Synthesis Sunday: So, What Is It I Want From Calls for Change??
Are you ready?
Please remember that this is a place for my opinions. You are welcome to challenge, comment, or question anything that you would like, but these opinions are mine and are written on my personal blog. Take it or leave it as you would like.
What do I want my professional national organization to do for me?
I want more transparent communication from all committees and members of the Assembly and Board. I don't think a Board Book is adequate in this time of constant interaction. I would like to hear what the Association Internship Approval Committee is doing to best represent interns and internship supervisors throughout the year, not just one email from the head office once per year (if that!). I would like to know what the Commission for the Education and Clinical Training of the 21st Century Music Therapist is actually doing rather than having to wait for a cryptic remark published twice per year in a pdf. (Also, I think the name of that Commission has to change - we are already in the third decade of the 21st Century - Seems strange to me. How about the Commission for the Ed/CT 2035? That would give us 14 years of educational/higher education change. We could even change the date to 2040. That would give education programs 19 years to change things up.)
I want AMTA to be sitting at the table when legislation about health care and education comes up for debate. I have no interest in doing this thing myself, so I am very glad that we have a presence (that doesn't have to be me). They already do that - it would be nice to see how much they are doing that.
I want AMTA to look into state authorizations and licensure for music therapists with CBMT. This is something that already happens, and I think that AMTA and CBMT do a pretty good job of letting us know what is happening out there in state legislatures.
I want there to be more options for clinicians over the entire association. At this point, we get research journals whether we want them or not. Most of the presentations that I have reviewed are based on research. There is not much that is part of the day-to-day work of a clinician in our national conference or in our publications. We do not offer many opportunities for the clinicians in our profession through AMTA. Everything seems to be catered towards students and professors. We have priced membership out of the reach of some of our clinicians (I think there is always a way of getting the price of membership, but some folks just do not want to give up other things in favor of membership. This says something about the lack of benefit for professionals.) Perhaps we could do something like the Occupational Therapists do - have options for journals to decrease the amount of membership or offer a clinical version that offers updates on trainings, therapeutic music experience ideas, or presents clinical ramifications of the research presented in the other journal. This would be lots of work, but I think it could be doable.
I want to be able to talk to people who are angry about why they are angry and to help us all come to a place of understanding. I want my association to be a place where all people are welcome and where all opinions are heard and acknowledged. I would like to know what types of things happen and how they are perceived by people who have different life situations than I do. I want to be part of the conversation, but I want to be able to ask questions and seek answers without being perceived as being privileged or obstructive. I firmly believe that I change without much difficulty, but I have to understand what is happening before I can change.
I want to fix things before we splinter into all sorts of small groups. This seems to be heading towards the disintegration of our association if we just keep going the way we are going. I don't want that to happen. What would happen to our internship way of life? How would students get any sort of additional clinical training? Would university programs be able to step up and cover all the placements that are needed? Would I then have to run my internship based on how the university wanted me to run the program? Would I have any say over who was assigned to my program? Would I ever get a break from being a supervisor? Would the university then have to pay me as an adjunct instructor? That might not be too bad - finally getting some sort of compensation for taking time and energy to train students. I don't think the world of music therapy is ready for the disintegration of our professional organization, so we need to be actively fixing what we have now.
I want to know more. I guess it is time to start getting back into the work of the association somehow. It is easy to stand on the fringes and shriek for change. It is even easier to leave the organization and then yell about the bad treatment that you perceived. It is more difficult to get involved and try to be an instrument of change from the inside. The only way we can change things is to be part of the problem which means membership in the organization we want to change. If I leave, then I can no longer have a say in what happens.
I am a firm believer in the idea that you have to participate to earn the right to complain. I feel this way about politics - if you don't vote, then don't complain about the state of politics and the politicians that are voted into office. I find myself feeling the same way in this situation. If you leave membership, then you do not get a say in how the organization works. If you want change, then you have to be a part of the conversation, the work, and the difficulty that comes with significant paradigm shifts.
It is conference week. I am getting ready to attend the virtual conference. I have RSVP'd for the board meeting. I am going to be in attendance while issues are discussed. I expect that there will be times when the Board will have to close viewing for sensitive issues and conversations, but I intend to be there to see what is going on and what is discussed. As I have said, the best way to get change happening is to be present and to be active in the discussion. That is something that I find myself wanting a bit more than this time last year - being present and active in the discussion.
Hope to "see" some of you during conference this week. It will not be the same as actually going somewhere, but it is the best we can do at this point, so bring it on!
What do you think needs to change in the world of music therapy and in our professional organization? Comments, challenges, and opinions are welcome!
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