music, therapy, and me

First, Happy World Music Therapy Week!! Did you know that we celebrate an international music therapy focus week - check out this wonderful advocacy resource from the World Federation of Music Therapy!! So, fellow music therapist, celebrate yourself this week. Celebrate what is great about being a music therapist. Celebrate what is challenging about all of this profession. Take some time to just enjoy clients and the interactions that you have this week. We are our best advocates. If we love this job, then our many of our clients will like what we do with them (not everyone, especially if you are in a situation like mine where clients have to be present, but many). As we move through our therapist-lives, we change things, often without seeing the ongoing results. How is that! Second, how are you doing? One of the things that I often feel is isolation. I am the only music therapist at my facility. I no longer participate in many music therapy organization things. I tend to be content t...

What can I tell you? How to be thrifty as a music therapist - Perhaps an update on my own financial systems? Perhaps a recommendation for how to be a bit more budget-minded as a music therapist? Perhaps a dialogue about savings that are accessible to music therapists with school id cards? These would all be great topics, but they need a bit more preparation to be fully realized. There is so much to consider when you are a music therapist - financial things, self-awareness things, professional advocacy things, personal advocacy things, fun things, administrative task things, and client things. When you are your own boss, then there are other things that crowd the calendar and the list of daily tasks (I'm not there yet...). One of the best things that you, fellow music therapist, can do to maximize your financial status is to ensure that you get everything else done. I am a strong advocate for the phrase, "Work smarter, NOT harder." For me, this phrase encapsulates the thin...

This is a politics-focused post. If you are not someone who is disgusted by the things happening in the United States right now, then please skip reading this post. I cannot stay silent. It is only day 77 of this governmental regime, and I am already exhausted of all the ups and downs that are happening around us all. I feel paralyzed between the constant calls for actions that are not what I feel I can do and the feelings of guilt and shame that come with inaction. There are so many feelings that happen that I try my best to find what I can do while still remaining true to myself. I am someone who has a job that is school-based, special education service, and funded through categorical aid offered due to the types of clients who attend school at my facility. While no one has come out and said anything about security, there is a constant storm happening in the distance that threatens the last year of my school-based job. I am constantly waiting for someone to call me into their office ...

I subscribe to Dan Rather's Steady newsletter - the free version - because I respect that man as one of the voices of my childhood. Mr. Rather replaced Walter Cronkite as the anchor of CBS news when I was a kid. My parents were diehard CBS news watchers because of Mr. Cronkite, and Mr. Rather became the new voice for a long time before my parents defected to NBC news and Tom Brokaw. Since I grew up with several voices in the news world, I have found myself gravitating back to those voices to help me make sense of the world right now. On Sundays, Mr. Rather takes a break from writing about politics and the state of the world to write about songs that he finds memorable. I like that, and I enjoy reading his words about those songs. I think I might start doing the same sort of thing on my blog - writing a bit about specific songs and why they are important to me. Now, I just have to find the songs... I was listening to songs that my clients were sharing this week, and I realized that ...

It is Saturday after a pretty appointment and phone call filled week. I do not have any appointments for the next week, so I am going to do some focusing on the things that I need to do for myself. I am getting a small tax refund this year for the first time in ages. It not only covers the fee for getting my taxes done but also gives me a little bit of mad money to figure out. I might get some shrimp to celebrate... hmm. The best thing about found money is that it offers some options for impulsiveness. This tax refund is out of my regular budget, so I do not have to save it. I will probably use the money to do something maintenance-minded in my home, but I get to consider how I could possibly spend the little bit extra money that will arrive in my bank account between 2 and 10 weeks from now. The options are pretty exhilarating when you think about it. I could spend the money on a (very) short trip somewhere. I could buy more books (don't need them). I could buy a pretty ring to we...

I am going to write this blog for one hour, starting now, and try to make something that has relevance for all of my designators in the title of this blog - music, therapy, and me. This is not always an easy task. There are times when the music takes over, others when therapy is foremost on my mind, and I am usually prone to talking about me - one of my favorite topics. So, let's talk about music, therapy, and me this morning. We will get the "me" part over with. I am still tired, very frustrated with a particular client who has decided to target aggression towards me, and happy that today is Thursday rather than yesterday. I wish I had some more stuff to get me energized, but tired seems to be my default lately. I'm going to blame my changing hormones for all of this exhaustion. I am currently feeling inundated by a plethora of phone calls from all sorts of people wanting to give me things or sell me something or to set up appointments. Some of these people know that...

