music, therapy, and me

On Tuesday, we were informed that there would be a mandatory meeting after school for all staff. We were to gather on the front lawn. That was it. No other details. As I was sitting in the hallway for my break, I heard one of the quality assurance staff members talking about water balloons. The first thought in my head? "Crap. It's another 'team building' thing." Oh, dear reader. It was. I am not a fan of team building activities at my facility for the simple reason that they do not actually build teams. This term is bandied about for things that people think will be fun, but there is no learning about the people that you work with during these times. I find them to be absurd, especially because the only people who seem to find value in these situations are the people who put them on. We were split into four teams, given a ball and a baseball bat, told to spin (which no one did that I saw), then try to hit the ball, and then move to the pitching spot. The first te...

Yesterday was full of ambition and setting intentions and making plans, and my body started a migraine headache on the way home, letting me know that those plans were not going to be accomplished. Okay, then body - here's what we're going to do today. We're going to do the things we wanted to do yesterday today as we continue to work through the migraine and take the day away from the florescent lights and the cacophony of kids playing instruments. So there, body! Take that!! This is one of the problems that I have with myself and setting intentions - things happen and then I can't get to what I plan. Why do I plan?? Oh yeah - it's because that's what I think should happen in a responsible adult's life. Oh well. I often get hung up on what I think  is what happens when an adult is adulting. Does anyone else? Am I the only one or are there others out there that feel like an impostor when it comes to being an adult? I haven't done much readin...

I am in a tirade mood this morning. Nothing is really working as a blog post - everything is just turning into a rant. Since that is the case, I think I'll stop trying to write something and just put in a bunch of pictures that make me feel happy. All of these pictures are my own, and none of them include client information or anything that belongs to someone else. La Brea Tar Pits The Beach This Face! My Favorite Tree The River Making File Folder Activities Drawing Mandalas Outside Meteor Crater Kansas Skies Star Wars and Chocolate Again, this Face! The Beach Near Sunset The Beach at Sunset Chicken Chimichangas with Rice and Beans at La Paloma The Mountains at Home Making Lots of Things for MTs Learning to Draw Thinking About Things in a Different Way I may be in a better writing mode tomorrow. We shall see. I'm going to try staying upright today - that's my goal. See you...

CAUTION: If you are a fan of Apple products, I would suggest that you just skip this post altogether. I am frustrated and am taking out my frustration through digital yelling (AKA CAPITAL LETTERS) and being VERY negative about Apple iThings. If you like iThings, please, do us both a favor and skip this post! I have an intense dislike for all things Apple. It's strange that this should be so, since my first ever interaction with a computer was with an Apple IIe, but it is. It has always been this way. For some reason, I do not think like an Apple product. I never have, and I never will. I know, I know - there are very vocal music therapists out there who will never give up their Apple products, and that is just FINE with me. My intense dislike comes from the fact that I personally cannot interact with an Apple thing without something messing up and making my blood pressure go through the roof! In case you haven't noticed, I am struggling with my iPod at the moment. I had ...

I recently posted a presentation on my website for folks who attended my AMTA 2017 talk about writing clinical goals, objectives, and benchmarks. I did my usual routine when posting videos - make a powerpoint presentation, record myself on video, and then transform the presentation to an mp4 and post on YouTube. I then post the link on the website which transforms into a thumbnail with a snapshot of the video. When I saw one of the thumbnails, I just had to laugh. You know, when I think about what I look like, I don't always think about the double chin, the occasional spots on my forehead, or the fact that my hair has a way of just going wherever it wants to go. This thumbnail reminded me of all of those things and more.  I posted it anyway. Hopefully, the folks who are getting the information will be led into watching the last part of the presentation in spite of the picture that I present on social media. If not, well... Really, YouTube? What about the picture that wa...