music, therapy, and me

This week is sound awareness week in my music therapy groups. We are using a couple of devices and a website to start our journey into sound and how sounds affect us as humans. I have a couple of movement-activated devices called Musini - this is a device from Neurosmith that is no longer made. I buy them when I find them because my clients enjoy the cause and effect of this particular toy.  I have two that are fun to play with. In addition, we are using the website, https://bouncyballs.org/, as an auditory reaction to sounds. With this website, you can set several different things to respond to ambient sounds. You have to have a microphone, but I have found that I can hook things up to my Promethean board through my clinic laptop with a slight delay in the response. This seems to work pretty well with my clients who also experience some delays in responses. Well, we are using these two things to explore the relationships between sound and response and movement and sound. I love i...

My to-do list is getting smaller. I like to cross things off my list of things that I need to, have to, should finish up, and this morning, I can cross off the biggest task that I had in front of me. That makes me feel so wonderful! This is one of the reasons that I use a planner to organize my things to do and things done. I can see when I've made progress on a project or task, and I can also see what I need to do next. This visual representation is the way I can organize my self and my progress best. For some reason, electronic tracking systems are not good for me. I need paper and pens to keep track of what I am doing. It is time for a goal check. This is something that I do every so often to keep myself on track for things that I want to do and for things that I have done. My most immediate goal for today - that of finishing a project for my business - is finished for this month, but it is not over. This is an on-going type of project. Now that this month's contribu...

I'm currently doing a five-day, free business challenge led by Rachelle Norman and Mary Owenby Altom, and my current challenge is to take an inventory of what I have around me. Their suggestion was to inventory the instruments and materials that are part of the music therapy stuff that we all have tucked away, but I already have that in place for my full-time music therapy job (not the business that I am growing), so I wanted to do something that would benefit my business, musictherapyworks.com, rather than something extraneous. So... My current challenge is to go through all of the digital files that I have and see what is available right now to be released as a product on my website. I know that I have bunches of file folder templates that I can tweak a bit and then post on my Teachers Pay Teachers site . I have courses that just need an approval from CBMT to make them work. I have books of therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) that people seem to like, but no one really knows...

It's that time again. Time to go to the iTunes account, set the play controls to Shuffle, and see what comes up to use as a therapeutic music experience. I start up the program and, voila! The song that comes up is Pon De Replay , performed by Rihanna, written by E. Rogers, C. Sturken, A. Brooks, and V. Nobles and on my iTunes account from the album Radio Disney Jams, Volume 8 . Basic Information about the song: the song is 3 minutes, 36 seconds long. starts with a percussive pattern that forms the foundation for the piece - approximately 98 bpm (according to my new favorite website Get Song BPM - seriously, why haven't I heard about this site before???) there is a primarily vocal timbre to go with the percussion and electronic sounds - chorus of voices support the front singer the lyrics are primarily concerned with movement and offer some directives for moving in a specific manner, but there doesn't seem to be a set pattern for dancing offered released in 2005 ...

It's time to get ready for a trip into music therapy land. I look forward to this interaction (almost) every year, and it is almost time to go! In the next several days, I have lots of things to do and to cross off my to-do list. That's right - I have a trip to-do list! I'm sure that doesn't surprise many of you. Tonight's task is laundry and packing. I have to do this a bit ahead of any trip that I take because the cat gets very suspicious. I have planned out several outfits, and I just need to get everything organized to make myself feel like I've accomplished something this week. I found out that next week will include our annual Body Venture visit. The state department of health or something-or-other comes out with a huge display that we set up in our gymnasium and then usher all of our students through to tell them about the body. There is a theme of healthy eating and exercise throughout the body procession. I get to be the mouth. I think that's ...

I am so very excited to be spending a day in front of the computer, working on website design. Part of the excitement comes from the fact that I love visual design, but the rest of the excitement comes from a special thing that is FINALLY happening on July 20th. My first ever Continuing Music Therapy Education course will open for registration on July 20th! Here comes Composition and Creativity ! I have spent many years thinking about this, dreaming about this event, and preparing myself for this very moment. My first ever CMTE course, generated and overseen by me!! I spent lots of years trying to pinch enough pennies to pay the fees required to be a pre-approved CMTE provider through CBMT, but life always interfered - surgery, student loans, tuition bills, broken fridge, etc. Last year was when I was first able to afford the application fees, and now it is here - the first CMTE offered by me at musictherapyworks. Today is the day that I've set aside to revamp my website to of...

You know how you sometimes find things and think, "Wow! That's a GREAT idea. I wish I had thought of that!!" This post is all about those things that I wish I had thought of that actually are present in the world.  [NOTE: If you decide to take advantage of these, let me know what you think, but also know that I get NO financial benefit from any of my recommendations.] The Music Therapy Activities Wiki - So, this is a good idea in concept and theory, but it hasn't really taken off (as far as I can see). This is a repository for therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) and offers several ways to search through the ideas contributed by others. There is an opinion survey that I just finished. This is the type of resource that I will start to recommend for all those requests for "I need a song to sing with my population" that happen on my social media feeds all the time! Music2Spark - This blog, written by JoAnn Jordan, offers ideas, situations, and opportuni...

