Music Therapy Minutiae
There are good and bad things about being a music therapist, and most of these things are what I consider minutiae - the everyday stuff.
Yesterday was a day of little things. Home stuff took over my commute and started my day off on a stressed note. Came into work and found that my intern was at home sick. Okay, so the bad part of this particular situation was that I then had to figure out what to do with two extra groups - not really a bad thing, since they are still my students and I know how to run music therapy groups, but it took time away from my workbox development time and was a bit unexpected. The next situation was my computer monitor. I've had computer access from my desk for about a week now, and now the monitor has stopped working. So, all of my work tasks - documentation, developing a CD-ROM of workbox tasks (can you tell I am a bit obsessed right now), communicating with teachers about individual music therapy sessions, and keeping up with the general stuff going around, making reports to various folks about behaviors - were all computer related. It ended up being a day when I needed the computer more than any other time, and it was not available. So, I spent lots of time sitting and looking at my dead monitor. I also have to clear off my desk because it was not my desk. I get a crappy old desk that has limited space and will not fit both myself and my intern. You see, minutiae.
It's the minutiae in every job that either makes or breaks a professional. If you can put up with the hum-drum, non-client related tasks that you have to do day in and day out, you can succeed as a therapist. If those little tasks drive you crazy, you may not be the best match for the profession.
Now, there are days when the minutiae take over your life. There are days when you dwell on the little things - I spend time thinking about the fact that I wasn't able to do any of my documentation since I couldn't see my computer files - and the bigger picture is hard to see. When those days happen, I try to shrug them off and move on. Today's plan? First, I hope that my intern is feeling better and is around the music therapy sessions today. Second, I hope that my monitor is changed out today so I can see my computer. Third, the best thing that will happen (and the best thing that always happens) is that music therapy will happen with my clients. That's always the best thing and the reason I can put up with the minutiae.
Don't sweat the small stuff, folks! In the end, all things are small stuff except for what happens in the music therapy environment.
Yesterday was a day of little things. Home stuff took over my commute and started my day off on a stressed note. Came into work and found that my intern was at home sick. Okay, so the bad part of this particular situation was that I then had to figure out what to do with two extra groups - not really a bad thing, since they are still my students and I know how to run music therapy groups, but it took time away from my workbox development time and was a bit unexpected. The next situation was my computer monitor. I've had computer access from my desk for about a week now, and now the monitor has stopped working. So, all of my work tasks - documentation, developing a CD-ROM of workbox tasks (can you tell I am a bit obsessed right now), communicating with teachers about individual music therapy sessions, and keeping up with the general stuff going around, making reports to various folks about behaviors - were all computer related. It ended up being a day when I needed the computer more than any other time, and it was not available. So, I spent lots of time sitting and looking at my dead monitor. I also have to clear off my desk because it was not my desk. I get a crappy old desk that has limited space and will not fit both myself and my intern. You see, minutiae.
It's the minutiae in every job that either makes or breaks a professional. If you can put up with the hum-drum, non-client related tasks that you have to do day in and day out, you can succeed as a therapist. If those little tasks drive you crazy, you may not be the best match for the profession.
Now, there are days when the minutiae take over your life. There are days when you dwell on the little things - I spend time thinking about the fact that I wasn't able to do any of my documentation since I couldn't see my computer files - and the bigger picture is hard to see. When those days happen, I try to shrug them off and move on. Today's plan? First, I hope that my intern is feeling better and is around the music therapy sessions today. Second, I hope that my monitor is changed out today so I can see my computer. Third, the best thing that will happen (and the best thing that always happens) is that music therapy will happen with my clients. That's always the best thing and the reason I can put up with the minutiae.
Don't sweat the small stuff, folks! In the end, all things are small stuff except for what happens in the music therapy environment.
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