Synthesis Sunday: Music Therapy Dreams

I have a dream that includes a remote house somewhere. The actual setting of that remote house varies - sometimes it is in the desert, sometimes in the middle of the mountains, other times it is next to a lake. It's a place where there is great internet access (because I don't think I could do much without the internet these days) and a place for thinking, a place for sewing, a place for painting, a place for making music, and a place for watching the sun rise and set. There are wood or tile floors that are easy to keep clean and lots of book shelves for all of my books. Bella has a place to wander and climb as well as places to hide and wait to ambush my ankles whenever she wants. This is just a dream place, but maybe someday it will be a reality.

I also have a dream for a music therapy clinic. One of the things I do for fun is to sit with a sheet of graph paper and draw clinical spaces. I like floor plans, so I dream and draw. I dream of a music therapy clinic space that includes a large group treatment room, a couple of small treatment rooms, observation booths, offices, and lots of storage.

Now, I have absolutely no desire to start my own music therapy clinic - I'm not as entrepreneurial as all that - so this is just a way to have fun, but it is a good exercise to think about what you want in a treatment space. For me, it helps define my priorities.

As I dream about spaces, I also dream about what I could do in those spaces.

In a music therapy clinic designed by me, I would have enough space to run music relaxation groups that include movement and yoga. There would be enough room to run, march, jump, and pirouette around the room. I would have a different space that would have materials that are more appropriate for small group or individual treatment.

My reality is not like my dreams at all, but I have found that dreaming big helps me to prioritize my reality. I want easy to clean floors? Start looking for a space that has that type of floors. I want enough space to do specific things with clients? Start to figure out where that could be accomplished within my facility. If I can't do that within my facility, is that really what music therapy should be at my facility? If I think that it is, maybe I should move into another opportunity.

This week, I dare you to dream big.

What do you want to do with your life? What do you want to do in your music therapy role? Where do you want to be in five years? How about ten years? Twenty?

Think outside of you - what do you want for this profession? Ask the same questions - where do you want the profession of music therapy to be in five years? Ten? Twenty? What do you think needs to happen in order to get us there? How can you help in the realization of your dreams?

Once you have your dreaming process started, take a step towards those dreams. One small step is the way to get started.

Where will your dreams take you? You never know, but the journey is exhilarating!