Welcome to my corner of the world where it is currently storming. The thunder and lightning is going along with a steady rain. The winds haven't kicked up yet, but it will be a windy day as well as a storm-ridden time, and I am feeling restless. I had one client who cried throughout music therapy yesterday. We don't know why, but the client was presenting with a positive affect until entering the music therapy room when the client started to wail. This client does not do this often, so it was a mystery to us all. The client is non-speaking, so trying to figure it all out was difficult. I always want to change a sad mood into a happier mood, but there are times when we just need to wallow. Have you ever seen the episode of The Middle where Frankie is trying to have a good cry? Everything in her life interferes with her attempts to cry out everything that is happening in her body. I have days like that - the only thing that helps me release emotion, hormones, stress, and grief is...

I attended an online training about self-employment taxes as a musician last night. I found it a really good training as it explained things like self-employment tax, quarterly tax payments, and the difference between a hobby and a business. Basically, what I am doing right now is a hobby rather than a business. I am going to change this. Now, I am going to do something that I rarely do - recommend someone to you. If you are someone like me - someone who has NO idea what to do as far as taxes are concerned, then I recommend - Hannah Cole . Her website, sunlighttax.com , is a place where most of the questions can find answers. I have not had the opportunity to delve into all of the resources that Hannah offers, but the webinar that she gave last night was concise, clear, and important to me and my understanding of taxes as a creative professional. Check out her blog for more information about all sorts of things! One of the things that I am thinking about is how I want to pivot from hav...

For some reason, I am having the heebie-jeebies today.  I don't know why, and this may be a side effect of all the medication that I am taking right now, but I am jumpier than usual and a bit over-responsive to the news and commentaries that I am accessing. This is probably a function of said medication and a bit about the political climate that we live in, but for whatever reason, I am going through it.  I thoroughly dislike this feeling of general uneasiness that comes over me with the heebie-jeebies. It's like something is out there, just waiting to take over, and I know it is out there, but I am trying to avoid it. This is the theme of every anxiety dream that I have lately - hiding and avoiding things and people who annoy me. I don't know if I am feeling this way due to the medications or because the world is disintegrating around us all or because my brain is just wanting to take me on a ride. It is a mystery. No matter how I'm feeling, today is a work day, so I w...

I think I may have come to the end of this particular series of Sunday posts. At this point (and for a couple of weeks now), I have tried to come up with something new to talk about, but it has been a struggle. I am thinking it might be time to shift to another type of topic and discussion in this music therapy life of mine. But, what? I like to have a bit of structure to what I write and when I write it. Over the years that I have been writing, I have come into a type of routine. That routine has changed over the years, but I like having a bit of an expectation about what I am going to write each week. It helps to have some structure in my writing life. Without it, I tend to just ramble and babble about things that are not exactly about music or therapy - just about me! So, I want to think a bit about what my Sunday topic will be. I like alliteration, so I think it will be something that starts with an S. Song, sing, strategy, systems, somnolence, so many nice S words. I haven't r...

What?? A trip to the library on a Saturday? Yep. I signed up for a seminar about musicians in my local town and have to head out today to meet with other people. This is a HUGE step for me - going to a place where I will not know anyone to do things that are completely out of my wheelhouse. I am already regretting this decision, but it is something that I need to do. Here's the synopsis of what I'm doing later today:  Want to learn how to turn your art into a sustainable career? Join the library for a special session of What Works, a workshop on entrepreneurship for artists from the Mid-America Arts Alliance.…   So, that's what I am going to do - learn how to turn my art into a sustainable career. I hope that it will be something that I can finally accomplish - making some money from my art and my music outside of a full-time job. We will see what happens. I hope that there are lots of people in the auditorium because I don't want to be one of two - too much attentio...