Have you ever written a Social Story ? I guess what I do is not really a social story but an expectation script of some sort. I guess I shouldn't really call anything that I write an actual Social Story. Here's why . It pays to delve a bit more into anything that you are thinking about to see if your concept is actually correct according to the original authors! ANYWAY - I've written (what I originally thought was a pretty good social story but I have now realized isn't a social story at all - sigh) a story about expectations for playing instruments. I've posted this on my website so you can see it, adapt it for you, and print it out. I usually read this to my kids with more impulse issues BEFORE (that is very important - BEFORE) I give them an instrument. This story is seeking a song to support it. So, at some point, I'll rewrite the words a bit and make it into a music-supported script of expectations. Then, I'll be able to sing it instead of reading ...

About six months ago, I led a presentation at the super regional conference for the Midwestern and Western regions. The title was "Been There, Done That, Now What?: From Slump to Career Pivot." During that presentation, I encouraged participants to dream big. We spent some time thinking about our future lives - what would be if we stayed in the same place, what we could be if money was no object, and then a combination of the two. My "lottery winning" plan continues to challenge me - it is always at the back of my mind when I drive past the lottery sign on my way to work. What would I do if I had millions of dollars?? If I had an unlimited amount of money, I would start a music therapy community clinic in my parent's town. I would want to employ several therapists and be able to offer music therapy services to all sorts of clients. I would want to have a community band and a community choir for people to come in and use music for recreation and well-being. I w...

I received my official letter approving me as a pre-approved provider through the Certification Board for Music Therapists yesterday. I am official. I am P-165 ! This has been an idea that's been rattling around in the back of my head for a long, long time. Now it is time to coordinate and get things moving. I am trying for an August 1 launch date for my first menu of course offerings. As a result, I need to start my recordings and get all of my content organized and up and going. It is time to move forward. I am going to spend time in the next several weeks generating content and organizing the website to make this work. It's time. The first step? Doing the asynchronous recordings and generating the demonstration elements. Second step? Configuring the website. Third step? Advertising and marketing! After that, we'll get going. Gotta go to work for an extra long day due to the need for a 44-hour workweek this week, so that's all for now! I am P-165 !

I am steeped in songwriting these days. I took a final leap yesterday and FINALLY submitted my application to become a CBMT pre-approved provider of continuing education for music therapists (CMTEs) (I've been talking about it for 20 years and FINALLY FINISHED THE PROCESS). As a result, I am starting to generate content for my courses, and songwriting is at the top of the list. I enjoy writing songs. I like to compose something specifically for a client. I like writing songs that help a client move towards his or her personal therapeutic goals. I've written several collections of original songs with additional therapeutic music experiences, and I think that it's good for music therapists to play around with composition and songwriting to spur creativity. One of the things that I'd wished I'd known a long time ago is that I can earn up to 20 CMTE credits for my songwriting. (It's my own fault, I've got to actually READ the recertification manual to get all ...

It's time to change what happens on Wednesdays again because I am running out of new websites to feature. There aren't many different sites out there, and I've featured many of the ones that I really like. When I go out looking for blogs, websites, and the like, I start off by typing random things into search engines and see what pops up. (I still get a strange thrill from seeing my own sites show up on the feed.) I then go exploring. Lately, though, my explorations aren't finding much that's new. As a result, I'm going to figure out some other series to write about - it probably won't be a Wednesday series since I've pretty much used all the alliteration that I can (and I REALLY like alliteration when it comes to naming my blog series!!), but I'll figure out something. See you later.

I think I'm a bit of an odd duck when it comes to research questions. At least, that's what it seemed like when I was in graduate school. The questions that made me curious often didn't jive with the ideas of my advisors. That both concerned me and made me curious. Why weren't others interested in developing tools for music therapists to use during sessions? Why weren't others interested in how music therapists made decisions about their live music making with and for clients? It was this, more than anything, that led me to leave the world of academia and go back into full-time clinical work. Most of what I want to know can't be quantified, measured, or researched other than participant reporting. This is why I didn't find that my questions meshed with the ideas of my advisors. How do you really track the inner dialog that goes on inside the head of a music therapist who is making decisions about music presentation in the moment?      I have always ...

