music, therapy, and me

Happy - uh, I want to say - Thursday?  One of the things that is difficult for me right now is telling time - especially what day it is! The hours are not as difficult to feel, but the days are. I do not have lots of things that I have to get done these days, so the days just kinda slip away. Having appointments helps with discerning which day is which. Last night, I met with three others for a discussion about working with people who have a specific type of diagnosis. We had a good conversation about ways to work with this population. The other three music therapists were younger than me by about 15 years at least, so it was interesting to hear them speak about their own music therapy tools and materials and to contrast them with my own. I am a vintage music therapist. I wear that title proudly because I have been a clinician for 33 years now. I have earned the title of "vintage," and I am going to revel in the fact that I am still doing the thing that I love the most even a...

Next week, at this time, I will be up early and stressing about hosting my second ever Creativity Camp. This is a passion project of mine - something that I have long wanted to do and FINALLY have the time, energy, and motivation to pursue. Thank goodness for being able to retire with my full pension after 30 years of working as a full-time music therapist!! So, here comes Creativity Camp!! You may be wondering about this entire thing and why this is what I am doing right now, so here comes an explanation... Growing up, my family was comfortable. My mom was a stay-at-home mom until I was 11. My dad was a plant manager for several plastics companies in the 70s and 80s. We had stable housing and enough to eat, wear, and do. We were not rich, but we were stable.  As kids, we did not get everything that we wanted when we wanted it. We had less "things" than many of our friends, but again, our family was stable. Mom and Dad were together, and it was a safe upbringing. My mother wa...

Two years ago, the plan for this summer was to be going to Italy for the World Congress of Music Therapy. Those plans fell through, so the plan shifted a bit to a trip to the East Coast of this country to see my mother's family and friends, but those plans also fell through. So, the plan for this summer is to stay home and figure out home things for the moment. Rest. Reset the brain and the body to figure out what comes next. I am thankful that I am not having to go anywhere this month. While going to the World Congress would be nice, I am happy not to go. I find that music therapy conferences are more geared towards academics these days than clinicians. I am fully a clinician, so having to choose between this one's dissertation and this one's is not relevant to my role in the music therapy world. I am afraid that the professional organizations in the world are becoming too research-focused at the expense of those of us who are in the day-to-day process of actually doing th...

A Disney movie that I love is Meet the Robinsons . If you are not familiar with it, it is about science and experimentation and finding a family. It is a movie that is creative and not just a remake of something that Disney has already done (I am VERY anti-live action remakes of cartoon classics!). Throughout the movie, the theme of Keep Moving Forward comes up again and again, and is finally echoed in a quotation from Walt Disney (no date to attribution) -  “Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” Curiosity is something that comes and goes for me. At the moment, I am curious about the world of music therapy beyond my role, but I am not feeling able to engage outside the four walls where I do music therapy. I have dreams for what I want to do, but limited knowledge of how to get there. I am still curious about it all. What do...

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...

Today is the last day of the work week, and I am ready for my day off tomorrow. I have to leave my home tomorrow to get the tires rotated but I have nothing else to do. If I want, I can stay in bed until almost noon. I won't because I rarely do, but it would be nice... Last weekend, I managed to finish the book that I've been working on for about a month. I also put together another book cover that is waiting for the insides to be created. I need to take some pictures and post these books over on Etsy for people to look at. This week has been a much better week than the previous two have been. We seem to be settling down at work which is very helpful. My music therapy room is still cold, but I received part of my requisition of blankets yesterday, so I will be able to offer kids blankets if they complain. That will help a little bit. I am still waiting for the laundry basket and the other six blankets I asked for, but at least part of my order arrived. That shows a little bit o...

Time for another randomly selected post to spark some thoughts about the profession and about my role in music therapy as well as my role as a human being. Today's post number is 452 which takes us back to November 16, 2013 .  This particular post was titled, "An Introvert at AMTA," and it occurred right before the American Music Therapy Association's conference in 2013. I cannot remember where that particular conference was held but I know what it was like for me. I was rooming with someone who was about as busy as I was in the music therapy world, and I spent more time in meetings and conversations than I did in presentations. This was the third of five years where my role was to pay full price for the conference and not experience anything other than work for the association. It was simultaneously energizing and enervating. I am not someone who misses in-person conferences. I have no problem with virtual conferences because I can still see people and do not have t...

