Synthesis Sunday: A Personal, Professional Philosophy Statement
Not my usual way of thinking on the way home after an extremely challenging week in the music therapy spaces that I inhibit, but I embraced it anyway. My current way of being includes going where my interests lead me, so I thought about philosophy all the way home.
I did not come to ONE decision or a SET philosophy, but I explored a bit about what having a philosophy meant to me. That's what I am going to talk about in this post - the importance of finding your philosophy and then basing your professional practice and demeanor on that philosophy. I also thought about how a philosophy can and should change over the years and experiences that you gather, so there will be a bit about that as well in the ensuing sentences. If you haven't written a personal, professional philosophy, then you might consider doing something like this. It is interesting to sit down and really think about what you believe and what you feel guides your professional practice.
I have written several formal philosophy statements over my years as a music therapist. The first was during my later undergraduate years - we had to write one before we could graduate. I was trying really hard to figure out who I was in that time. I was not particularly popular with my classmates - I was the only person who joined the music fraternity rather than the music therapy group. I like sleeping, so all-night parties were out of the question. I loved learning, so I spent more time in the library than socializing. It took until a terrible junior year to realize that I did not need to match their requirements to be part of the group since I didn't want to be part of the group. I started talking out and making my own decisions about things. I think my personal philosophy statement was the first one that my professor wrote something like, "very unique but completely expected from you." I'm not exactly sure what that means either, but I took it as a backhanded compliment.
Over the years, I have had to write other philosophy statements - for classes, to be an internship director - but none of them has been as challenging as that first one. It was really the first time that I was able to decide some things in my future life as a music therapy professional. I took the assignment very seriously. I have always enjoyed writing things down, and this was an opportunity to make some decisions about what I believed that were independent of what my parents thought about the world and even independent of what my professors taught. I was able to find the start of my particular path.
To write a philosophy statement, you have to start with the question, "What do I believe about ___?" I usually try to find several words to put into the blank there - human beings, music, music and human beings, professionalism, therapy, benefits of therapy for human beings, and other concepts as they arise in my process. Once I have my questions ready, I start to organize my thoughts. Remember my predilection for super-sticky post-it notes?? This is one of my organizing tools when I write just about anything (other than this particular writing project - I just go with the flow here, though I did put this topic onto a post-it so I would remember it this morning). Color-coding helps here as well - a color for each of the three elements of music therapy (client, therapist, and music) - and then I put them together in a more coherent pattern. I often have to cite the origin of my ideas, and that is sometimes difficult because beliefs are not always easily attributable to others. If I know the origin or know that others have found this belief independent of my own thinking, then I seek the source. There are times when my ideas are my own - as far as I can see.
Once I have my ideas out of my head and onto paper, I start to find themes. The next step is organizing my thoughts. I often start with large ideas and then bring the writing into smaller ideas. I start with the general ideas first and then move into the more personal ideas as I write through my thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. I try really hard to make these statements personal as I believe that philosophy statements should be personal, even when you are writing about your professional concepts.
A philosophy statement can never be finite. I believe in different things now than I did when I was 20. I know that the writing that I did for that first philosophy statement is not entirely something that I would write today. There are still some elements that I believe, but I have grown in my experience and my attitudes about music, therapy, and my role in this profession as well. I believe that growth and evolution are an essential part of longevity in this profession. If you are not able to adapt and grow, then you do not stay a music therapist for long. (OPINION) I wonder if this is one of the reasons that people do not stay in this profession - they are not able to identify their personal beliefs in a way that informs their clinical practice as therapists. Hm. Something to think about as a music therapist. I wonder if there is a community who would like to explore this further. I would.
My professional life has been enriched by my ideas and beliefs. Many of the ideas and beliefs that I have inform my professional life, but I do not often share those ideas and beliefs with others. I do not feel that people need to know some of my moral guidelines in order to interact with me as a therapist. When I write a philosophy statement, I do it for myself. I pick and choose the pieces that I feel need to be public, and I keep the parts that I do not feel are necessary for others to know to myself.
I may spend some time committing my ideas to paper this week. I think it may be time. I have been asked about what I want to do when I retire from my current job in four or five years, and I think it may be time to start looking at that particular topic. A personal, professional philosophy statement appears to be a good place to start.
Happy Sunday, all.
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