Another Late Start

I was able to accomplish yesterday's goal of arriving at work exactly on time - I was on the property, parking the car at 7:14 am! I did not allow any sort of anxiety reaction take over - I had to tell myself quite frequently that it would be fine (especially when I got stuck behind one slow school bus) if I was a couple of minutes late. I always stay later than I have to, so there is no reason why I should be feeling any sort of guilt that I am not at work enough for what they pay me. I am, and more than!

I am repeating the process today. I have less responsibilities than usual today because we have closed a classroom due to a COVID outbreak. So, my third class of the day has been cancelled because we have no new students. I have almost an entire afternoon to work on my digital resources for my students. I need to buckle down on that project for October - I've decided to do a presentation about bullying. We spend lots of time with kids on how to identify bullies, and not as much time on identifying our own bullying behaviors. I have a song for that concept that will be part of the presentation. Today's task is to find some bullying songs on YouTube to put into the presentation as links. I also want to make some worksheets to use.

I am looking forward to testing these digital presentations with my clients later this month. I am hoping to eventually have an entire library for my co-workers to use when it works in their schedules and/or when I am gone for one reason or another. I just have to train teachers to look for those resources and then use them with their students.

I've had a bit more people using my YouTube channel lately because I keep telling them about the channel and encouraging them to use it when I am out for one reason or another. I had a student request a song from the channel (it's one of my songs that I used a VERY long time ago and put on there just to have something to share), so I know that they are watching it at times. That's the reason to have that sort of thing, right? Access to music enrichment activities at any time?

I like putting together music-enhanced education resources, and I am enjoying the learning involved with figuring out how to get things done. Now, if I had the ability to download the programs and apps that I needed to finish specific things - like Audacity - I would be able to do so much more, but... The IT department has to have something to do, I guess. They do have to protect the entire network...

That is my biggest frustration with the process right now - the lack of ability to access the tools that I need to do my job. I bet my clients feel that all the time. I can make a request and wait until someone can give me that access. My clients often cannot do any of that - the asking or the waiting.

I will make my request and then wait for the access that I need. I have unique software needs that others do not, so the things I ask for do not come standard with our computer setups. I need Audacity right now so I can do some recording with my clients. My clinical computer does not have that program and it requires an administration password that they do not feel comfortable letting me have, for some reason (tongue firmly in cheek with that statement!). 

Once I have the ability to record and edit music the way I know how to do it, I will spend some time making videos of my original music for the YouTube channel. I want to be putting more materials up every week, but I haven't quite figured out how to record things while sharing the office. I do best when I can close the door when recording, and that is no longer an option. My only other option is to arrive early when no one else is in the suite. Today, though, I am not going in early. (It is 6am, by the way. The itch has started.) I will make some plans before I start the recording process. The recording process will be easier once I am the only occupant in my office space, but I like having interns around, so I will make that sacrifice (giving up my ability to be alone in a room) so that interns can come to music therapy.

It is just about time to get the rest of my uniform on and then head on out into the sunrise. Twenty-eight minutes until 6:30. I think I can do it, but the itch to leave and not be late is definitely there.

Resist the itch!

Have a wonderful day, fellow music therapists.

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