Wednesday - What Next Wednesday?? That Might Be a Good Theme...

What next Wednesday? That might be a good theme for writing since I tend to need some sort of organizational tool to help me figure out just about anything these days. I can tell you that getting older and having things happen with the endocrine system affects just about everything that goes on in a woman's body - including brain function and itchy ears. Just you wait, "Enry 'Iggins, just you wait!

I am currently gearing up for a 12 hour day tomorrow and a wasted inservice day on Friday. We are going to learn how to run data analysis on our new curriculum, but I am not allowed to use the new curriculum because it has nothing to do with my job. That doesn't seem to matter to the administration who thinks that it looks better to have a full room than whether or not the training is applicable to staff members who are barred from using the curriculum program. There are about eight of us who are not able to access the information at all, but we still have to show up to the training. I can't even use the hours for CMTEs because it has nothing to do with being a music therapist! We are really hoping to be excused from the training, but who knows?

Anyway, since that is what is coming next, I am preparing myself for a day of sitting without any sort of professional enrichment. If I cannot escape the obligation of being in the room while someone natters on about what I cannot use, then I will bring something I can do - my laptop and its music notation software as well as my discreet headphones so I can compose something or the other.

That's all about me, though, isn't it? What's next for my clients?

This week, we are playing music-based games. We toss a ball onto a paper plate that has a game listed underneath it. My students, even the big ones, really get into the different games that we play - Hot and Cold; Doggie, Doggie; Question/Answer Ball; various singing games - Can You Guess What I'm Thinking Of? (composed by a former intern and used lots during the session); I Spy; Elimination; and some cognitive games - Name That Tune; Jeopardy; Wheel of Fortune; Pictionary. You get the idea.

Next week will be all about the orchestra. We will discuss different instruments, conductors, and music played by various orchestras from around the world. I think I might get out my instrument cards and use them in a variety of ways, but I will think about that more during the inservice on Friday.

There's what's next for my clients? What's next for our profession?

I admit that I have not been keeping up with what is going on in our various organizations. I did not renew my AMTA membership this year, and I have found that I don't really miss the member benefits. I do not find information shared in the symposium to be relevant to what I want out of my life, so I don't bother to spend money for that. I also think that the organization itself is trying to go places that I do not want to go. I think that the music therapy organization should only focus on music therapy things - not get into the social issues that plague us all these days. It is difficult to figure out how to proceed these days, but I just don't feel like I need an organization to declare what I feel about political issues. I just don't. My feelings about this extend from our profession to every institution that tries to tell me what I think about various and sundry issues.

That is the personal aspect of politics.

What will come next from the current US situation and how will it affect music therapists? Who knows?

I feel like we are living in a parallel universe and that if we try really hard, we can get back to our original timeline - the one where we take care of other people before we take care of ourselves. The one where we try to honor differences rather than run in fear. The one where we all feel safe enough to be our authentic selves.

I think I might be dreaming all of this, but I know I am awake. 

Sorry, 44 hour work weeks always make me cranky.

See you tomorrow??