This post started off very differently, but I need to go in a different way this morning. It is day seven of my break before the 2022-2023 school year, and I am trying to figure out what to talk about today.  I was thanked for offering information to a couple of music therapy students on Tuesday evenings. I always feel a bit uncomfortable when I am thanked about things, especially when I get as much or more than the participants get from the experience. Anyway, that started my under stimulated and rested brain into contemplating why I like to share information with music therapy students, interns, and professionals. This is the thread that is currently spinning around in my brain and will not let go. So, let's use this post to work through several of these strings... First, I share information because I have found that I can't find what I want or need as a music therapy clinician. I also don't have the money to pay for all the various communities that other music therapists...

Today is the last Monday of 2020, and I am more than ready to say goodbye to this horrible year. Now, I don't believe that things will miraculously clear up at midnight on Friday, but I hope that something changes in this next journey around the sun. This year, my word for the year was "evolve." It was my goal to make my business ideas happen in ways that I could envision - mostly needing face-to-face interactions - and I was on my way until March. In March, as we all know, life as we knew it and as we planned it came to a screeching halt. All of my plans were shaken about, set on fire, and then left in the world of uncertainty that we now know is COVID-19. I was not able to get much of my plans accomplished, but I found other ways to evolve into the therapist and person that I am today. The word I have chosen for 2021 is "deepen." I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out what I wanted from life last year, and I found that I am pretty much bored...

I need a picture to change my default. I have made a decision. This decision is not monumental, and I know people are out there who have been telling me this over and over again, but it took a post on social media and my subsequent response to finally encapsulate all things about this decision and make it easy to make in this moment, right here, right now. I've been on the fence about something for the past three days, but no more. On Saturday , I wrote about a giveaway that I want to do. You see, I like the idea of giving things away to deserving folks who may need a pick-me-up in the form of someone nominating them to get some goodies in the mail - for music therapists, by a music therapist. I've had two people respond, and both wanted to nominate themselves.  Not the point of the giveaway, folks. I want people to think of others rather than thinking of themselves. If you really want one of my products, then pay the money. Seriously. I price my things VERY fairly...

Tomorrow is the start of my next round of music therapy intern webinars. I am looking forward to starting these interactions up again as I find that many folks out there don't seem to get much discussion or practice in the nuts and bolts of how we have to do our jobs - things that are considered non-clinical tasks or practices. I like to talk to people about the practical considerations that we have to complete - things like time management, categorizing our interventions/therapeutic music experiences, self-care, and intern rights and responsibilities. It doesn't seem that too many internship directors are talking about these things with their interns. I know I don't often find the time to talk to my interns about many of these things, but I do try. On a somewhat related note, I am currently involved in a video challenge. This is both a blessing and a curse as I am going back into webinar mode. My mind is full of all sorts of technical tips and prompts while I am getting ...

Yesterday morning, I was in the throes of a dilemma - to stay at AMTA17 or to go home. I opted to go home. As much as I wanted to stay and see the rest of the presentations that interested me, my eyes were droopy and my ability to think was just plain old gone. So... ...I decided to hurtle across the country in a car going 75+ miles per hour. It was actually the best call for me, and I made it home by noon, so I got in a long nap and am somewhat rested for my trauma-informed care trainer certification course starting this morning. AMTA17 was a good experience for me, especially after my blog meltdown right before the conference. I was dreading the social experience of conference, but I was able to find a good balance between being public and being selectively social. It amazes me that the people that I used to consider really good friends no longer have any use for me and walk right past me without any acknowledgment or recognition what-so-ever. I didn't stop them and force an ...

There are only three pages left in this chapter, folks, and then I will have to find something new to focus on during these Sunday mornings. Thank you for going through this process of thinking through what was written so long ago with me. While some of the language (and thoughts) are a bit simplistic for me, I do consider this to be a foundation of all that I think about music therapy, so revisiting it occasionally is important. Last week I went through the three paragraphs that start off the final piece of Sears' outline - the description of the section titled, "experience in relating to others." Today, I will start reading through and discussing the sub-levels contained under that initial heading.  One of the things that I noted last week was the historical context of this book. In the late 1960's, the deinstitutionalization movement was just starting. Persons with exceptionalities were just starting to be included in the idea of civil and personal rights, so...

