music, therapy, and me

The raw materials of making visuals Yesterday afternoon, I took it upon myself to sit down and work on the large stack of visual aids that I had been producing. I (goblin alert) should have been cleaning my bedroom, but I did get to that later on during the day. I sat down with my stacks of cardstock, my scissors, and my laminating machines, and I knocked out a bunch of projects - all while thinking a bit more deeply about the Therapeutic Function of Music model developed by Dr. Deanna Hanson Abromeit, Ph.D., MT-BC. I love the dichotomy that is often present in my life. I am sitting there, working with nursery rhyme songs, while contemplating something that I feel is the foundation of what I do as a music therapist. Theory and practicality - all in the same moment. This happens to me quite often. I may be internally reviewing the therapeutic function of music within a session all while saying things like, "Play with your hands, not your head," or "Hands on lap,...

My mother is currently WAY into the adult coloring book craze. As a result, I've received notepads, bookmarks, coloring books, and magazines that encourage me to color, color, color. Mom has also supplied the markers so I have no excuse except to color. So, I've been coloring. Here's a picture of a work in progress. It is a notebook cover that I've been working on. As you can see, I have not completed it at all, but I'm making progress. Now, I have always been a colorer - I enjoy coloring things and making them unique. I also enjoy drawing things. I've never given up my colored pencils and markers - in fact, I have lots of coloring materials already in my house, but I don't often color just to color. Most of the time, I have a goal for my coloring - completion of visual aids, making a product for sale, etc. This coloring is a bit different. I've never been one who slips into meditation easily. Guided imagery is not something I've been succe...