music, therapy, and me

This is going to be a quick post because I am late to start my morning. I spent a bit too much time luxuriating in clean, warm sheets this morning and am now trying to catch up a bit. I am going to leave my house later than usual so I can take advantage of some more time here at home before heading out into this week of holiday festivities... So, in a former iteration of my life as a music therapist, I spent lots of time talking to music therapy professionals about being internship directors. I led trainings and encouraged many therapists to be internship supervisors, and it has always amazed me at how little coursework is out there for intern supervisors and even less is out there for internship directors. As a practical person, I like to think about the practical elements and things that happen when you take an intern into your clinical setting. If that is something that you are interested in learning about, then keep reading! This post is for you. Being an internship director is dif...

It is Sunday again, and I have nothing to synthesize. I basically referred to all of my ideas yesterday when I wrote about the AMTA Symposium. There was a comment that it is more difficult to find virtual presenters these days. I thought about that for a bit. I am part of a team that runs an international online conference, and we have more presentations than we need. I also know that I sent in two virtual presentation proposals for the conference that was cancelled, so I bet there were more people who submitted virtual proposals as well. I digress, though, back into my funk of yesterday. Time to shake myself out of this funk into something a bit more positive and more supportive of music therapy. The only other topic that I have on my idea board is about pet peeves in music therapy, and I am just not feeling that topic...yet, so I will figure out something else to synthesize. Time to head to my music therapy bookshelf!! (That's right, I have been able to make a portion of my libra...

Currently, there is a discussion about the Certification Board for Music Therapists ' examination going on over on my social media feeds. (We've moved away from the whole MLE debacle, so of course we have to stress over something else...) People seem to be upset that the practice tests are not the same as the real test, that standardized testing is the entry standard for certification, and that other people passed but are "not good therapists." There is a bit of "poor me" attitude going on, and I, for one, am not really all that sympathetic. My mother and I are currently engaged in a conversation about our respective professions, occupational therapy and music therapy. Between us, we have over 75 years of experience in our work, and quite frankly, we've seen lots of stuff happen over the years. Mom went through the OT master's level entry process when it happened in the 90's (just let that sink in!!! OT transitioned almost 20 years ago!!!) and ...

Oh. No. I am making the mistake of still looking at the discussions about the AMTA Board of Directors not sending information to the Assembly of Delegates and getting ready to scrap the whole thing in favor of strengthening our current educational and clinical training programs and remaining at BLE. Ugh. I should know better than to keep reading, but I do. I am amazed at the themes that happen. They are the same themes that happened at the first round of MLE roundtables, at the second round, and in all of the subsequent years of this discussion. There is only one addition - that of the fact that the Board did not task the Assembly of Delegates with the opportunity to drag this on and on. Otherwise, every other comment falls into the same sorts of categories that all the others have fallen into. Here's my compilation of the MLE greatest hits: What about me? "I can't afford to go back to school." "I am a competent music therapist with many years of experie...

If you've been reading this blog lately, you know that I have recently taken up another task - one that I love - the role of Internship Director. My intern is starting her third week with us this week, and nothing has gone like I planned. Now, from the get-go, let me tell you that none of this has anything to do with the intern. She's been doing exactly what she's been told and seems to be taking things in stride. Nope. Everything that is going on is on my end. Would you like the rundown? I was fortunate to get her into the three day behavior management training during her first week. I perused the calendar very carefully and sent her to the place indicated on the training calendar. They had moved the training to a completely different location. The training calendar did not have the correct times listed on it for the training that she was supposed to have. We ended up working several hours extra because the trainers said, and I quote, "Well, we don't really f...

I've always been someone who was interested in how music therapists do their sessions with clients. I am less interested in doing experimental research as I am in doing phenomenological or maybe epistemological research. I have always been so much more interested in how and why music therapists and clients engage in the act of music therapy than I have been about which type of song produces which effect. I figure that this means that I am very interested in the nuts and bolts of music therapy - the reasons we choose the music and musical elements that we choose during our sessions. For me, these basic elements require more than just learning how to run a music therapy intervention or to complete a music therapy sessions. These nuts and bolts of music therapy require deeper thinking and purposeful decision-making during the experience. This is not something easily taught in 4 years of undergraduate training, and is also not something that would be easily taught in 6 years of book ...

