music, therapy, and me

...and spent money that I didn't have to spend on Amazon Day last week...my stuff is starting to arrive now, and I am still pleased with my choices... I bought some spoons - my students seem to LOVE these, but the best part about them is that they bend. I don't love that as much, so I buy new ones every so often. That way, when they get so bent that I can no longer straighten them to a semblance of their former selves, I can replace them. I also bought a pair of mini kalimbas. I could not resist. They are in the picture above with the musical spoons for reference. They sound really good, and I like that they came in such cute packaging. Those things, a striker for my singing bowl, a drum set cover, and some paper things made up my order. Then...Thursday arrived and with it, Throw Back Thursday posts from my friends. One friend (actually, my middle and high school crush) has a dad who spent all of my friend's band life taking pictures of what was happening. Since I was in ba...

I've been thinking about origin stories lately - you know, the way that people become who they are. My own origin story is in this post here . I am writing a little piece of futuristic fiction about music therapy and where we are headed, and I flashed on the idea that my protagonist needed her own origin story a bit more fleshed out than the bare bones that I've already established. You see, Persephone first encountered music therapy when she met Evelyn (pronounced - Ee-vlyn - that's important to me!!), her brother's music therapist. Evelyn's big brother, Evander, is referred to music therapy due to his preference for music as an interaction to other forms of communication. Persephone barely remembers a time when music therapy wasn't a part of her life...More about that when I get my fingers a bit more limber to type it all out. I have an entire pathway laid out for Persephone's journey to her music therapy education which includes talks with Evelyn, observ...

I am currently making a hearty breakfast of chicken, spinach, and mashed potatoes for this day, March 1, 2019. I have a late start day today (because of all the inclement weather days that we had in January and February), so I have about an hour and 45 minutes before I have to leave my house and go to work. I am really liking this arrangement of working a 5 hour day on Fridays. Since today is also World Music Therapy Day, I am also taking some time to reflect on my life as a music therapist over the past 26 years. The two things really do go together in my head, I promise!! My breakfast is the result of a melding of different tastes, textures, and food groups. It is not a combination that I found in any type of cookbook or recipe site - it is something that I've made up through putting things into my crock pot and seeing what will happen. Now, I tend to do crock pot things this way. I buy some chicken pieces, look in the freezer for the vegetables that I am going to put into a ...

It amazes me how small this world has become.  On Monday, I wrote a bit about my music therapy origin story. Then, I was reminded that my journey towards music therapy actually started much earlier than that fateful day when I was fourteen. Yesterday, my sixth grade band director found me through a post on a friend's timeline. He stated that he remembered me, and it just amazes me that we've connected after many decades. I am also amazed that he actually called me by name (I don't use my full name on social media - lots of reasons why) with only my social media name as a cue. He has since connected to me and asked the basic questions that people asked - what are you doing these days? He was the first person to introduce me to the joys of playing instruments. By the time I was in sixth grade, I had been singing in various church choirs for five years. I knew a little bit about reading music, but not lots. I wanted to play either the cornet (Dad had one in the garage) or...

As I was starting this post, I noticed that that I have posted 1701 times on this blog since it started. That amazes me. When I started all of this writing in the year 2006, I wanted a place where I could write about what I was going through. I never anticipated that I would still be writing eleven years later, on an almost daily basis, and that people would actually read what I write! I love writing, and my favorite topic is, of course, my life as a music therapist. How could it be any other way? I'm sure that there are other professions where the practitioners get joy out of the everyday interactions, but I'm sure that there aren't that many that would give me the same sort of joy. Yesterday, I was thinking about my music therapy origin story. On my way home after working at church, I often hear part of the program Snap Judgment. Yesterday's program was about moments that changed lives. My music therapy origin story is like that. It changed my life. I love hea...

It is early on a Saturday morning, and I am starting my list of things to do during the next three days. The bullet list started off pretty small, but it is growing and growing as I am sitting here, thinking. (I should probably stop thinking as it seems to lead to more and more stuff to do...) Well, that failed. So, if I am going to continue thinking, I might as well start thinking about something to write about. There aren't many music therapy texts that I buy every single edition, but I do have two different books that I have purchased all available editions. Those books are Defining Music Therapy by Kenneth Bruscia and The Music Within You by Carol Merle Fishman and Shelley Kasch. I love both of those books, but for very different reasons. The Music Within In (edition 1) was the very first book that was related to music therapy that I ever purchased. I have no idea how I even found it, but I found the title and then convinced the local bookstore (at our mall) to order...

Music therapy. I found the flyer and letters for the high school student Meet and Greet at the AMTA conference this year. I printed them off because I have a couple of people who are in high school and have expressed interest in music therapy. I hope they take advantage and come to the conference. When I was in high school, I would have absolutely LOVED being able to come to a place where there were so many music therapists in one place. It would have been so reassuring to know that there were other people out there doing what I dreamed about doing in a world where no one knew what I was talking about. Join me in my "Way Back Machine." The year, 1984. Little MJ hears a person offhandedly mentioning "Oh, there is another department here on campus called music therapy. Here are some flyers." That was it. That was the moment that changed my life. Thank goodness I was at the University of Evansville for Studio 84 , a scouting Wider Opportunity. I attended as a voc...

This may seem strange to you, since I have spoken about my medical related anxiety disorder, but I really enjoy Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI tests). I have one today, but I'm not anxious about it all. I am actually looking forward to this test, believe it or not. I had my first MRI when I was 16. It was a horrible situation that ended up completely different than the initial diagnosis (thank goodness) but I became fascinated with the entire process once I was in the device.  Way back in those days, MRI machines were brand spanking new and extremely expensive! The hospital where I went for my test was part of a group of hospitals who had pooled together their monies so they could buy an MRI suite that traveled from hospital to hospital. When my doctor thought I had a brain tumor (long story, but I didn't), my hospital had the suite, so we went from appointment to hospital pretty much immediately. When we got there, I checked in and asked the lady at reception if my mom ...

I am immersed in three different projects having to do with very different perspectives of music therapy right now. I'm not going to go into any of the details, but these projects encompass the width and breadth of music therapy - philosophy, research, and practice. One of the best things and worst things about thinking about music therapy is the need to explore what others are doing. I love looking to see what others are doing, but it also challenges me. My "coulda, woulda, shoulda" goblins come out and attempt to take over. Thoughts similar to "I should be doing community music therapy" start to pop into my head at random moments. So, I spend time thinking about what I should be doing rather than appreciating what I am doing. We always have to remember that what we are doing is just as important to the field as what others are doing. CHANGE OF TOPIC... I am fascinated about the history of music therapy - why we (each of us in the world of music therapy)...

Being out of the music therapy clinic (and not by choice, but due to diverticulitis) for some time makes me realize how much I love the act of singing, dancing, and making music in the company of others!  I have told you before about how I found music therapy at the University of Evansville in August 1984 (Wow, almost 29 years ago!!!). I am thrilled that I was paying attention on that day to that anonymous college professor who said, "There is something else here that's called 'Music Therapy.' Have a brochure." I heard an audible click in my head and that was it. Once I decided that I was going to be a music therapist, I was ready. The top things that I love about my job... The moment when a kid realizes that he or she is the one controlling the music Echoing strange and unusual sounds Finding new ways to make new sounds with old, familiar stuff Entire classes singing silly songs together The times when original songs pop into my head fully formed and ...