Finally Friday - Systems in Music Therapy

It is Friday, and this is a late post because I FINALLY GOT SOME SLEEP! I fell asleep around 7:30 last night and slept until 3am, got up and used the bathroom, watched some videos until 5 and then flipped over and slept again until 7:45. I have a little less than an hour to get ready for an eye examination and blog and all that. I am still exhausted, but at least I was able to sleep for an extended amount of time. Having the occasional night where I do not get much sleep is not completely unusual for me, but two nights in a row is VERY unusual. I blame my depression (appears that I do this every summer with high temperatures and soggy air) and my current emotional state for all of this.

Yesterday, I had a couple of wins. I was able to change a system where I really was getting screwed over as well as acknowledgement of a service delivery system that I organized for our new vocational program. I'm not sure that anyone other than the two of us who discussed this know that it is my system, but I'm thrilled that it was shared with others as the way to do things. More of the questions lurking in my brain, tumbling over and over all during the past week, have now been answered. That makes me feel a bit more settled.

To finish up my work week yesterday, I planted some seeds in a little bitty flowerpot (that I was able to paint a bright spring green). I was walking into the hallway where the music therapy room is located. There is a door with a bump bar on it. I bumped the bar. The door did not open, but I kept walking, hitting the edge of my bullet journal on the door, and causing the flowerpot to jump up, tip over, and spill all the soil and seeds down my shirt. Potting soil in your bra is not a sensory experience I would recommend. It was the perfect ending to my week...

Today, though, is Friday and the day to focus on systems that I use in my music therapy life to keep track of things and to help me work smarter rather than harder. I am thinking that it is time to highlight one of my systems for my interns - my competency based evaluation!

Now, this system is one that I am proud of and find to be very comprehensive and quick to fill out. I am also always willing to share this document with anyone - just please credit me as the original content creator after you change it to make it work for your internship program. Also, please send me a copy of your evaluation so I can see how you use it!! I love seeing what others do in their programs.

What makes my evaluation a system for me? 

First of all, it is a list of all the skills that I want my interns to display at the end of their internship. They get this list at the beginning of their internship so they know what skills are expected. They also know what assignments go with what competence so they know that I will be looking for evidence of their understanding of the AMTA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice in the worksheet that they have to fill out. There are very few surprises.

Second, I use a pass/fail system for grading. I do not give letter grades, but I can easily convert the ranking that I give to a numerical system pretty easily. I figure that the purpose of an apprenticeship (which this internship thing is really) is to teach the skills that are needed, so it is my job to continue teaching until a) the skills is demonstrated or b) I exhaust all of my knowledge and experience. That hasn't happened yet for any of my 34 interns. I figure that it is my job to keep teaching until the lesson has been learned or until I cannot teach anymore.

Lastly, I feel that this evaluation really delves into the different types of things that I have to do as a music therapist. It does not just mention whether I can play the guitar, it lists out the skills that I absolutely have to use everyday with my clients. Skills are demonstrable and as objectified as possible. There has never really been lots of contention between my rankings and my interns' perceptions of their own skills. We can evaluate whether they do things all the time, occasionally, or never pretty quickly. Time is valuable, but the comprehensive evaluation of interns is something that we owe them. They need to know what skills are required in our various roles in the profession, and they need to have a way to evaluate themselves outside of the rather subjective AMTA Professional Competencies.

So, here is a snapshot of my evaluation. If you are interested in getting a full copy, leave me a comment with your email (I will NOT publish your comments if you include your email - it is just to give me access to send the file to you). Again, you are welcome to use this in ways that make sense for you!

See you tomorrow?? Happy Systems Friday!