music, therapy, and me

It is time to get one of my students decked out into my Santa suit - the problem?? I am currently in the middle of reorganizing things in my home, so things are scattered EVERYWHERE! To top it all off, I have all of the pieces of the Santa suit except one spat and the beard. So, now the quest is for the beard. The box that I thought contained the beard does not. So, the search will continue this evening. This is the reason that I need to organize my space. The holiday sing things will be going into the holiday sing box so I can just pull it out when I need it! Imagine, if you will... all the Santa suit pieces in the same place as the twinkle lights and the reindeer headbands! Did anyone else get a chill up their spine?? Right now, I am getting my visual aid boxes from the craft room moved into the office space. I am going to start getting going with my product line for music therapists once the new year starts. I keep telling myself that it will be easier to work on products when...

This year has made me think lots about where I am going as a music therapist. The future that I saw before me is not possible right now because I simply cannot afford it. So, I am now embarking on a completely new future, one I did not ever think would happen. Right now, that future is not clearly defined. I am a person who likes to have a plan. (I am sure that my former interns are snorting in derision due to my preaching about going into sessions with strategies, NOT PLANS!) My philosophy in sessions is very different from my philosophy of life - sorry interns! I am now finding myself in a situation where I do not have the same life plan that I had just four months ago, and I am approaching my life in the same way I approach my therapy sessions - with an idea, but not sure where I will find myself at the end of the journey. Being quite honest with myself, the thought of not having a plan terrifies me! I got used to it as a therapist, so I am sure that I will get used to it as a...

You may be looking at the title of this post and thinking, "Oh great! MJ's on yet another rant! I don't want to get bogged down in her angst again!" I promise, this one is not like that! No angst here but recovery!! One of the ideas that I have always remembered from my undergraduate days is that any behavior that is targeted for modification will get worse before it gets better. If you are trying to replace screaming with a more socially-acceptable form of communication, the screaming will get worse before it is replaced. You have to continue the modification program even when the behavior gets worse or it will never get better! If you can stick it out, things will get better! Soooo... I am in the middle of cleaning my house. I have started with my home office, a mainly cluttered area that does not have a set function. It serves as instrument storage, project development center, webinar central, and sheet music area - all at the same time! It is time to make ...

Yesterday, I was in a session with my kids with the most severe medical concerns associated with their disabilities. We were listening to a cheesy holiday dance mix CD and playing instruments. One of my young men, I'll call him "H," was engaging in his typical vocalizations and word approximations. He was trying very hard to say something to me - two syllables long and repetitive, but not completely the same each time. I echoed his sounds, but that was not enough. Finally, taking pity on me and having the advantage of being around his sounds more than me, a staff member asked him if he was saying, "Santa?" He clapped that he was. The sound play continued with him changing and adapting his sounds all the time. At one time, I was not sure that he was still saying, "Santa," so I echoed, "AFLAC??" He started to speak and then dissolved into giggles. His laughing was contagious and spread to his peers. Can't tell me that these kids are r...

It's the time of year when I am busy, busy, busy! I am sure that you are as well. All of the end-of-the-year festivities are starting, and, as a musician, I am increasingly more and more involved in celebrating! I am taking a day today to get my gifts for others in order. Now, I am usually one of those annoying people who have most of their gifts made, purchased, and sent by the beginning of October (because my sister has a birthday in October, and I am motivated to send things at that time!). This year, however, it is December, and I don't have my gifts figured out at all! By the way, I am blaming the American Music Therapy Association for this - conference in October REALLY messed up my timeline!!! So, for today, I am focusing on finding gifts for my friends and family members for my upcoming holiday celebration. This year most of the gifts will be crafted. It is a necessity since 2012 has been a difficult year financially, and this month especially so due to illness a...

Recently, I posted thoughts on mental health days. Today, I am on my second consecutive sick day away from my clients - right after Thanksgiving break - and am starting to have some cabin fever! (If you are unfamiliar with that phrase, it epitomizes the restlessness that you have when you must stay in one particular place - often used when settlers spent lots of time snowed in during long, cold winters.) So, today's post is regarding sick days - keeping our germs to ourselves! We have a responsibility to our clients and to ourselves to be a bit selfish when it comes to germs. Some of my kids are medically fragile and do not need to have me sharing my coughs all over the music room. While I do not like being sick, I have come to the conclusion that it is better for me to take some time away from therapy than it is to push through the germs to offer inadequate experiences. I still feel guilty about it though. I have bronchitis. I am running a temperature, so have been told no...

I was part of a domestic disturbance yesterday morning. I did not start the disturbance, nor was I a big part of the situation, but I called the police and got things going. The girls next door started screaming. Apparently their mother was under the influence of something and attacked her boyfriend. When I saw them, he was trying to throw her out of the apartment, she was scratching him, and the girls were screaming! I called 9-1-1 and reported the disturbance. In the end, the mother was taken away in the back of a cruiser. When the police arrived, she didn't show any emotional affect and simply asked for a chance to smoke a cigarette. The kids were picked up by their dad, and the police informed the man that the woman was not allowed back at the apartment without a police escort. Great! As I was sitting in my apartment somewhere between panic and hysteria, I started thinking about my clients. I work with kids with psychiatric diagnoses in addition to developmental and int...