music, therapy, and me

My word for this year is "play." I select a word each year that helps me focus on self-improvement. In the past, I have had many words designed to inspire me to do more. Before this year started, I decided that I was tired of self-improvement, and I wanted to spend more time on things that I found fun. So, I decided that "play" was my word back at the end of 2023. As we enter the last quarter of 2024, it is time to start thinking about what I want to be doing this next year. I have enjoyed the focus on finding things that are fun and help me play with things and people. I want to continue this focus, so I will be looking at different words and ideas for what I want to do in 2025. One of the reasons I chose the word "play" as my focus is professional in nature. I was not feeling happy with how things were going in my music therapy practice. I was feeling creatively blocked at a level that is not my normal. I wanted to find my first love again - doing things...

I am trying something rather new in my music therapy room this school year - leisure-focused sessions rather than just music therapy. Here is the deal - my students do not know how to occupy themselves in their leisure time other than with screens. They can watch television, movies, play video games, but they do not know how to use blocks or Matchbox cars or dolls or puzzles or crossword books or balls. Take away the screens, and my students cannot figure out things to do. This is not something that I have ever experienced. My life has been full of opportunities to get bored, to be away from screens, and to be turned outside to keep myself and my siblings occupied along with all the other kids in the neighborhood. We were supposed to be as safe as possible, but other than that, we had no real guidelines about what we should (goblin) be doing with ourselves. If I had been given a choice in the matter, I would have remained inside, reading, but I did not get that choice. Mom turned us ou...

Hello, friends. Welcome to my end of the year post - the one where I usually reveal several things and spend time ruminating on various quests and goals that I have established. Today, however, may not include some of that information because I am currently figuring out lots of stuff and am not sure if I am coming or going. My mom has acute pancreatitis and is in the hospital. I have extended my trip an additional two days so I can be around for support. My sister is helping Mom out the way she always does because she is close by, and I am glad that I can be here until Tuesday. My mom keeps telling me to "have some fun" while I am here, but that is difficult to do when waiting for doctors and tests and information. My sister and I went to the hospital yesterday to wait through a procedure and then waited with Mom to hear about another procedure that will be happening today. At this point, we are not expecting surgery, but we might be going through that if the procedure today ...

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year. It is Star Wars Day tomorrow (May the Fourth, you know), so I am taking one of my favorite things in the world to work - my R2-D2 robot! He is voice-activated and stubborn as all get out, which I absolutely LOVE! We do some experimentation with offering commands and waiting for responses and then we let him do his thing all over the music therapy room. He is a great tool for some discussion about listening, about conflict, and about how it feels when people do not listen to you. In addition to playing with R2, we are going to use some mini flashlights that I bought from Oriental Trading Co a long time ago - they have constellations on them! We are also going to listen to John Williams' music. There is nothing that I disapprove of this week! I love it all! This is a good way to start the last month of our regular schedule. I get to let my nerdy, fan-girl side out and still justify all this as a therapeutic event! So, this week's sess...

I am sitting here, at my computer, watching Father Brown on Netflix, and striving to find something to write about. It is Thursday, and I have managed to make it to work every single day this week (first time in about three weeks that I've accomplished this feat), and I am exhausted beyond belief. I have enough energy for my five sessions today, but I'm not sure that I'll do much this afternoon when I get home. I saw a post on one of my social media feeds about a lack of motivation. I can relate to that on so many levels. This person wanted suggestions about how to find motivation in a current slump. I can relate to that on so many levels as well.  I am currently recovering from a phase of "severe lack of motivation." My thought is that most of this lack has been actually caused by my recent illness, but there are other things out there that are affecting my motivation as well. I'm glad to be on the recovery side of this phase because I really do not li...

It's Friday, and I'm getting ready for a work day at work. Since I still do not have a dedicated space to do music therapy, I am taking all of the preparation and planning time that I am allotted all in one fell swoop each Friday. Today I will be working on my  documentation, TME database, and my Monday-Thursday schedule. But, today is Friday, so it is time to talk about one of my favorite things... Jocko the Monkey Puppet I would like you to meet Jocko. Jocko has been a member of my family since the early 80's when my mom fell in love with one of his relatives at the Los Angeles County Fair. She decided to clone him and, voila, Jocko! He became a member of the family way back then, and he came to live with me about 15 years ago. Jocko occasionally visits the music therapy room for sessions. My biggest problem with Jocko at work? He is a naughty monkey! Jocko always bites the fingers that are put into his mouth. He disagrees with MOST of the decisions that I make ab...