Breathing is Difficult Again, But Things are Still Happening
The heat and humidity are climbing again, and my breathing is more and more difficult. I had to leave work last week because of not being able to breathe, so I took my nebulizer to work yesterday, and I'll be doing treatments once I get to my office this morning. With the treatments, I tend to get sleepy (even though it is supposed to hype me up), so this should be an interesting therapy day.
We are FINISHING the Carnival of the Animals this week. I'm glad that I decided to do this theme-based summer session series because it has given me a framework. I haven't had to plan too much because I had the music of Mr. Saint-Saens to be my structure. I have managed to get the concept of music therapy centers into the heads of my fellow staff members and my students, and the centers seem to be going well. I also have found ways to turn the theme into the TMEs that my clients appear to need as part of their therapy process. I am ready to finish this theme, however. It is time to get back into my regular way of doing things.
The nice thing, though, is that I can take some of the things we all learned during this summer into my regular school year session strategies. I am planning on using the center ideas at least once per week for my groups of students who do not group with each other well. The simple act of separating these students from one another has proved to be a good choice - the number of behavior management calls has decreased significantly over the past 3 weeks. Now that the students can no longer see each other, they don't fight. It's amazing how that worked!! (Quite a "duh" moment for this "experienced" therapist.) We will keep going with small groups within the large groups. This works best when we are fully staffed - which RARELY happens - so I can roam the room and keep the music going without having to run a center, but I can make it work when I have to man the center as well.
I have started forming my therapy strategies for the regular school year, taking what I have learned this summer into this next part of the year.
My weekly strategy includes several components. I have established my monthly themes - Musician of the Month, Instrument Spotlight, and Musical Word of the Month. I'll be deciding what I'll be doing each month during break (which starts on FRIDAY!). Out of those themes (which I've been doing for a couple of years now), the Musician of the Month seems to be the most memorable for my students and staff. I am going to try to make the others a bit more obvious as well. I'm getting a word wall going that will include the terminology that we use during music therapy. Each week will have its own focus using the weekly theme. I think I will make the last category, coping skill focus. That can start off the month and help me structure some of my TMEs.
I have started to add some decorations to my already decorated room. These, though, are mine. I am going to use stars as my theme (my favorite shape and the PBIS theme for my school). I have some new bulletin border and some new die-cuts that will help me decorate. I'm not sure that my clients will even notice, but I'm having fun with finding a theme for my music therapy room.
Well, I'm off to take a shower, put on my uniform, go do a couple of breathing treatments, do some therapy, sit through a meeting, and then come back home. Tomorrow is the last day of our Extended School Year, so I don't have therapy in the afternoon (I have to help facilitate movie day at work). I will be officially finished with music therapy sessions tomorrow at 11:45 am for 13 days.
It's time to get started on this second to last day of ESY. See you tomorrow!
We are FINISHING the Carnival of the Animals this week. I'm glad that I decided to do this theme-based summer session series because it has given me a framework. I haven't had to plan too much because I had the music of Mr. Saint-Saens to be my structure. I have managed to get the concept of music therapy centers into the heads of my fellow staff members and my students, and the centers seem to be going well. I also have found ways to turn the theme into the TMEs that my clients appear to need as part of their therapy process. I am ready to finish this theme, however. It is time to get back into my regular way of doing things.
The nice thing, though, is that I can take some of the things we all learned during this summer into my regular school year session strategies. I am planning on using the center ideas at least once per week for my groups of students who do not group with each other well. The simple act of separating these students from one another has proved to be a good choice - the number of behavior management calls has decreased significantly over the past 3 weeks. Now that the students can no longer see each other, they don't fight. It's amazing how that worked!! (Quite a "duh" moment for this "experienced" therapist.) We will keep going with small groups within the large groups. This works best when we are fully staffed - which RARELY happens - so I can roam the room and keep the music going without having to run a center, but I can make it work when I have to man the center as well.
I have started forming my therapy strategies for the regular school year, taking what I have learned this summer into this next part of the year.
My weekly strategy includes several components. I have established my monthly themes - Musician of the Month, Instrument Spotlight, and Musical Word of the Month. I'll be deciding what I'll be doing each month during break (which starts on FRIDAY!). Out of those themes (which I've been doing for a couple of years now), the Musician of the Month seems to be the most memorable for my students and staff. I am going to try to make the others a bit more obvious as well. I'm getting a word wall going that will include the terminology that we use during music therapy. Each week will have its own focus using the weekly theme. I think I will make the last category, coping skill focus. That can start off the month and help me structure some of my TMEs.
I have started to add some decorations to my already decorated room. These, though, are mine. I am going to use stars as my theme (my favorite shape and the PBIS theme for my school). I have some new bulletin border and some new die-cuts that will help me decorate. I'm not sure that my clients will even notice, but I'm having fun with finding a theme for my music therapy room.
Well, I'm off to take a shower, put on my uniform, go do a couple of breathing treatments, do some therapy, sit through a meeting, and then come back home. Tomorrow is the last day of our Extended School Year, so I don't have therapy in the afternoon (I have to help facilitate movie day at work). I will be officially finished with music therapy sessions tomorrow at 11:45 am for 13 days.
It's time to get started on this second to last day of ESY. See you tomorrow!
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