I'm Doing Some Wondering

I tend to get somewhat philosophical at times - this is one of those times. I am sitting here, after a long day yesterday and an even longer day on Monday, thinking about deep things like THE FUTURE, and MUSIC THERAPY, and THE EDUCATION OF OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS. (See, a bit philosophical!)

All of my thinking leads me onto different pathways. I follow my thoughts into making new forms, products, therapeutic music experiences (TMEs), blog posts, business ventures, and other stuff. Sometimes my wandering brain gives me something that others can use. Most of the time, though, it doesn't seem to do so.

Right now, I am reading lots of conversations about music therapy eligibility difficulties. There are discussions about SEMTAP evaluations, obstacles in the way of families who are seeking MT services, and the general confusion out there about music therapy as a related service under the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These conversations are leading me into lots of "what if" scenarios and thoughts.

I wonder how we, as music therapists, can help our clients get access to music therapy services in ways that don't appear self-serving. It is really difficult to advocate for a service that allows for a professional benefit. We are advocating for something that will eventually benefit us as well as our clients. That makes us look suspicious.

Now, you and I know that music therapists aren't usually just out to get more for us, but are advocates for clients. We see that there are people out there that could benefit from the unique nature of what we know how to do, and we want those clients to have access to something that will help them in the long run.

One of the problems with this system is that music therapists are the only ones that can determine eligibility under our current system. Administering a Special Education Music Therapy Assessment Protocol (SEMTAP) requires a board certified music therapist. That type of set-up makes us look a bit suspicious to money-conscious folks.

Can you see both sides? I can.

This leads me to wonder about how we can become more regarded in the field of special education and more present in the educational system overall. We seem to fight the same fight to get listed on Individual Education Plans (IEPs) in every school district. Once we get a foot into the door, the process often becomes easier, but getting that foot in the door is difficult.

So, now my brain is going through a process that happens to me occasionally. I call it the "what if" process... 

I am going to head into my "what if" process (it includes things like mind maps, scribbles on post-it notes, research, and other stuff like that) and see what I can come up with regarding this problem. I have some ideas, but I don't see quite how it will work yet...

I love wondering about things. It makes me happy to find problems to work on - I will try to solve this problem for the others out there struggling with these situations...