I have recently returned to my home from the super regional conference between the Western region and the Midwestern region of the American Music Therapy Association. It was a good trip - lots of time in the car to myself, a hotel room, and two presentations that were well received. A friend of mine got an award that she wasn't ready for, and I saw some of you there. (Thanks for reading and for talking to me about the blog, by the way!) All in all, it was a good way to start my spring break and get my mind turned towards my quest for a deeper understanding of this profession. I wish I could have been there for the second day of sessions, but life often has other plans, and I had to make it back here for worship leadership this morning (I can't begrudge the pastor his own study leave!). So, I skipped out a day early. I like attending conferences because they always remind me about why I love being a music therapist. There is something so reaffirming about being with a group ...

Well, it's been fun, but it's almost time to head out and get back home. I gave two presentations yesterday, and the feedback was tremendous. I spoke about how I strive to become a more research-informed clinician to a group of about 46 folks. I admitted that my journal shelf is pretty but underutilized. I showed them one of my journals - from 3 years ago - still in the plastic covering. Did you know that the plastic covering on our journals starts to actively degrade after 3 years? I left a trail of fragile plastic bits in my wake! Several people thanked me for admitting that I struggle with the integration of research into my clinical practice. I even found out about PICO stuff in the nursing literature (I haven't started to explore that yet, but I hear that it's a way to help you parse through research to find information). My second presentation yesterday was about navigating slumps. We talked about such uplifting topics as burnout, secondary trauma, and compass...

Conference time is something surreal for me. Getting out of my regular routine makes me a bit disoriented and unsure of what is happening in the outside world.  Wow - I got distracted and didn't finish this post, yet I left it up (and an unsecure internet connection up almost all day! Eek! See what I mean about disorientation and being unsure? It happens during this time we all like to call conference. I am almost finished with my day - only one more thing to do, and that is a presentation about becoming a more research-informed clinician in about an hour and a half. I went to three concurrent sessions today. I've really missed being able to hear what others are doing and thinking in and about music therapy. In addition, I facilitated a discussion in the Special Populations forum centered around trauma-informed care. I'm hoping a couple more folks will find our Trauma Centered Music Therapy group and will start to talk on that Facebook forum. Today, I decided to...

Is it really Friday? I definitely hope so, but I'm really not sure. There haven't been many typical things happening this week, so I have lost track of time and my routine. I think it is Friday... Anyway, I have spent some time lately thinking about thinking. I spend lots of time thinking about my version of music therapy in my corner of the world with my clients. This view of music therapy is very narrow - informed by my experiences and philosophy. It is my way of doing music therapy. This local view of music therapy is something, but it is not all that music therapy should be. I firmly believe that my way of doing music therapy is not the only way or even the best way for others - it is simply the best way for me to do music therapy right now and right here. I used to have the task of thinking of music therapy in a more global manner. It was challenging to break out of my own opinions, but it was also very enriching. I haven't thought in that way for quite a time ...

Ah. Music Therapy Advocacy. One of those things that every music therapist has to do as a regular part of his/her job on an almost daily basis. It is an important part of our profession, but that doesn't keep me from wanting to make things a bit easier for us all. I wish that other people knew some facts (and my opinions) about music therapy to make the job of all music therapists just a bit easier. Music therapy is more than just listening to music. Anyone can make music. Anyone can turn on an iPod for someone to listen to. Anyone can sing or dance or play a drum, but simply doing these things does not mean that just anyone is doing music therapy. Music therapy requires more than just listening to music. Music therapists have education and training in how to apply music and elements of music to support and assist clients in making progress towards specific, targeted personal goals. How we do this is centered in our education in psychology, physiology, anatomy, sociology, peda...

I admit, I can be the person who just stares at strangers when out in public. I prefer it when I am outside and can watch others from behind my Dollar Tree sunglasses, but I am that person. I observe. I spent the morning at my local Firestone shop getting the tires rotated and the oil changed in my car. Then, I went to the Dollar Tree and shopped a bit. I had a chance to observe other human beings interacting with each other. I love the opportunity to watch people interact. Today, in the hour I spent with the folks at the tire store, I saw interactions that ranged from the familiar to the friendly. The front office folks were friendly to all of us, but there were definitely some folks that had more of a relationship formed with customer and staff. Those folks were greeted by name, joshed around with a bit, and greeted with a clap on the shoulder. The rest of us were greeted with a smile, a friendly greeting, and some light conversation about our cars. After my car was finished, I...