music, therapy, and me

Camp - Day Two Today was the second day of camp. I had an opportunity to use drums of an excellent music therapist, entrepreneur, and all-around good guy, Barry Bernstein. Barry, AKA Bongo Barry, passed away last September very suddenly. His death was unexpected and shook the music therapy world as well as the camping world deeply. I appreciate the use of his instruments and hope that his family know how much we loved Bongo Barry at camp.

CAMP! It is time for camp again. I am immersed in the world of autism and Asperger's and am enjoying every second of it! I got some hugs today from campers that remembered me from last year. What a great feeling. I ran both arts and crafts and music therapy today. The first MT group was gypped out of a good experience because it was raining. The guitar and instruments had to stay in the car. The other two groups rocked! Literally as well as figuratively! We engaged in several improvisations and let things develop from there. Kids were taking turns, improvising melodies and lyrics, indicating that they were interested in what was going on, and generally acting just like kids at camp! What is it about camp that makes some things easier to handle? I saw campers with significant developmental issues sitting with their peers, arms around each other, and singing loudly. I saw campers engaging in interactive play - something that is difficult for many of the kids in other settings. I saw ...

New Moon Yesterday was the new moon. You hear lots of things about the effect of a full moon on people, but you rarely, if ever, hear about the effect of the new moon. For me, a new moon often means headaches, a general feeling of snarkitude, and a lack of focus. I see effects in my clients as well. Yesterday afternoon, a young man entered the music room upset. He tends to get very hysterical about things very fast. He started one of his verbal loops and escalated quickly from participating to screaming, "Maybe Thursday...Stop Screaming..." and other phrases during the session. There was no soothing him. There was no opportunity to assist him musically. There were no antecedents. At that time, I completely understood how he felt. I had been feeling similarly myself. A situation arose where I had made a decision, made a glaring error in how the decision was conveyed, and then spent the rest of the time engaged in arguments with the person who needed the decision. Every time I ...

Future Glimpses What do you think the world will be like for music therapists in twenty years? I have thoughts of therapists singing songs by Madonna, Michael Jackson (before the weird stuff happened), and Guns and Roses to get the attention of us post-boomers. Music therapy lecturers will be talking about the eighty years of music therapy in the States, and how much the changes in music therapy have taken us forward. Do you think that there will be more music therapists involved with AMTA? Do you think we will even have an AMTA? Will therapists have to spend more time in assessment, evaluation, and paperwork rather than doing direct treatment? What will happen? The possibilities are staggering...