Lately, I've been involved in several situations where folks have been caught up in conflict. These conflicts have been strange and things that shouldn't have really been a big deal but others have become confrontational and the situations have spiraled out of control. In one of my roles, I often act as mediator between parties who are very upset with one another. It is not my favorite part of the job, but it's essential (especially just recently). One of the things that I talk to interns about is being able to engage others in crucial conversations. I'll be talking to internship directors and supervising music therapists about this as well during the AMTA National Conference in Louisville. I think we don't really know how to communicate with each other nowadays. I feel this is evidenced through the conflict between therapists, interns, students, and other professionals that seems to happen on a daily basis around me... Communication is a skill that is crucial t...

Today is the day that intern #22 graduates from her internship. She has completed her 1020 hours of clinical training, has learned everything I can teach her at this point, and is on her way out into the big, wide world. I love being an internship director, but this is one of the most difficult parts of the job. It's hard to watch someone move on, but it is an essential part of the job of supervisor - recognizing when a person is no longer a learner but is now ready to move out into the world, and then letting them go into that world. It is time. #22 is ready to go out there and be "the" music therapist rather than the "music therapy intern." You would think, having done this 21 times before, that this would have become an easy part of being a supervisor. Well, you'd be wrong. I choose my interns carefully. I spend lots of time looking at the application and the reference letters that are sent. Once I feel comfortable with an applicant on paper, I ...

Tonight, I am starting a new adventure - a webinar series for interns (and hopefully, interns ONLY). I am excited about using this tool as a way to interact with interns as they are moving into the last bit of their education and into the first bit of their professional lives. I was led into this series through several of my life paths. The first, and most important to me, is my path as a National Roster internship director. (If you don't know what the National Roster is, don't worry - it's not important to this blog post - comment and I'll be happy to give you more information!!). Being an internship director to twenty wonderful women over the years has given me a perspective into what we do and do not know about being a music therapy intern. The second was my path as a volunteer for the American Music Therapy Association on the Association Internship Approval Committee (AIAC). The last path was my personal path as a music therapy intern. I would have LOVED to have a...

Today I am taking a brand new, 3-ring binder into work. There. How is that for thrilling news?? I am going to use the 3-ring binder to organize my internship stuff. All the stuff that I give to interns will be freshly organized into a new folder. The old folder is worn out and cracking at the seams. It needs some updating, so out with the old, in with the new. Sometimes, it's the little stuff that really makes a difference in someone's life. I have a young man who has finally started to realize the importance of communicating what he wants and needs. He has experienced the "A-ha" moment when he realizes that what he signs is meaningful to others. If he doesn't know the sign for harmonica, he is able to mimic what he needs to do in order to play the harmonica. COMMUNICATION! He is a signing sponge right now - pulling out pictures and looking to me to give him words (which I can do with my 20-year old ASL vocabulary and a signing dictionary!). He seems thrilled ...

Yesterday I welcomed my new intern into the music therapy program. I started counting up interns and discovered that this one is #20! Therefore, I am going to count this as an anniversary! I, as a part of this anniversary and new intern thing, have been thinking about the interns that have been at my facility over the past 13 years. They have been the source of great joy, frustration, and challenge over the years. I enjoy this aspect of my clinical life, and I hope to continue over the years as an Internship Director (ID). 10 Things I Have Learned About Being an ID Being an ID is always interesting. There will be days when you are thrilled about your intern's growth and competence. Sometimes an intern has to be "deserted" in order to grow as a therapist. Interns are creative people, offering great ideas to your setting. Remember to give them credit for their work. There will be times when your intern challenges your own clinical skill development. This is good. ...