TME Tuesday: My Continuing Experiment

TME Tuesdays: Box with abstract background design including the following text: www.musictherapyworks.com; TME Tuesday.
Last week, I did not get any sort of TME production accomplished. If you are a first-time reader then you probably don't know that I am working on writing 5 TMEs per week in an experiment. I ask my interns to do the same thing, so I am examining whether I can do that task. I can, when I bother. I, of course, am navigating all sorts of things including a work-related hand injury which stops me from playing both the guitar and the keyboard for the next month, at least. My TME productivity plummeted last week as I was going through adjusting to my new reality of an awkwardly broken finger on my dominant hand that interferes with my ability to write and type and compose.

So, I took a week away from TME development, but I started up again yesterday. I am finished with everything except the actual transcription of the music - again, can't play instruments easily right now... can't even do body percussion with my left hand...

That is the part that is the most frustrating right now - not being able to bend my finger to play the guitar or the keyboard or clap. Yesterday's session included a background beat to assist me with keeping things consistent for my clients. Everything that we did had a background beat put on repeat. When I changed experiences, I changed beats. I sang to the beats, we danced to the beats, we listened to the beats.

The best thing about this type of injury (and this is the second time this finger has been broken by a client, so I have (ugh) experience with this type of thing) is that it forces me to do things differently than I usually do. I don't have my guitar to hide behind. It is all just me and a beat.

For yesterday's TME, I went back into my ideas book and opened the place where I store my melodies. This was a song focused on developing emotional coping skills that I wrote in 2022. I have the melody finished and the chord progression figured out, but I do not have the rhythm. I have to figure out that using an instrument which I CANNOT do right now! So, I wrote out all of the rest of the sections to my TME plans - everything is just waiting for me to get my finger back to playing strength.

I am aiming to make another TME possible by the end of today. I have no idea what it will be or how it will happen, but that is my goal. If I write one per day, then I will get to the number five without any problem.

That is my quest - five TMEs per week...

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