music, therapy, and me

I am struggling with the current state of my country, and it is something that just makes me sick to my stomach to think about. I am not doing well, and my like minded friends aren't helping the matter out with their constant calls for action. I am having to hide and block and wriggle away from relationships that once were affirming but now are causing me extreme amounts of stress in addition to the stress that I already have. Anyone else? I am a blue dot in a blue town in a blue county in a red state. My vote for president does not matter at all in our current electoral college format, and those who count on making my vote null and void will continue this antiquated system because they benefit from it. My senators are not blue, and my vote has been gerrymandered in all sorts of ways that are just hinky. I also work with people who are compromised and very expensive to support. My job is funded through categorical aid from the federal government and is affected by changes in federa...

Ooh, boy. Songwriting is not for everyone, and that is okay. It is not always easy, but I think it is an essential skill for music therapists to be able to write goal-focused songs for clients. Like every other element of music, this is one that gets better when we practice. And practice. And practice. So, if writing songs is challenging, there are some tasks that you can do to make it easier. Here are the ones that I use, but I would love to hear what you do when you need a new or very specific song to support your clients in achieving their goals. When I get into a situation where the creativity just isn't happening, I take as many elements out of my decision tree as possible. I use dice or pull notes from a hat. I use piggyback songs. I write nonsense songs about strange pictures. I get into a repetitive chord progression and go into some word association strategies. I have figured out things to do that shake me out of my slump and back into composition. These are skills that I ...

Well, yesterday the universe said "hold my beer" after my rant and crying jag about the flood in my music therapy office and sent the entire education wing into an electrical emergency requiring evacuation, a visit from both the fire department and the power company, and flickering lights, loud buzzing noises, and a fishy smell in the area. Strangely, this actually made me feel better. Shared catastrophe is better than solitary catastrophe. I am also interested to see if these two incidents are related in any way because my leak is about 30 feet along the same roof from the electrical box that went bad yesterday. It seems very coincidental. I was able to move my desk and electronics away from my water-soaked office to the storage room yesterday with a little bit of help from one of our behavior specialists. I still have some file cabinets and a bookcase and bulletin boards to move over. Once the roof is fixed, I want to transform the former office into an instrument room wher...

It is raining in my office. The snow melt is coming from the roof into my workplace, and I am defeated because I will be expected to work as if nothing is wrong with my space. I am so tired of water emergencies happening that affect me and only me - both at home and at work. Especially the ones at work. Everyone else is laughing about the situation, but I cannot. I am trying to figure out how I am going to move things from my office into my storage space without them getting ruined in the process. I am trying to figure out how I can be therapeutic for others when my stress has escalated to the point where I am sitting in my house, hyperventilating and dreading having to arrive to a place that is not fit for working. I am trying to decide if I can even face the situation.  This has happened every couple of years since I moved into this room 8 years ago. Administration doesn't care. They don't even show up to examine the damage. It becomes my problem and my responsibility even th...

It is Tuesday, and I thought I would share my thriftiest way to get visual aids for my therapy sessions. If you are someone who reads this blog on a regular basis, then you know that I love the resource TPT - formerly known as Teachers Pay Teachers . The link shared here goes to my shop, because why not? The thing that you have to know about TPT is that there are so many different resources on that site that are absolutely free. Also, you have to set up an account, but again, signing up is free. Every creator on TPT has to offer at least one file for free. That means that there are so many things on the site that are available without a cost to others. I have found many different files for free. Now, it is time to plug my own site. I try to create visual aids specifically for music therapists. I have forms, pictures, full therapeutic music experiences, and books for sale on my site. I try to keep the prices low so that these visual aids and books are affordable for music therapists. If...

I am finally heading back to work today with the promise of low precipitation for the next five days. As long as I can get out of my driveway, I should be able to traverse the highway system with little to no difficulty. At least, that's what the highway website says. I am ready to get back into a work/life routine. Having this past week away from work has made me get ready to be doing something other than wandering my house, and that is a feeling that has been missing from my life for about seven years now - ever since we changed our work schedules significantly to have a week off in the middle of the summer session. We have the same amount of time off but it is arranged in smaller durations which means that I never really get bored with being at home anymore. We used to have enough time that I would finish up chores at home and then get antsy to be back in my music therapy environment, and that no longer happens. This past week has been a gift. When I get to work today, armed wit...

