Second Week

The second week of summer school is typically more difficult than the first. During the first week, everyone is happy to get back into the routine of classes, lessons, sessions, and swimming. Getting up early is not a problem since we get to go to school!

By the second week, getting up on time has lost its novelty. School is no longer fun but a chore again. Kids are cranky when they have to wake up at 7:15.

This week marked the start of adaptive music lessons in the music room. Kids came from many of the classrooms to learn about piano, drums, guitar, and music video making. I reserve these experiences for my higher functioning, more verbal students. They are not eligible for individual therapy since they are able to verbally process the information presented in art therapy (I know, it's a confusing situation, but that's the way things are at my facility). Everyone seems to enjoy music therapy, though, so I open my room up to students who are more likely to learn some music theory and instrument skills. We work on very basic skills.

My individual sessions also continued. These are with lower functioning clients who do not verbally process. I love these sessions. Students direct the musical intervention, and I direct the therapeutic intervention. I spent some time this week playing the piano, recorder, trombone, and organ. In addition, I watched Blame it on the Samba and Little Toot from Disney's Melody Time. I figured out how to make a master schedule for my principal and avoided her as much as possible (she drives me crazy!).

I ended the week feeling more frustrated than last week. This is a typical response. I am also hormonal, arthritic, and it was a full moon.

Next week I will write goals and objectives for all of my individual and lesson clients. These will be in addition to the goals that each student has for group music therapy sessions. I will also design a bulletin board for the front school entrance, keep up with documentation, play music, and make things for my clinic. It will be a good week, especially since it is only 4 days long. What a treat! 

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