Thoughtful Thursday: I'm Glad I Went...

Yesterday's post was titled, "I Don't Want To Go," and yesterday was an interesting day, to say the least. My intern is sick and needs to go to find medical care, so I ran seven groups on my own yesterday.

Interns are always so funny about asking me if I can cover their groups. My response? "Oh, yeah, I think I can do that."

Intern #36 will not be at work today. Intern #36 will probably not be at work tomorrow either. In fact, I will send intern #36 home to rest and get better.

I am glad that I went to work yesterday.

This morning is a relatively free morning. I have an entire hour before I need to leave for work. I will be heading to Walmart before work to replenish the chocolate jar and get some food for my office. I am completely out of everything to eat. That is the only thing that I have to do this morning before work. I woke ten minutes before my alarm, so I was able to turn that off which meant that I was not startled awake. Things seem to be going pretty well.

I still don't want to go to work, though.

Now, this has nothing to do with my intern or my clients or my music therapy work. It has everything to do with the aches and pains that happen in my body on a daily basis these days. We had two days of autumn-like weather and now the heat and humidity are rising. Next week, our temperatures will be dangerous - over 100 degrees F without considering the heat index. In contrast to the heat outside, my music therapy room temperature continues to hover around 65 degrees F. Kids are complaining, and all of my blankets need to be laundered. I have not been motivated enough to wash them all yet. That has to get done! Perhaps I will start the washing process before I leave for work today. I have the time this morning. If I don't do it this morning, I can get started on it this afternoon.

I am glad that I went to work yesterday, and I know that I will be happy to be at work today...once I get there. We played with Orff instruments yesterday. I am lucky enough to have an entire classroom set of Orff instruments - that was how I spent my equipment/technology money in 2009. I made a slide show outlining how to put the instruments together, and then students assembled the instruments before playing. Once we started playing together, I oriented students to the note names, linked that concept to our current learning (we are trying to learn how to read music), and then we played the first phrase of the chorus to "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X. (I have that phrase in sheet music. All of my clients know if, but not all of them like the song...) We start to see the connection between the instruments and the music that we play.

For groups where assembling the instrument is just too much, we started with an assembly demonstration. I showed students the difference between long and short bars, and then I put it together (sometimes with help from clients, so perfection is not the goal. The goal is to get the bars on the instrument, not in order). After that, we take turns being audience members and performers until interest wanes or time is up - whichever comes first.

Today includes three music therapy groups and one push-in group for relaxation and curriculum support time. I did the first of the push-in groups yesterday for a classroom that I have never done this for before. I had told the teacher about what I was hoping would happen - curriculum support, musical support for the students present. I think I confused the students when I entered their room and sat down. One student kept trying to drag me to the door and then hit me when I didn't leave. (That client does that all the time!) Other clients just stared at me. Some approached me with side eye and just made circles around me.

I did what I love to do the most in this job. I made my music match my clients' observable behaviors. By the end of the session, the noise in the room had ceased. Students were offering suggestions for our songs using their communication devices. Everyone was in their preferred seating locations, and it was time for snack. The teacher stated that he felt they were calmer than they were when I started. It was a good way to end the therapeutic portion of my day.

After that session was finished, I went back to my music therapy room and watched two of the five trainings that I have to do this year. Only three left to go.

So, while I am glad that I went to work yesterday, and while I am feeling like I don't want to go today, I know that I will be glad that I went at the end of this day. Friday is even easier - two groups and one individual and the rest of the time is dedicated to planning, task boxes, and cleaning. I am on the downhill slide now. That may be motivation enough to get going tomorrow morning. Today, however, I am still fighting against my body and my need to be in a prone position.

Think deeply, friends. Happy Thursday.