Thursday-Friday

Today is the last day of my workweek. Around work, some of us affectionately call this day "Thursday-Friday" because that encapsulates the feeling of what this day means to us all. I am more than ready for this. It has been a week of insomnia, red eyes, unpredictable students, and rising heat and humidity. Let's finish this week in a strong manner and then just go!

"That client" spent three minutes in music therapy before escalating into a screaming tantrum that lasted the entire session. I was singing "that client's" verse of the opening song - which "that client" volunteered for, and I guess "that client" was upset that I dared to sing to them. 

My other groups went well, I guess. No one else was incensed by my singing, so I guess that was a good thing. I have finished sixteen groups and have only five to go today. The last group includes another "that client," so it may be a rough afternoon.

At my school job, students have an hour of music therapy per week. It is part of their educational programming, so they have to attend whether they want to or not. Not everyone likes music therapy. Not everyone likes me. Not everyone wants to be there, but I can usually get clients involved in music therapy through their interests and relationship building. Usually.

I expect that students will remain safe in the session area and will let me know when they do not want to actively engage in what I am offering. I figure that since music therapy attendance is compulsory, then active participation can be voluntary. I require my clients to sit up, but that is really all. So, when "that client" indicates that they do not want to participate in our game, that is fine with me. Where "that client" and I tend to have our struggles is that "that client" doesn't want ANYONE to do anything, and that is not the purpose of music therapy. One client is not in charge of what everyone does - we each get to choose our own levels of participation. "That client" doesn't want peers to engage in music therapy. My diagnosis is that "that client" has been allowed to direct the actions of everyone else in their life for far too long. "That client" is a bully.

The thing that I heard this week was that "that client" and the other "that client" are not doing well in any situation - music therapy is not the only place where there are tantrums and refusals. That really helps. It is easy to think that it is personal or isolated. Most of the time, it is not, but I have to check with others to see because I tend to be all alone in my end of the school.

When it becomes apparent to me that a client has difficulty with music therapy, I try to figure out what I can do to entice them into interacting with either me or the music. Sometimes I am successful. Sometimes I am not, and the student and I retreat into a wary relationship.

In my role at my facility, I am not able to decide who gets to be in music therapy treatment. I cannot say that a particular student should not be in music therapy. I have to see all students during the school year. If I had the ability to select who would participate, I would change things up a bit, but I would still want to see everyone - "that client" would be excused since everything that I do seems to be irritating or agitating.

Over the years, there haven't been many clients who I would have excused from music therapy, but there have been some that I wished would not come to sessions. Music is just not everyone's cup of tea, and I am not everyone's favorite person, either.

I think I have my room to myself today. My new suitemates are taking today off, so I get to turn off the lights once I am finished with my therapy day and enjoy the quiet and the darkness as I finish my documentation. I relish that quiet time at the end of the day.

Next week is our Musicians of the Month week and is our leisure option time. After next week, we have a break (I have surgery and then get another week off for recovery once summer school goes back into session), and then it will be country of the month and July's Musicians. After that, we have another week off before the start of the 2025-2026 regular school year. At that point, my schedule changes back to five days per week with less sessions per day. I do best when I am in a consistent schedule.

Well, off to start my day. One more session with the other "that client" at the end of the day before my weekend begins. I got pizza and wings yesterday, so I have food for this morning and/or this evening. Tomorrow will be a library day, and that is the only thing that I need to do outside of my house all weekend. I may do a grocery order, but I might not. I like some uncertainty in my time off. It is helpful to refresh my energy. I need to do some menu planning for the next couple of weeks and some cooking as well. I think I will have some pizza for breakfast before I head out into the hot, humid world to finish up this workweek.

Happy Thursday, all!

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