Thoughtful Thursday: Holiday Complications...How Do I Still Do Music Therapy??

Oh.

It is December, and my students are demonstrating that it is December through every atom in their bodies. Kids cannot focus - or will not focus - in some cases, the former - in others, the latter. To add to the chaos that is December, my administrators have decided to switch kids all around into different classes, so all classes are different right now. We are all in a constant state of "picking our battles" and "going with the flow" and "be patient because we aren't fully staffed." This means that all sorts of stressors are showing up in the music therapy room, and, being a humanistic therapist, I then respond by attempting to provide a place to release those emotions. 

Next week is a week of interruptions to our schedule. This will both exacerbate and relieve some of the stress and holiday hype happening. I will get a chance to cancel some sessions since the festivities are during the school days. That will complicate my life because I live by my schedule and get very confused when it is interrupted. My students, however, will enjoy most of the stuff that is planned, and that is really what is important.

In my music therapy room, we tend not to do much celebration of the holiday season. (Ooh, that was a pretty stuffy sentence...oh well.) I acknowledge things when clients bring them up, but I do not do much Christmas music or carol singing except in our Holiday Sing. This is just self-preservation during this month - we are already so very cranky and anxious about whether we will get presents or go home and all that. Focusing on holiday music just sends us over the edge, so we are going to avoid that and inject some calm into the atmosphere.

Next week, for my sessions at least, we are going to talk about our country of the month. This has been an interesting series of sessions. It is a bit more music-enhanced education than I usually do in my facility, but it handily falls under my service delivery system of "educational enrichment," AND gives me a chance to use music to supplement knowledge. We are nearing the end of our countries, so I am wondering if this will continue or not. One of my interns put together all of the powerpoints for the countries for the rest of the year (go #33!!), so all I have to do is review that file and get things ready to show to my groups. Easy session strategy - low demand and educationally enriching - perfect for weeks when our schedule is all out of whack!

So, with the increase of holiday anxiety and decrease of attention to task in all of us in this month, my job as a school-based therapist is to ride the wave and go along with what happens with each and every client while being the calm, consistent influence in the music therapy room. My structure remains the same in the session - opening TME for assessing client responses, TMEs shaped to the emotional states of my clients, closing TME to send them to the next thing on their schedules. Throughout the session, I am monitoring responses, changing the music to accommodate responses and support client goals, and using the strategies that I use all the time. I find myself using my "teacher face" and "shark-eye stare" more during December than in any other month of the year, but my clients know what it means when my eyebrow bumps appear on my face. I probably get more wrinkles during this month than any other.

Structure and consistency are my words of this month - not just for my clients, but for myself as well. I always have way too much happening in December, so I get overwhelmed pretty easily. I do not decorate much. I don't really feel like I am ready for Christmas until I step off the plane at home. At that point, I can relax into the season, and I can rest. Up until then, I have work to do - both at school and at my other job - church. I work through Christmas Eve, so even my two days off before Christmas Eve will be consumed by some work stuff. Once Eve passes, I will be able to engage in my own celebrations.

If you are currently a music therapist or educator (Hi, Kelly!), please know that we are going to make it through this month. We really will. It may be rough, but we can do it!