music, therapy, and me

I am running themed therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) at my facility this week because... It is Star Wars week, or, as a co-worker put it yesterday, "It is the May." This is the one week per year that I devote myself to a theme for music therapy programming. I do not often use themes with my clients because I don't like that type of structure or limitations and my clients often need me to do other things. I think thematic programming would be fine, but it's not what I want as a therapist. So, I don't use themes. Even though I do not use themes for my own sessions, I do love creating things that go together for various categories and topics. I'm working on a new subscription service that will focus on thematic programming exclusively. The first topic? Cats...of course, it is cats. Anyway... This week's theme is Star Wars, and I have pulled out my May storage box to access as many of my Star Wars visuals and materials as possible. In my monthly boxes, I h...

Okay. I am a bit overwhelmed right now and trying very hard to keep myself contained, but I am a bit excited and humbled and just plain old scared that I am not worthy of all sorts of things right now. What has me in such a tizzy?? My favorite blogger in the world just followed me on Twitter! SQUEEEEEE! (See, here's where the fangirling starts and won't stop for a long time to come, I am afraid!) My favorite blogger is a woman named Jenny Lawson who is The Bloggess. Not only is she a wonderful blogger, she is also an artist, author, and small business owner, and she now follows ME on twitter! I admire her for so many reasons, and she decided to follow me! Of course, she follows over 49 thousand twitter accounts, but I may show up on her enormous feed every once in a while! That's pretty awesome! If you haven't heard of Jenny Lawson, may I introduce her? She owns Nowhere Bookshop in San Antonio, Texas (a place on my bucket list to visit just because I like her SO much!...

If you have read this blog around this time of year for the past several years (at least, since Disney took over the Star Wars franchise), then you know that I am a HUGE fan! I have now seen the last movie, The Rise of Skywalker, twice, and I will be going back for some more once I get back to my own home. Looking forward to watching this movie the third time will get me through some cold, wintery, gloomy days, I am more than sure! I promise, I will not reveal any spoilers about the plot, the ending, or anything OTHER THAN... My FAVORITE composer of all time has a cameo! There. That's the only thing that I will reveal. Mr. John Williams is my favorite composer. There is no one else who even compares in my musical universe, though Michael Giacchino is gaining on some of my other favorites right now. Mr. Williams, however, is at the pinnacle that all others are compared to and must strive to achieve! My love affair with the music of Mr. Williams started with my first inter...

Do you ever have an "ultimate fan" moment? You know, the type of request on social media that just makes you feel a bit excited and very humbled and somewhat curious about why someone wants to connect with you? A retired music therapist (who isn't really all that retired, just on to different adventures around the world) just posted that she had such a moment, and I just had one, too! Now, this wasn't a huge thing, but it is a step closer to something that I really wanted to be part of, but wasn't nominated for - it was my own fault, really - I didn't let anyone know that I really wanted to be part of this big step for our professional organization, but I still really wanted to be remembered and part of this process. Maybe someday... Anyway, I went over to one of my social media accounts today and found that the Commission on Education and Clinical Training (I refuse to use the rest of the commission's title because I think we should be forward th...

In 2009, I volunteered to be a music therapy session leader, general assistant, and extra body at Camp Encourage, a camp program for folks all over the neurodevelopmental spectrum. As such, I was asked to run the game room as one of the sessions. I willingly agreed, and went into the game room ready to see what was going on. One of the games was a Star Wars trivia game. The adolescents who were playing did not really welcome me with open arms, but their attitudes changed when I started to play. (If you don't know, I am a Star Wars fan and have watched the movies many times, read some of the books, and know all of the  music by heart. In addition, I have a good visual memory, so if I've seen something, I can remember things about the situation that others don't pay attention to). By the end of the session, I had some new friends. We had a common bond - Star Wars - for the rest of the camp, those boys would approach me, engage me in conversation about other things, and ask ...