music, therapy, and me

Here it is... Yet another Wednesday, and I don't have a writing plan. I really hate when I do not have a plan. My brain craves structure. I like planning, and being without a plan causes stress in my life. Add in the fact that this is Wednesday, I am perpetually exhausted, and I really don't want to go to work today, and this day is not going the way I want it to. It was hard to get up, and I am going to take a later than usual day. So, a website for Wednesday... Have you all checked out Bear Paw Creek ?  Bear Paw Creek is a music and movement focused company that produces movement props. Janet Stephens, the owner, is the sister of a music therapist, and started making these props to help music therapists (and others, but let's be serious - this is a music therapy blog, so...) tote things around. Starting with bags, Janet moved into making other props as well - scarves, balloon balls, body bands. I do not get any sort of financial recompense for sending you to Bear Paw Cre...

How it's going! So, something that I know for a fact but that is becoming increasingly uncomfortable is that I have too much music therapy stuff. (Is anyone shocked by this?? Anyone?) I keep finding stashes of visual aids and PECS and things that I have made or accumulated over the years. Each time I find some more, I get a bit more frustrated with myself. This is a never-ending situation I find myself in at the moment. I found another box yesterday - full of baggies of visual aids that are not corralled anywhere, so they are not useful. There is nothing more frustrating to me than non-useful things taking up space - AND, that's ALL that I have around me! Non-useful things taking up space. A long career as a music therapist means that I have lots of things to go through and either find uses for or give away to someone who can use them. I need to get in touch with the local music therapy university programs to arrange for some donations. I wonder if they would take communication...

I have a difficult relationship with technology. iThings and I do not speak the same language, so I avoid them like the plague. I have an iPod because Apple took over the mp3 market and it was easier to just give into the Apple thing than it was to try to navigate the world of Zune and other mp3 technology. As long as I don't antagonize it, the iPod does what I need it to do - keeps me entertained. I do not have many smart speakers around me - just the one in my Kindle Fire - and I am fine with not knowing things immediately. I am resisting the world of instant gratification and the need to always get information instantaneously. I have a terrible success rate with Bluetooth things. My Dad got me a BB-8 robot many years ago that has never connected with my Bluetooth stuff. I FINALLY figured out how to work my speakers with my laptop, and I also can get my phone hooked up into my car system. I tell you this because I have a new toy to share with some of my clients next week - a Drop...

As I speak, I am uploading a process video that I made yesterday. I am not necessarily the best videographer that ever was, but I am learning, and I do enjoy showing what I can do with a couple pieces of paper and a camera. I was nervous about an eye doctor appointment (that got cancelled so all those nerves were unnecessary), so I put together something I've mentioned before in my blog - a theme-based choice board for clients to use to shape their own music therapy sessions. The end result is gorgeous (if I do say myself), and I am so excited about getting the process on video that I could just burst! I CAN CHECK SOMETHING OFF MY TO-DO LIST!! It is taking a very long time to upload, but that seems to be the way things go around here. It will go faster once I am no longer using the internet for anything other than uploading. After about two hours of uploading, it finally was finished!!   So, why do I make these boards? It goes along with my current focus on my theme boxes and ideas...