Inspiration from the Most Interesting Places
There are many places where I find inspiration. I enjoy walking through the Dollar Tree, especially through the toy section, to find ideas for Therapeutic Music Experiences (TMEs) for use with my clients. I look through coloring books on a regular basis to find visual aid ideas. I spend time looking through my music library for more ideas.
This weekend, I was inspired to write a new song, "Everybody's Everywhere," by something that was said by a presenter during the Online Conference for Music Therapy (OCMT 2012). Roia Rafieyan mentioned that at the beginning of some of her sessions that "everybody's everywhere." This led to a poem which will be lyrics for a new opening song. I'll publish it later on my website, www.musictherapyworks.com, when it is fully developed.
I also found inspiration in a different place. It came about in a strange way...
My toilet has been overflowing occasionally. I came home on Friday evening and found that things had overflowed all over the bathroom hallway carpet. Now, Friday was the night of OCMT 2012 - I was on the organizing committee and was presenting, so had things I needed to do. I spent lots of time sucking up water from the bathroom hallway and then Lysoled the entire place.
Now, I apparently am allergic to the scents that Lysol uses to mask the smell of Lysol. I started wheezing, so had to move my bed from the bedroom (near the hallway) to the front room.
Don't worry, the inspirational part is coming soon.
The evening progressed well, and I finished my presentation and laid down in the front room. When I opened my eyes, I found myself looking at a series of paperback books that I had purchased, used several times, and then placed at the bottom of a shelf.
Suddenly, I remembered all of the music that I had in those books. Inspiration central!
I am spending some time at home right now due to bronchitis and am using that sick time to write down ideas using music from these recently rediscovered books. I will spend some time flipping through these pages, rewriting words or developing things to do with the original songs. Who knows how many of these ideas I will actually use with my clients, but I will have them written down, so I may find a use for the TMEs at some future time, at some future date.
I often find that I get stuck doing the same things with my clients without remembering all of the other options that I have available to me. It is moments like these that I am thankful for all of the TMEs that I have written down over the years.
Who would have thought that a leaky toilet could lead to the development of new things to do in music therapy sessions?
This weekend, I was inspired to write a new song, "Everybody's Everywhere," by something that was said by a presenter during the Online Conference for Music Therapy (OCMT 2012). Roia Rafieyan mentioned that at the beginning of some of her sessions that "everybody's everywhere." This led to a poem which will be lyrics for a new opening song. I'll publish it later on my website, www.musictherapyworks.com, when it is fully developed.
I also found inspiration in a different place. It came about in a strange way...
My toilet has been overflowing occasionally. I came home on Friday evening and found that things had overflowed all over the bathroom hallway carpet. Now, Friday was the night of OCMT 2012 - I was on the organizing committee and was presenting, so had things I needed to do. I spent lots of time sucking up water from the bathroom hallway and then Lysoled the entire place.
Now, I apparently am allergic to the scents that Lysol uses to mask the smell of Lysol. I started wheezing, so had to move my bed from the bedroom (near the hallway) to the front room.
Don't worry, the inspirational part is coming soon.
The evening progressed well, and I finished my presentation and laid down in the front room. When I opened my eyes, I found myself looking at a series of paperback books that I had purchased, used several times, and then placed at the bottom of a shelf.
Suddenly, I remembered all of the music that I had in those books. Inspiration central!
I am spending some time at home right now due to bronchitis and am using that sick time to write down ideas using music from these recently rediscovered books. I will spend some time flipping through these pages, rewriting words or developing things to do with the original songs. Who knows how many of these ideas I will actually use with my clients, but I will have them written down, so I may find a use for the TMEs at some future time, at some future date.
I often find that I get stuck doing the same things with my clients without remembering all of the other options that I have available to me. It is moments like these that I am thankful for all of the TMEs that I have written down over the years.
Who would have thought that a leaky toilet could lead to the development of new things to do in music therapy sessions?
Wow, I'm so glad your, er, toilet runneth over with new thoughts and ideas, MJ! :- ) Can't wait to hear "Everybody's Everywhere". I hope it has lots of scurrying, because sometimes my guys are all about bustling around the room. Phew! Thanks again for the great note-taking at OCMT2012!
ReplyDeleteThanks, for the comment, Roia! I have finished the words, but the melody hasn't cemented yet. I'll publish it on my website when it is finished. I really enjoyed being your note taker at OCMT 2012! I enjoyed your stories about the men and women you work for - brought back good memories for me. I used to work at a large developmental center in California before leaving for Kansas. Now I work with kids all over the spectrum - many of them without verbal communication skills. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us all!
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