Welcome back to routine, everyone! I am hoping and hoping that we will actually be able to get places in my part of the world tomorrow. We had a snow week last week (one school day, but I had to take personal time because there was too much snow on my driveway for my low-slung car), but I am now ready to get back into a work routine. That hasn't happened for a long time - I have not felt ready to get back to work for years and years. So, let's hope that the roads are cleared and ready for us to head back to school tomorrow morning! ANYWAY... It is Sunday, so it is time for me to think about songwriting. Today's topic is chant. I am not a rapper. I can make up rhymes for a bit of time before my brain freezes and gets overstimulated, but I can chant with the best of them! What's the difference? There really isn't much different on a structural view, but there is lots of difference in my brain! Chants are wonderful for music therapists - they are ways to incorporate rh...

We had three snow days in a row this week, and I still cannot get my little, short, stubby-wheeled car out of my driveway, so I get another day off. We are supposed to have more snow tonight, but if I can get my driveway cleared the rest of the way today, I should be able to get out of my house tomorrow to get to work. My biggest problem is that I am not well-equipped to shovel lots of snow. I have been straining my back trying to move the snow across the driveway, so I can only do things in short spurts with lots of resting in between. I have been doing small bits at a time. I will be finished by the end of business today. I have to be. Since we do not have an official inclement weather day today, I have had to take yet another personal day. That leaves me with five days off for the rest of the year. I am going to need at least two more days for additional testing and procedures, but I will face that when I come to the situation. I have been able to arrange a bunch of medical appointm...

It is official. Today is a second snow day. I am stuck at home because the snow is still very high at my house, and my street does not get plowed. I am not sure if I will get out by tomorrow, if we have a regular day. My car has a low profile, so it is difficult to get out of the garage and street if the snow is this high. I do not want to end up blocking the street with my little car. I've done that before, but in a bigger street area. If I block things on the street that I am on now, I will block off at least three neighbors and keep them from getting where they need to go. I can't do that, so I might have to take personal time this week until the snow is melted down enough. Today is a dually challenging day for my family. My father died on this date four years ago, and my mother has a birthday today. We have grief and celebration on our minds today. I tend to focus more on Dad on January 6th so I can focus on Mom on the 7th, but it can be difficult at times. It is easier whe...

Well, is is our first snow day of 2025 - one day after kids went back into the regular school schedule on Friday. We had a big storm over the weekend, and my town is completely shut down so plows can get out and do what they need to do - thank goodness for those who like shoveling and plowing!! We got the inclement weather call yesterday around noon when it was obvious that travel would be difficult for us all. I am currently trying to figure out how to get my low profile vehicle through 11 inches of snow before the drifts without getting stuck. I used to go in and work during these days, back when my spine was young. I no longer even try. I take these days as they come now rather than banking days for use later on. I wish I could trust my body and my reflexes to drive on the ice, but I don't. I stay home now. The problem is that I am not motivated to do anything around here. I am still a bit cold-ish after my trip back to my family where I was exposed to plant mold and cats again....

When I sit down to compose something, I tend to write the music in C Major or a minor, but I rarely use those keys when I sing the songs I write. This simple thing is based on the idea that it is easier to write music when there are no accidentals, but C Major and a minor are not keys that are good for my voice. I do better with D, E, and A major and e minor as my singing keys, but transposition is especially important when I am working with my singing clients. When my clients are singing with me, I keep an eye out for muscle strain, head posturing out of optimal positioning, and I listen for client who are not able to sing at the pitches that I am using. If any of these things happens it is my job to transpose the music to a better key for my clients - ESPECIALLY when the goal is for my clients to sing or use their voices. I think that there are two different camps out there for transposition. In my experience, this seems to be split between those who play guitar before piano and thos...

Through a cruel twist of fate, my school is the only school where school is actually happening today in my district and in much of the state. I just realized as well that we will not get an inclement weather day on Monday when we will need it due to ice because everyone else will not be in school on Monday. So. Blech. Today is my regular Friday schedule, so I will see one group of young adults for leisure skill promotion rather than for music therapy. As far as I know, we do not have a new classroom open, so I should not have my other scheduled group, but I do have a reward session for one of our clients who spent STARS to get extra time in the music therapy room. We will be recording her lyrics to different songs. Two sessions. The rest of the day will be spent organizing and strategizing and preparing for next week and this month. We will be discussing Japanese music and introducing the concept of the musical map and playing games and doing music therapy things. I am grateful that my...