I answered a strange survey this week about office use. I probably should have ignored it, but I was curious about what they wanted to know. One of the things that I noticed was that there were several questions about whether my office provided me with opportunities for collaboration and camaraderie.  My office does not. I am more than okay with that fact. I think there might be a need to maximize office space at the facility because we are becoming overly top heavy with administration staff who are doing jobs that used to be done with only one person - and now there are five people doing what Larry used to do all by himself. So, I think this is the reason that the survey came out, but I have some issues with the questions that they asked. I feel that they were very skewed towards an extroverted point of view and existence. I am an introvert. I am about as introverted as they come on any scale that anyone has developed. I really need quiet and alone time to recuperate after session...

I am someone who truly believes in the use of medication when it is needed. I am a proponent of vaccination, and I think that there is no reason to suffer with allergies when chemistry exists that will help my body acclimate and decrease my suffering. There you go. Now, I am also someone who needs time to get over allergy medication symptoms. Yesterday was the first day I went onto my over-the-counter medication for my allergies, and I had to stay home because Day 1 always includes extreme drowsiness and dizziness that keeps me from being safe when driving. So, I remained at home, slept all morning, and then was able to remain awake for the afternoon. I went back to sleep around 7:30 pm and woke again at 9pm, 12:57 am, and 3:15 am. I dozed in my bed until 4:40, and now I am here, writing this blog after showering and getting myself downstairs for the next dose of medication. My brain is awake, which it wasn't an hour ago, so I feel like I can make it to work without too much diffic...

Today is the 32nd anniversary of starting my life as a music therapy professional. On this date back in 1993 (in the late part of the 20th century), I finished my internship at the Center for Neurodevelopmental Studies in Phoenix, Arizona and officially became a music therapist! It has been an interesting life, being a music therapist for over three decades. I am glad that I am still able to do something that I love. I hope to continue to do this work for another couple of decades. I have had four full-time jobs and many, MANY part-time jobs in the last 32 years. I have worked as an administrator (didn't like it back then), a recreation programmer, a rehabilitation (music) therapist, a recreation specialist, and a music therapist. I have been a church music director, a part-time temp doing filing work for an ambulance company, a music therapy contractor, part of a not-for-profit board of directors, a content creator, an author, a professional supervisor, and lots of other small job...

I am really bad at self-promotion. I mean, REALLY bad! I have had a music therapy website based business for the past 29 years, and no one knows about it. I write books of therapeutic music experiences (TMEs), books for interns, forms for music therapists in all sorts of roles. I blog, I do some YouTube content, and I work full and part-time as a music therapist. When it comes to letting people know what I do and what I love to share, it is nearly impossible for me to promote and market to my targeted audience. I wanted to do an exhibit this year, but I did not get organized enough (or produce enough things) to get that done. I am not all that disappointed by this particular situation - after all, I could have done it, but I just wasn't all that interested in working on the project. I still have that on my quest map, but I might wait until next year to get things going. I am getting better at sending people the link to my TPT store which is where I am putting all of my products. So...

Today is the last day of my Spring break, so I am getting myself geared up to return to my daily routine.  I have nine weeks before the next round of medical procedures, so I have nine weeks to get my house ready for visitors. I also have a grocery order to pick up, food to cook and freeze, and a bedroom to clear. I don't want to do anything, but I will. There are definitely places where you can see changes in my environment. I put lots of boxes into recycling from the living room. The desk is still clearer than it was and is ready for some filming. I moved some bookshelves around that allow me to arrange laminating materials and file folders for some creation.  I have done laundry, cleaned the sheets, washed many of the dishes (there are always more to wash, though), read four books, and napped (but only once or twice over the past nine days). I have been shopping outside my house a couple of times. I have spent lots of money on groceries, and I had my annual visit with my fi...

Today has been a challenging day already. Something I ate yesterday did not agree with my intestinal tract, so I am now trying to figure out which new thing (I had three new things yesterday) was the culprit while still trying to maintain a bit of decorum. I just saw that a job that I was invited to apply for, went on an interview, and then was completely ghosted about is open again. I am confused and disgusted about how this job was handled, especially about the ghosting part of it all. To be honest, I would not be able to take the job due to the dismal salary, but I wonder why no one ever interacted with me ever again - not even a "no thank you" letter to close the inquiry. Now, they want other people to go through the process again? At least it means that the other candidate also did not get the job or did not want it. I wonder if they let that person know anything or if they were left hanging the same way I was left hanging. I now have more questions about things than ans...

