music, therapy, and me

On Tuesday, I shared a TME Song visual which assists me in completing brainstorming and Therapeutic Music Experience (TME) development. As I was sitting in my house this morning, waiting for the sun to rise (kinda - it's stormy out there), and getting ready for enjoying the rest of my second Spring Break, I thought I would expand on this previous post and go through the process itself here in this post. So, here it goes! Here is the TME graphic in an outline format. My comments are added in green (because I like the color green!).  Start with a Song - Just going to pick up a random songbook here nearby, then flip to a random page... So, the song is... Shenandoah . According to the book that I picked, this is an old sea chantey. Discovering Music Together 4: Teacher's Edition, (1970), states that the song refers "to the story of a white trader who fell in love with the daughter of the Indian chieftain, Shenandoah, and took her across 'the wide Missouri.' "...

Well, here it is TME Tuesday again. I am currently in the middle of my second Spring Break and am not really into thinking about what is going on out there in my particular music therapy world. On the other hand, I am still in general music therapy mode, so here is the beginning of a Song-based Therapeutic Music Experience (TME) decision tree. A few explanations - I am a visual learner. I can remember all types of things if they are presented in a visual format, so I naturally arrange my learning into visuals. I struggled with session and TME development in college until I realized that all my supervisors wanted me to do was write down a flow chart. Then, it just clicked. I've kept this idea with me ever since. Flow charts are something I can understand. So, as an attempt to help out those others out there who think like me, I have made some of these graphic decision trees. Here is the first part. I hope it will help some of you faithful readers to conceptualize how I develop...

One of the things that I like to do is to work with other music therapists doing music therapy things. I often interact with MTs so I can learn more about what we do as a collective (do we sound like the Borg?). What you do as a therapist in your particular environment fascinates me as it is probably COMPLETELY different from what I do as a therapist. As I've been a therapist, I have attended two world congresses. These experiences did a great job of opening my eyes to the differences between not only therapists, but the different philosophical viewpoints of therapists in other countries. I have realized that I approach music therapy in an American-centric manner, definitely influenced by the founders here in the United States. The world congresses of music therapy really opened up my eyes to the fact that there are different views of how music works that are extremely different from my own. The problem that I have found is that congresses are too short and too crammed to really ...

I often find myself wondering if I am going down the right path for me and for music therapy... does anyone else ever feel that way? It's time for some introspection and general thought generation, so here I go. What I am trying to do is to figure out my vision for myself and my music therapy presence for the next 5-10 years. This is probably coming up since I am no longer in school, have just signed a lease for the year on my current home (I wanted to move, but can't), and am feeling a bit stagnant in my current job. Things will be changing for me soon, but right now, I am just simply feeling stuck. So, it's time to shake myself up a bit. So, how to do that? I've been thinking about it a lot. One of the things that I started playing with is a visual organizing program called Inspiration. It allows me to put things into a visual format - something that really works for me and my learning style. The program allows me to put my ideas into a flow chart and then manip...

So, here's the deal. There has been lots of talk on the blogosphere about self-care for music therapists lately. It's now my turn! I am a HUGE advocate for self-care for the caregiver. This is not an easy thing to do, but it is important for us all to be able to take care of ourselves. I am getting ready to do just that. One of the things that I have realized is that self-care looks different for each of us. For one therapist, a cruise surrounded by people may be the perfect way to unwind. For another, a camping trip in the mountains may fit the bill. For still another, sleeping in and being leisurely may need to be what happens. The trick is to find what works best for you, and then do that! I will be taking a mini-break next week. All winter, I work on inclement weather days, driving through the snow and ice in order to provide care for my students. When the winter is through, I get to have days off when I choose to take the time. I've decided that next week is the ...

I often use recorded music in my sessions - there are some out there who do not feel that recorded music is appropriate for a music therapy session, but I do - no apologies here. My adolescents strongly identify with performers and specific performances, so I look for ways to use recordings and familiar songs in sessions with my clients. This is a TME that allows me to either use live music or a recording to facilitate movement - structured movement within a group setting. Therapeutic Music Experience The Loco-motion Mary Jane Landaker, MME, MT-BC Purpose : To provide opportunities for motor development; motor sequencing; receptive language Source : Words and music by Gerry Goffin and Carole King © 1962 (renewed 1990) SCREEN-GEMS EMI MUSIC, INC. TME idea © August 1, 2012 by Mary Jane Landaker, MME, MT-BC. Materials : Music source – either functional instrument or CD player and CD; OPTIONAL: Movement cards to structure the dance Environment : Group members...