I have found several places with music therapy ideas that I wish I had first. They are varied, but I encourage you to look at these sites and see for yourself what's going on. Some of these you've seen on this blog before. Others may be new to you. See what you think! Music Therapy Mailings : This is fun. I send in my money, and I get an envelope full of creativity every month. I wish I had had this idea before Rachel Rambach did. Tracy Reif now runs the business and sends lots of interesting things. I enjoy getting something different every month - the materials really spark my own creativity. Music Therapy Activities : This is a site that has an interesting premise, but it never really seemed to get going. The Music Therapy Marketplace : Here's a place where you can find specific therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) for purchase. Briana Priester has a creator's lounge as well. I haven't been part of that, but it sounds intriguing! What music therapy sites d...

As I am busy getting ready for the Online Conference for Music Therapy (OCMT) 2017 conference , I started thinking about other music therapy organizations. Lo and behold, a quick Google search and I found a link to many different organizational websites. Guess what? This resource is available on our very own music therapy association's site!! Go American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) !  My experiences with OCMT have shown me the differences in music therapy around this planet. Some countries have well-developed professional identities. Others do not. It is interesting to see where my ideals and visions of music therapy meet those of others in places far remote from where I learned about this profession. I encourage you to take advantage of the work of the AMTA International Relations Committee and check out some of these sites. I'm going to spend the weekend listening and speaking to international music therapists at OCMT 2017. You are welcome to join us there as well!...

It's music therapy advocacy month, and I enjoy the process of looking at music therapy posts, websites, and blogs to see what else is out there for us music therapy-types. This is sometimes a silly idea, other times it's an exercise in tolerance, yet other times it is frustrating. I was strolling around the internet this morning, and I thought I would see what was out there. I wasn't disappointed. One blogger wrote about "music therapy. It's where you take three songs that have significance in your life and write about them on your blog." Oh dear. I have to decide if I go through the process of commenting on this random blogger's page or just let it go. I tend to be a person who just lets it go. This random mommy (what she called herself on the blog) is not doing music therapy, but she was told this by another mommy blogger, so she is just spreading some misinformation. We've all done that at one time or another. The idea itself is sound, b...

I have always harbored a secret desire to work for Sesame Workshop. Sesame Street was a big part of my childhood, along with Mr. Rogers and Captain Kangaroo, and I have always been interested in the use of music to teach kids about things.  Most of my therapeutic music experience (TME) development over the years has been focused on teaching about things, but many times, my clients don't want to learn about things. They need other forms of treatment from me, so my academic TMEs just sit in my TME file, waiting patiently for others to want them. I bring all this up to introduce my website pick for today. It's from the people at PBS and offers kids an opportunity to do some improvisation centered around emotional expression. You can find the website here . I tried to play around with it this morning, but my computer was too slow to make it very interesting. I like this because it links the idea of music as an expressive agent with the emotions of kids. There are other game...

I am a camp and scouting nerd. I freely admit it. Many years of being a Girl Scout, a very brief stint as an Explorer Scout, and years and years of camping in all forms and states has made me very appreciative of campfire songs. When I am looking for a silly something to lure my clients into interactions, I go for the Flying Pigs Campfire Songbook . (Don't you just LOVE the name of this book?) Now, I am the first to admit that I don't know all the songs in this book, but I've found YouTube links to most of the few that I haven't sung around a campfire in my life. For the ones that I just haven't found anywhere, I make up my own melodies! Some of my favorites for therapy? A Ram Sam Sam Boom Chicka Boom Come On and Sing With Me Doodley Doo - I know this one as Wadaliactcha ...oh, there are so many more that I love. The songs can be adapted and used for all types of goals and objectives. I can make any song work for therapy, and these tend to be funnier th...

All of my website searches seem to include You Tube. All of them. So, why haven't I written about it before? Because I think that everyone uses You Tube the way I use You Tube. I guess I'm wrong because I can find the answers to questions that others post quickly when I use Google and You Tube, and they can't seem to find the same resources. Ooh, getting into snarkiness here - must move on! Anyway, do you want to see some cool new ways to play a cabasa? Type it into the search window and, voila - you tube video ! Need a little Muppet music in your life? Again, search Muppet Music, and there are many different choices ! When I have a question, I immediately turn to my online resources - Google and You Tube. I only turn to others when there is no information on those sites that make sense - believe it or not, I've never found a topic that isn't represented on those sites. Just to finish things off, here is one of my You Tube videos (actually, my only one so far ...

A couple of years ago, my sister dragged me into the world of computer interfaces by asking my Dad for a Makey Makey for the holiday. When my father saw what she was asking for, he decided that we both needed one, so I received one as well. My sister gave me a Makey Makey Go for Christmas this year with requests to figure out how to rig it to my cat's behavior (in some way - Auntie wants more pictures of the kitty, I guess!). I will be playing with this a bit more in the near future. I've played with mine a bit, but haven't really delved into the possibilities of what this device can do. I like that it has lots of implications for clients with limited mobility. I can rig just about anything to do something - great cause and effect work opportunities as well as access to communication or composition or many other things as well. It wasn't cheap, but it also didn't break the bank, especially when compared to switches, Big Macks, and other software programs. Make...