music, therapy, and me

This evening, I will be speaking about initiative to a group of interns. This has been mentioned by several internship directors as something that current students and interns struggle with - looking to see what is needed and then starting to do it. This is something that develops with time, practice, and critical thinking but is not as common as you would think. I feel like this type of learning difficulty has a couple of causes - devices and No Child Left Behind. I have absolutely no proof of these things being the causes of a lack of initiative, but it seems like I can make a bit of an argument supporting my thought process. So, as I start this presentation, I am going to start with the definition of the word. Merriam Webster starts off with "an introductory step" as the first definition. I can work with this. I remember being an intern and having some fear that I would overstep my responsibilities and expectations. I also remember looking for songs to write and things to ...

Yesterday was pretty much a wasted day. I did not leave my house, and I did not engage much with anything that needed any sort of thought process or anything else. I also tweaked my knee yet again, so I spent most of the day just propping it up and not taxing it much at all. Today, though, has to be a different story. I want a music therapy making group, so I am going to start one. I am going to see if anyone wants to get CMTEs for making things, but we are going to spend time making the projects that we need regardless. People who want CMTEs from this type of group are welcome to get them at my usual price. Those who just want to talk and make things in the company of others are also welcome to join for free. I will be releasing visual aids for CMTE participants as well. The proposal is in for CBMT consideration, and then I will release the information to the world at large! Why not take my love of making things to others out there? I am hoping to build a community for this type of cr...

I am still feeling a bit rough, so I am going to postpone my scheduled library trip for Thursday instead of today. This means that I will probably not be putting together any sort of therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) today. Who knows, though? I might get inspired. We will see. Inspiration comes when inspiration comes. I have learned that I can force it a bit, but forcing ideas does not always lead to valuable output. I shared my creative block exercises with my intern group last Thursday, and it helped me find a bit of inspiration for this task of writing music and TMEs. I am currently in between sing about songs  theme ideas, so I do not have a target. I have to head back to my list of ideas and find something that sparks some sort of thought so I can get started. Maybe I will do some dinosaur stuff - I already have visual aids ready for that sort of unit... Inspiration strikes wherever and whenever you are... Yesterday, I went and got my groceries and then rearranged craft mat...

I am in the throes of my autumn ick so my head is stuffy and my throat is scratchy and all that rot. The good thing is that I only have to leave my home to get gas and pick up my grocery order, so I can spend some time wallowing in my home for the rest of the day.  I am gathering a pile of things to laminate for myself and for the future exhibits that I am planning for this spring. At some point, I will sit down and laminate everything before cutting things out and then finishing the projects. I went through the projects that I taught during Creativity Camp 2026, and I have a stack of things ready to sell to others. It is not enough, but that's okay. I priced some materials and found them significantly above the amount that I want to spend, so I am working on additional ways to get books made. I may just print one copy and sell digital resources at the exhibit of the books. I will be able to make enough copies to have one of everything... I am making lots of plans. In the meantime,...

Welcome to the first frost of the 2026 Autumn season! The heater is going strong, keeping my home at my preferred temperature, and I am looking forward to seeing the frost. It makes my everyday backyard sparkle when the sunshine first rises. My backyard faces west, so I get to enjoy the look of frost for longer than my front yard keeps its layer of sparkle. I do not mind the cooler temperatures, but this always brings an autumn ick to me. I am currently struggling with sinus and breathing issues - this is usual at this time of year for me. I don't feel sick enough to go anywhere, but there will be some cold medicine in my future pretty soon just so I can continue to sit upright. I have things to do after all. I accomplished some things this week. I went to the library once and got some work finished. I saw a movie (Forgotten Island) yesterday. I cleared the sewing table off and folded the material that I want to make into some nightgowns. The plumber came and gave my system a clean...

I recently finished sing about the movies  and released it in my TPT store. I have so many ideas and things that go with this theme that I have collected in the time since I published the edition. It is funny how that happens. The ideas flow after the project is done... My sister is currently talking to me about my next themed packet. She has significantly more energy than I have at this point of the day despite being two hours earlier than where I am living. I am getting ready for my autumn ick, so I just do not feel really well. She's having to gather enough energy to work with 22 7-year olds and a student teacher. I don't miss having to find that sort of energy. Not at all. I am going to see Forgotten Island  this afternoon. I enjoy going to see movies, and I often see them by myself. The movie I am going to see is in the tiny theater, and it is about half full according to the seat reservation system. I have to sit closer to the screen than I like, but that's okay. At...