Rant Ahead: I'm Turning Into an Old Music Therapy Fogey

Alright, alright. I'm already there. I am declaring myself an OMTF - an Old Music Therapy Fogey - right now!

Are you an OMTF? Here are some tell-tale signs.

  • a growing feeling that "people today just don't know how to ____."
  • statements like "when I was in school, I had to..." start to bubble up and out of your mouth when you are trying to interact with others
  • a growing nostalgia for the "good old days"
I'm telling you, I'm there!
As I read through posts on my various social media accounts, I find myself doing the following things more and more:
  • yelling "What do you think Google is for?" at the screen when looking at yet another request for the chords to a song that is readily available to me via Google...
  • yelling "Didn't you go through dictation and ear training in your education?" at the same posts! Why else did we take all of those classes? Are there music therapy programs out there that do not require music theory classes in order to get your music therapy degree? If so, WHY?
  • (the biggie and most frequent rant of mine!) SPELL-CHECK!
I am a member of several different groups and some of them are now exploding with laments about people out there who have a marked lack of professional skills. I've read posts by people who are expecting potential employers to contact them with job details rather than heading into the work world and finding their own job! I've read posts that include bad grammar, horrible misspelled words, and a distinct lack of writing style.

Now, I know that Facebook and Instagram are not formal forms of communication, but when you are interacting with people that you want to employ you, it behooves you to actually read what you are typing. If you want someone to give you a job, you have to earn it! 

There is lots of speculation about why we see so many people who simply do not know how to engage in job hunting protocol. Employers blame the internship directors and academicians. Internship directors blame the academicians. Academicians state that there is not enough time to teach these behaviors. Who do I blame? Everyone, including parents and teachers from the first school experience to the last one. Don't forget society, either. 

I also think that the bad examples themselves are also to blame. If you aren't getting a job, then it's time to do some meta-analysis - what are YOU doing wrong? It is not the job of the employers to tell you what to do. It is YOUR job to figure out how to improve YOURSELF!

One of the intern webinars that I offer is Marketing Yourself. In that webinar, we talk about how to find a job. I'm seriously considering adding another webinar/course for students on the job hunt. It seems necessary in this particular climate.

My last comment for today, as I wallow and rejoice in my OMTF status, is a video that I enjoy. It really speaks to me about what I think the underlying reason for all of these changes and difficulties happening right now. Feel free to agree or disagree with my opinions here. Comments are welcome!

 

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