A Professional Day...and Some Continuing Education This Weekend

Yesterday, as I was scrolling my Instagram feed, I found a notification about an education summit all about global music that is starting this afternoon and will go until Sunday. I signed up, and I am getting ready for this conference with a professional development day. I bought Mexican food for this time, and I am now getting ready to uncover my notebook for continuing education and settle into my computer area to watch things unfold. (See yesterday's post for the link to the conference!)

To prepare for this conference (which is NOT a music therapy conference but that works with one of my interests as a music therapist and content creator), I am not doing anything all that specific or taxing. I am resting this morning so I will be ready for the information overload that will be happening later on today. From 10-5 my time for the next two days, I will be listening to ways to bring in more world music into my music therapy sessions. 

I am looking forward to this. Elementary music education conferences have done more for my professional development lately than music therapy conferences have. After music therapy conferences, I am often feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and lacking. After music education conferences (this is my third in several years), I tend to feel challenged to develop my music knowledge and skills in ways that invigorate me rather than ways that make me hyper critical of my very existence as a professional.

So, for the moment at least, I will be spending my money, my time, and my energy in these types of conferences rather than in music therapy conferences. Next year, I hope to be an exhibitor at a couple of music therapy conferences to show my products to other music therapists, but I will probably continue to go to music education conferences to help spur my creativity and gain knowledge.

Meanwhile, I am working on the certificates for the two continuing education events that I have been part of in the past two months, and I am also working on some new ideas that I have. So, I am going to get ready for my professional development weekend and see you all later! 

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