Today is day seven of nine.  Day six ended up with some progress down here in the office area. I emptied a couple of boxes, moved some shelves around, put things into boxes, and set up my robot vacuum. I also made burritos for breakfast and then just watched television the rest of the day. I bet today's to-do and got-done list will be similar. I have to add getting my trash cans from the curb to the things to do today, but other than that, I have no plans other than making a bit more sense of my home environment.  I have three more bins down here in the office to go through. I have ordered box cutters since I can't find them where I currently shop. I have a yen to make some greeting cards to send to friends. I want to be creating things, but I am struggling to make the time when my environment is not looking clean and clear. So, I will be doing some cleaning and clearing before crafting. This has been an okay break. I have finished some of the tasks on my to-do list. I have ad...

It is the downhill slide from break back to work now. We are over the halfway point, and I am progressing on my quests. One of the benefits to being on the trek back to work is that my brain is wanting to create and is coming up with ideas that I am trying to capture on paper as much as possible. I think I have come up with my workshop idea for the World Congress of Music Therapy next year, but I want to play with the idea a bit before I submit it. It is nice to have some ideas come into my brain at this time. It is exhilarating to get ideas of projects that need to be done and developed. I am watching a YouTuber that I enjoy, Emily Harvey, who has a small sticker business in the United Kingdom. She is currently moving from being a full-time mom and small business owner to working outside her home again in a full-time job in addition to the other things that she does. She is trying to focus on her small business one hour a day in the afternoon to get things done and to be able to have ...

My sister is on the phone with me right now, talking about her morning commute which is significantly changing due to freeway construction. We now talk to and from her job. Today's discussion started with a grumble because of traffic and ended with mutual giggles and jokes about birds. Her break is next week, so she is currently engaged in parent-teacher conferences at the end of each day this week in order to prepare. Her teacher life in general education is somewhat different from mine as a therapist in special education, but there are enough similarities that we can bond over the silly stuff that happens in the world of education these days. We have now arrived at the halfway point of my spring break. We may have some snow flurries later today, but it is currently windy and bright and sunny at my home. I have two hours before I can attempt to go to the library and get some new books. I have read four books from my To Be Read pile, so I feel like I can go get some other books wit...

Overwhelmed. It is Tuesday of my spring break, and I have hit my overwhelmed point a couple of days early. I misplaced my planner when I started cleaning down here in the office. I just found it, so I am feeling a bit better about things right now. It's amazing how much I depend on that book. Now that I have found it, I am feeling a bit less overwhelmed.  Egad. When I feel overwhelmed with things, I find that the best thing for me to do is to get busy with chores. Chores tend to be a big part of the overwhelm, so it is best to get things done. Unfortunately, the chores are the source of the overwhelm so the cycle goes around and around. A couple of years ago, I made an index card collage of things that I can do when I am feeling this way. It is a silly little card, but it does help me when I need it. It includes things like reading a book or taking a walk or cleaning a corner. I used to keep it in my journal, but I left it behind a bit ago. I want to put it back in there to remind ...

I have hit the "Oh, dear, what the heck have I done?" point of my break a bit early. This usually happens about three days from now, but I have hit it early!! This is not the point I want to be at right now. I am looking at the things I have been working on and things look worse than when I started. It is a bit defeating, but I am getting things together - I think! I cleared off my desk yesterday. I also moved the office supply boxes to my newly cleared desk so I have two empty-ish shelves that I can fill with other stuff from a different part of my home. I rearranged my pens in my upstairs desk. That led to sorting through things in my other upstairs desk. I am currently feeling overwhelmed with my life and my environmental choices and the amount of stuff that I still have to do. Ugh. I will need to be upstairs again in about two hours when my sister calls me on her morning commute. I am not wanting to be upstairs right now, but I don't want to be downstairs either. I wa...