Happy Anniversary to Me!!
I am proud of my career as a music therapist. I have been employed for my entire life except for about three months after my internship finished up. I have not been a music therapist for all of that time, but I have had the title of music therapist for the past 28 years. Before I became a "music therapist" in title, I was an activity director for children, a "QMRP" for adults, and a "Rehabilitation Therapist - Music" for adults. In the first and third of these jobs, I was able to do some music therapy, but music was not my primary way of doing my job. In the "QMRP" job, I was an administrator of three group homes and did not do any music therapy at all. My first two jobs did not last long, but they taught me some valuable lessons about myself as a music therapist and as a human being.
I learned that I enjoy working with children and adolescents - now, this was not a very big revelation because I have always worked with children and adolescents, but two of those jobs were with adults. I learned that I was not ready to be a boss, but that I really wanted to be a therapist. I also learned that most of the jobs that were with children and adolescents were not very well-paid. One of the best lessons that I learned in the middle job was that I REALLY hated being on-call with a beeper! I vowed that I would never be that available to any job position ever again! I had to be within an hour of my houses at all times, and people could beep me 24 hours a day. That was not a good thing for someone of my demeanor and ilk. The best feeling in the world was giving my beepers back to my former boss on my last day. I hated those little devices.
In the past 31 years, I have worked with many different humans, and I have continued to learn lessons. I know that there are some clients who are not happy to be in therapy. I know that there are some clients who do not like me at all. I know that there are some clients who achieve milestones in music therapy before they demonstrate those same skills any place at all. I know that I get to sing and play music every single day. I know that today, Tuesday, some of my clients will be happy to be singing and learning with me. I also know that today, Tuesday, some of my clients will yell and scream the entire time they are in my room. I will adjust what I am doing to see if it makes a difference. Sometimes, I am able to calm humans in crisis; sometimes, I am not. I know that trying my best to assist the humans who come to my space for a music therapy session is what I can do - it is all that I can do. I try my best to be the therapist that my students need in the moment and then in the next moment and the moment after that.
Today, I will go to my current job, the one I have done for over half my life, and meet the clients who have to come to music therapy because it is on their schedule. Again, some of my clients love music therapy and others definitely do not. They do not have a choice whether they attend my sessions - it is part of school, so they have to do it.
It is time for me to head upstairs, get dressed in work clothing, and head out to work. Today's early morning routine will include my winter coat because it has turned back into cold and windy conditions, and I will get gas for the car so I can make it to work.
Happy Anniversary, me!!
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