that I am enjoying right now is Mrs. Stouffer . Her website, Mrs. Stouffer's Music Room , offers lots of blog posts about things that are not relevant to music therapists but as many that are, especially if you are a school-based therapist like me! I am currently going through Mrs. Stouffer's Ultimate Book List.  This is a resource that will be helpful for me this year as I try to make ...

My Niec-at So, my sister reads my blog and sent me her ideas about what my themes should be for each day of the week. I got a text last night (after I was asleep) about what she wants to see as my themes. Here it is - Maker Monday - Tune In Tuesday - Website Wednesday - Thinking Thursday - Fact or Fiction Friday I am still navigating the ideas for each of these themes, but I will start some of them. Since today is Tuesday, let's investigate a bit more about what Tune In Tuesday could be about. It could be about music, music videos, musicians, therapists, or educators that are part of my life or that I've noticed. I'm not sure I could sustain that for long. It could be something about things to pay attention to as a therapist.  I just don't know. I am kinda dithering these days. I have little to no focus for anything other than medical appointments and reading books. I want to do more, but I just can't get going on any project. I have one more step to go through befo...

I am back to wanting to do thematic blogging for some of the days of the week on this blog. Mondays used to be internship focused but I no longer have an internship, so I have stopped writing on that topic. Since I am not in the internship world anymore, I feel like writing about it is sort of hypocritical. So, I am trying to get back into a routine of writing thematic posts at least three times per week.  These themes have to be things that interest me about the world of music therapy, but I am not really in the world of music therapy at this point. All I can really talk about is what it is like to be a vintage clinician, and I think that would get boring real quick for me and for you. So, let's see what else I know... Therapeutic Music Experience development Group management Being a clinician in a world that favors research Budgeting for a music therapy practice Becoming an entrepreneur Making things for clients Some music therapy history Music therapy systems that work for me Wa...

It is time to start focusing on this next school year. I have most things already planned, but, as always, I am trying to make things less routine for myself and more interesting - to me. My client population is about 30% long-term day students who go around with me over and over again and 70% short-term stay students who come in and out of the psychiatric residential treatment facility. I try to make things interesting on myself by rotating ideas and session themes on a two-year schedule. This allows my long-term students some time between presentations. This was not my idea - I took some inspiration for the system from my art therapy colleague. She rotates her art therapy directives (not the term that she uses, but I cannot remember what she calls them) in a two or three-year rotation. This allows for consistent presentation with time in between specific session plans so my long-termers do not get bored with the same things over and over again. So far, it seems to be working for us b...

I am at the end of my second week of enforced rest and healing after my abdominal surgery at the end of last month. I have two and a half weeks left before I go back to my full-time job as a clinical music therapist at a psychiatric residential treatment facility in the associated school. This "rest" has been something necessary but difficult nonetheless. I do not do a good job of self-entertaining when work is happening without me. Now don't get me wrong. There are benefits to being out of work at the moment. First, I am able to rest while my body works on healing the connections that have been recently made. Second, I get bored with my own company, and that makes going back to work much easier. Third, it has been many years since I have had this much time off from work, so I am reveling in the opportunity to become this bored. I do better when I am occupied. Being on an enforced break from work means that my brain is grasping for any sort of thought that it can generate...

Here I am, sitting in my bed, and thinking about blogging again - second day in a row!! There is hamburger on the stove, cooking up for various different entrees this week, and I am watching silly sitcoms. I am debating whether I really want to leave my house today. I really don't want to, but I know I need to. Yesterday, I went to Michaels and bought some containers, watercolor paper, and the good erasers. I hit my exhaustion wall after walking around Michaels. I am not sure that I want to go out in the heat and humidity today. The problem is that I need to be walking so I either do it here or outside where it is hot. I bought some containers yesterday. They are portable file folder containers WITH an organizing section for things like pencils, pens, and super sticky post-it notes. As you know, I am a sucker for super sticky post-it notes, so having space for them in an organization tool is a wonderful thing for me. I was thinking about organizing tools when I was walking around t...