TME Tuesday: Sitting Down to Write Things...

I took some time, in my new(ish) office, yesterday, to write down a TME in my database in my "finished" format. The TME is not quite finished - I need to notate the song to get things completely finished - but almost. This is the first idea that I have formalized in a long time, and it was nice to have the time and the attention to get something done. I am hoping that this continues for the next several days so I can get some TMEs finished.

Writing a therapeutic music experience (TME) takes time, if you do it right.

Several years ago, I decided not to publish any more new TMEs on this blog for a couple of reasons. First of all, I feel that publishing my ideas without any sort of music therapy filter could lead some people to use my ideas without understanding the tenets of music therapy. I didn't want non-music therapists to think that they could follow my procedures and be "doing music therapy." Second, I got kind of pissed off by the attitudes of some music therapists out in the world who just wanted things without paying for the time, energy, and intellectual property of creators. Honestly, I figured that I should no longer just give away my hard work for people who stated that they should just get access because they "deserved" the benefits of my hard work. That was about the time that I also decided I was no longer willing to be a part of Music Therapists Unite! - for the same reasons. Third, I started a paid subscription for these ideas - the cost to others isn't much, but it does give me a bit of revenue for my work and intellectual property. 

So, I no longer publish new TMEs on my blog. That doesn't mean that I don't still publish these ideas and offer them to other music therapists, but it also means that I value the work that I do too much to just let it wander out there in the world.

The ideas just keep coming, though, and I am enjoying my new desk and the ability to sit in my little space, listening to my iPod through my speakers, and not having to be quiet in order to allow my interns to concentrate. (These two are very quiet.) I work better with talking in the background (NOT MUSIC!), so having my iPod playing something free field helps me concentrate on writing TMEs.

Yesterday marked my return to doing more than two group sessions per week. I observed two sessions led by my senior intern and then led the last group myself! I have two groups to lead today. Two of the groups on my schedule are not currently happening because there are no teachers or clients in those classes. This will give me another hour of work time to get TMEs written and/or arrange my office space a bit more today. I am looking forward to it.

I am hoping that I will have the ability to reserve time during my week for the purposes of coming up with new TMEs for my clients to experience. Right now, I am not sure if I will be able to do that, but with less clients and less classes to serve, I think I can reserve a bit of time to write and compose. I just need to do it. It is important to have time to create and compose and make music embedded into my routine, so it is time to bring that back!

When I sit down to write, I put on a familiar television show to fill up the sound environment. I use familiar shows because I am not really wanting to watch the show. It is there in the background as company and something to occupy my brain as I use it in other ways. I open up my database and my ideas book, and off I go! I like being able to play my guitar or the keyboard as I compose. I do better with keyboard composing than I do with guitar. It is much easier to identify the notes on the keyboard for me. I know my guitar notes, but I have to count and think more when I am composing with the guitar. I tend to start my composition process with the guitar as I am improvising and then settling on a set melody. As soon as I can feel the song solidify in my brain, I move to the keyboard to check the actual melodic patterns that I am singing. I hash out the melody line on the keyboard before starting to put the music into my notation program. The notation program is where I can hear my rhythmic notation and see if what I write is actually what I am singing (it often is not). At the end of the process, I have a complete song with accompaniment and looking professional. I used to have to write my songs, so having a program that prints it for me is very valuable.

Often, the process of composition and the writing of the elements of the TME go on at the same time. I switch from program to program as ideas come to my head. It is not an easy process, but it is part of the job that I actually love! I love it when a song pops into my head fully formed. I love songs that take me forever to finish and refine. I also love it when an idea stays in my "Ideas for Development" book and file for a long time - eventually, they do move from that category to the finished location. It is nice to see things move from one place to another.

My hope for today's foray into work is that I finish the TME I started yesterday, spend some time updating my database to include my most recent intern's TMEs, and to move forward on my scheduling process for my clients - AND LEAD TWO GROUPS!! Hooray!