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Therapy Technique Tuesday: Data Collection While Running Sessions

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When I was in my undergraduate training, learning how to be a music therapist for the first time, we did all sorts of data collection during our clinical practica. We did time sampling and frequency counts and all sorts of mathematical processes to interpret the data that we took. As a graduate student, I had to delve deeper into data analysis. Data drove everything in those environments, and there is a role in my current job, but it is not as difficult as it was when I was in school. Here are some setting details: I am an educational enrichment therapist. This means that I see every student in the school for an hour a week. I do not do eligibility assessments, formal assessments, or carry any IEP goals. All students have music therapy whether they want it or not. All of the goals and objectives that I carry are internal rather than formal. Most of the music therapy sessions are groups. Individuals are rare these days. Okay. Now that you know where I am coming from, let me explain how ...
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Make It Monday: Task Analyses

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I am currently organizing my Creativity Camp packets for Creativity Camp 2026. If you don't know, this is my latest CMTE offering to the music therapy community, especially those who like making things for their music therapy sessions. Part of the CMTE is a digital kit with instructions and all the information needed to make several projects. Right now, I am going through the task analyses of each project and writing them down to include in the digital kit. Task analyses were something that we focused on when I was in my undergraduate education, and it was something that I struggled with at every turn. Some of my peers were able to do them quickly, and I was able to do it when I was simply writing an analysis - we had to do one on taking a shower. That was easy. My difficulty came when I was expected to write these analyses for clinical interventions. I think I was bogged down more on the "what-ifs" than just writing things. This was my major struggle during my clinical ...
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A Dream In the Works

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Have you ever had a dream that you have thought about for many years? It might be something complex, or it might be something very simple, but it sticks with you? I have, and it is something that I am working on making a reality. I am getting ready to run my second Creativity Camp for music therapists, students, and interns. I am hoping that I will get some campers to come along to make some visuals for their clients. This has been a dream of mine for a long time, and it is time to get it started! We are going to spend some time on July 18th and 19th making tools to use in music therapy sessions with a variety of clients. This is an online class that comes with a digital kit of materials to print out and assemble. I am also offering additional physical material kits that will include everything that you need to complete the projects - except the laminating because that is difficult to mail - as well as access to the recordings and the live camp session. This has been approved for 8 CMT...
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2026 Creativity Camp by musictherapyworks.com - Coming Soon!

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I have an idea that has been approved for CMTEs through CBMT, and I am ready to start talking about it! It’s time for camp – musictherapywork.com’s Creativity Camp, that is! Join us on July 18 th and 19 th to create music therapy visual aids, network with other music therapists, students, and interns, and to explore ways that visual aids enhance what we bring to sessions with our clients.   Continuing Music Therapy Education Information www.musictherapyworks.com offers synchronous (live presentations) and asynchronous (recorded presentations) on topics relevant to music therapists. The course information is available for music therapists after payment is received. Participants have 90 days from time of the symposium. Successful completion of the course includes the completion of the course evaluation. Course Event: Creativity Camp by musictherapyworks.com When:   July 18, 2026 and July 19, 2026 – from 2pm-6pm each day (central daylight time) What: Creativit...
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Time Bends - Especially Now!

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Yesterday, I was so proud of myself for posting a Monday topic, but then I realized it was actually Tuesday. Ugh. That's the type of thing that runs around in my brain, even when it is just as silly as being a day off of my schedule. It is silly, but my time anxiety stretches into being incorrect about any sort of time. Once I changed the title of the post, I was able to let it go - well, sorta. This is my last official break before retirement. I managed to send off my paperwork for my pension yesterday. After I finished that task, I came home, sent off some ideas for CMTEs, figured out another CMTE situation, and then finished a book for my book challenge at my local library. Today's task is getting the glass replaced in my sliding glass door. The lawn folks kicked up a rock about a month ago that shattered the outside pane of my slider. They are coming to replace the pane today. I have to be available for 90 minutes (give or take) and have to clear the stuff right by the door...
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Make It Monday: Getting Back Into a Blogging Routine - Just realized it's a Tuesday...

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I am craving routine in my life as I am transitioning into trying to figure out my new life situation. One of the places where I can achieve structure and routine is here in the blog, so I am going to head back into some of the post series that I have started in the past. I am hoping that I will be someone who is able to offer ideas and therapeutic music experience (TME) suggestions on a regular basis. On Mondays, we make things. I am someone who tries to remain within her budget by making things that I see rather than buying things that I discover. There is no reason why I should spend $20.00 for something that I can make in four hours. At least, that is what the voice in my head tells me. Why spend money on music dot spots when I can fire up my trusty laminator and make the same things on my computer?? (This particular little voice is my mother's voice. It is amazing how messages passed on by parents can just stick, isn't it?) Now, I know that there are many other people in t...
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Continuously Finding My "Why"

One of the things that you hear quite often is "find your why." For me, this has always been a bit strange as my "why" has been clear to me since I was fourteen. I have to be a music therapist. It fits me like nothing else. When I was contemplating what I wanted to do in graduate school, I was encouraged to explore options outside of music therapy. I spent lots of time thinking about what I wanted to do next, but I kept coming back to doing music therapy. I realized that I did not want to be an occupational therapist, but I wanted to do music therapy with occupational therapists. I didn't want to be a special educator, but I wanted to do music therapy in a special education setting. At the heart of all of my professional goals is that I want to be a music therapist. My "why" is that music is something that is accessible to all. It is something that has power and when guided, all people can use music to assist them in their unique goals and quests. As I...
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