music, therapy, and me

One of the things that I did quite a bit ago was teach an Introduction to Music Therapy course for non-majors. To introduce the concept of using music to convey specific emotions, tasks, use of music for non-musical outcomes, I compiled a bunch of clips from various movies from my own movie library. Here they are... Get Over It  - The use of music to convey emotion - I enjoy the juxtaposition of this upbeat song that describes how love is stronger than any other force on earth, used to illustrate the despair of losing a love that you think is your destiny. Evolution - The use of music to attract attention - Okay, so it's a prehistoric-type mutant, but he uses his singing to direct attention to him in order to save the girl . The Muppet Movie (the original one) - The use of music to convey emotion, again. Gonzo sings about his origins. Gigi - The use of music to spur memories - I love this song and love that they remember things very differently. Stop, Look, ...

I have finally settled into vacation mode, and the result is I slept in until 6 am this morning! Now, for many of those night owls out there, sleeping in until 6 am is not sleeping in, but for me, the congenitally early-to-rise, 6 am is an extra three hours of sleep that I don't usually get. This is one of the benefits of vacation. There really isn't much that I have to do - limited demands into my time - so I am able to really rest. No waking up thinking about things that I need to do... there's nothing out there that I MUST do. What a nice respite, but not the way I want to live my life from here on out. So what am I doing during this vacation? I am working on a new product for the website (I'm hoping it's finished by June 4th - for a launch on "Theme Thursday!!). It's coming along quite well and will be good (I'm tooting my own horn here!!). I finished up a series of intern webinars last night (which always make me simultaneously happy and sad). ...

It is raining... again... This May has been full of rain - here and in many other places as well. I know that many of my Texas Music Therapist Group of Friends are being deluged by rain waters. We're currently in the middle of some storms after an entire day without rain. Our forecast calls for storms for the next 18 hours, at least.   I am thinking about all of my friends, waiting for the waters to recede, and making music to help them pass the time. If you are interested in seeing what they've been doing, check out #‎ musictherapyshenanigans‬ to see what's been happening down there. It's amazing how much rain can change our lives. My farmer friends spend much of their time hoping for and then lamenting the rain. Lately the rain never seems to come as it is needed. There is either too much or not enough or both happening. Right now, fields that are just starting to sprout are being flooded out. Those crops won't survive. The amount of standing wat...

...since I started my vacation and since I've been in my music therapy clinical space. My house is starting to be a bit cleaner (still have LOTS to go until it's somewhat clean), and I'm finding my way into a vacation state of mind. The importance of self-care rings true to me, especially in vacation times. I need the time to be by myself, to be quiet, and to be away from the responsibilities of being a caregiver. It is important to do so, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have time off from my job. The other side of things is important for me as well. I need time to get bored with my own company. I have a need to feel like there is more I want to do with my clients and with other people. As an introvert (who is told she's really good at masking her introversion in social settings), I have a need to be away from others to refresh and renew my energy. I need to spend time in the company of my cat and only my cat in order to restore my desire to be around other...

Today's TME offers an opportunity to assess memory and sequencing skills, determine response latency, and address impulse control. It is based on a game called "Beep." The game idea is not mine, but the music adaptation is my own idea. The premise is simple, sing a familiar song with one different word. Ask clients to "beep" when they hear the word that is different. Continue to sing until a client says, "beeps." When the client "beeps," ask them to identify the wrong word and then to sing the correct lyric. Reinforce responses - correct response if client does not identify the correct word. Repeat, changing words. To increase difficulty and to assess client's understanding of game theory, ask them to be the next singer - replacing one word in a familiar song lyric. Beep. Kuffner, T. (1998). The Preschooler's Busy Book . New York: Meadowbrook Press, p. 105.

It's time to get organized for the day. As it is my Summer Break, I am striving for a balance between getting things done and relaxing. To that end, I have devised a system that I think will work - two tasks a day. The first task involves something outside in the world, and the second is something here within the house that needs to be done. As a result, I get an opportunity to go out into the world to socialize as well as to get some sunshine (when it's present - that hasn't really happened during this break yet...), and I do something to make my house a bit more presentable. Today's tasks? Go to the bank and the post office - I know that they are not open today as it is a national holiday, but I need to go both places anyway. Clear my desk and organize the shelves - books that I've had but not used need to be placed someplace else - ebay maybe? An opportunity to clear off my desk so I have some space to create something new. Maybe I'll even do some lau...

It's time for a new book, and I found one that I've been wanting to dive into for a long time. Here it is. Ta-da!! So far, and I am into the first chapter, this book is not disappointing. I have been interested in Mercedes Pavlicevic for quite some time, but have not had much exposure to what she has written before now. I am finding much of this book to be poetic as well as thought-provoking.  In the acknowledgement page, she writes, "cleverness without imagination is barren egoism." I'm letting that thought sink in for some time. The preface, written by Colwyn Trevarthen, reads like poetry about the movement of life. He describes clients as "people who have lost musicality and fallen out of tune with others and their behaviours" (p.x). One of the symptoms of diagnosis is an inability to synch movement through life with the musical movement of society. It's an interesting viewpoint on ability and societal expectations. More grist for the phil...