Time to Freak Out the Cat...The Suitcase is Leaving the House...

Yesterday's Presentation

This is day two of the Midwestern Region conference, and I am about to stress the cat out more than usual because I am taking my suitcase with me. I'll be leading a 3-hour Make and Take continuing music therapy education this morning, and I have to have lots of stuff in order to get these projects going and done. LOTS...OF...STUFF.

Conference time is different from regular time, and I think it truly exists out of the regular space-time continuum. I'm exhausted and only got about 3 hours of sleep last night - this is typical for me at conference time - nerves and lack of sleep tend to make me less effective or less coordinated or something. I'm currently feeling lots of self-imposed nerves because of this new adventure - sharing things that I love with people who have paid the region money to learn from me. (To be completely honest, these are the same types of twinges that I feel whenever I release any of my ideas into the wild - whether it be YouTube video, a Teachers Pay Teachers file, or one of my own CMTEs - there's always this twinge. This time around, the audience is live, so I'm feeling some added pressure.

Pressure I put on myself, by the way!

The cat knows that something is coming because I have filled my rolling suitcase full of visual aid materials and scissors and tape and the like. She doesn't know that it's only a day trip. That reminds me - I have to move the case to the door while she's in the other room. I don't want her to see me move it - that leads to lots more stress markers. We have to navigate a bit of relationship issues every time the suitcase comes out!


Anyway, here I am, sitting in my front room realizing that I cannot leave at this time because I will get to the hotel ridiculously early and won't be able to get into the room where I am presenting for a couple more hours. There is no reason to sit in the hotel lobby with all my stuff, so I'll sit here for another hour before heading out. That will time my arrival to about an hour before the CMTE begins. I'll be able to unpack, arrange the room, think about what I want to do, watch a little bit of a movie, rearrange the room, second-guess myself several times, and then get started.

It's a process - not the best process - but it's my process. 

I actually went to one presentation yesterday - about a music therapy journal club - and I will attend one presentation today - I can't remember the topic off-hand, but it's listed in my journal! I'll finish off the conference with my own presentation and then a business meeting. I listened to our new Executive Director ask questions in yesterday's meeting. He facilitated a town hall meeting. Folks talked about the same old things. The more things change, the more things stay the same. It's an interesting time to be a member of AMTA - we'll see if folks will allow for transformational change. I'm skeptical about what will really change, but I am also very hopeful. It is more than time to update many of the ways that we do things as a profession - I'm not exactly sure how to elaborate on these idea fragments that are floating around in my brain, but I'll try to figure it out and then write about it later.

If you are interested in what I've been presenting about, check out my website to see the powerpoint presentations. If you are interested in getting CMTEs on any of these topics - contact me, and I'll talk to you about CMTE options (I can come to you or arrange courses online to fit your schedule!). While you're there, consider signing up for my monthly newsletter to get more information about what's happening for music therapists online and off - products, continuing education, and tips for music therapists.

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