music, therapy, and me

My life is currently defined by folders. I am trying to be organized in the midst of a minor whirlwind of activity and new experiences, so I have turned to the comfort of folders. You may not be able to tell from this picture, but I have four colored folders that are currently organizing my progress and process.  Why? That's a great question! I am a visual learner/organizer so having different colors helps me to easily and efficiently choose the information that I need at any given time without having to spend much time thinking about the process. How is it organized? The yellow folder (my current favorite color, by the way - it varies between yellow and green) holds my reminders. There is an article about John Dewey, one of my educational inspirations - go immersion!! There is another article about another one of my educational gurus, William G. Spady - go outcomes-based education! There is an article about preparing yourself for professional interactions. The pink folde...

Today is the beginning of my next new adventure. There have been a couple of new adventures this year, including being part of a brand-new organization, going to various and sundry places, and starting to look for a new direction for myself in my professional life. So, since there is a shift in my focus today, I just cannot talk about Wigram and all. This new adventure is one way outside my comfort zone. I am going to a new place, a new atmosphere, and a new experience. I am more than a little bit nervous about this but keep reminding myself that all adventures are learning experiences and valuable for self-growth. No matter what the outcome, I have jumped into this adventure with both feet and an attitude of "here I go!" Self-care plays an important part of what I speak about with interns. Almost every webinar/seminar has an element of taking care of self in order to be better able to take care of others. It surprises me how much we, as therapists, often neglect or ignor...

If you haven't noticed, I have a feline who condescends to share my living space with me. She is not really a "thing," but a companion who makes me laugh, cry, scream in frustration, giggle, exercise, and relax. I know that she reminds me to take things easy and not worry about too much. If all else fails, I take my cue from her, and take a nap. Naps work. So, my Bella-cat spends much time during the day sleeping, running from one are to another without rhyme or reason, and watching the birds that roost outside our home. She greets me with a demand as soon as I get home. Her needs are simple - health care, food, water, a warm place to sleep, and stimulation. I provide all of those things, and she allows me to share her space. Lucky me! I think that a pet is one of the best things that a person can have around. There have been studies about how pets can assist humans in lowering blood pressure and induce relaxation. There is something about a purr that just makes thing...

Several months ago, one of my interns was getting ready to write her philosophy of music therapy. As all people do, she hopped on the internet to see what was out there about music therapy philosophy. She found a blog post about philosophy and started talking to me about what was in that post. Turns out, it was my blog! (She was disappointed in the post, by the way. It didn't give her a formula for writing a philosophy statement! Bwa-ha-ha! Foiled again by the ID!!! Anyway...) Having a philosophical statement is important. Each one of us needs to know what we believe music can do in the lives of human beings, and we need to be able to articulate our belief in a coherent manner. Hence, the philosophy statement. Now, if you are like my former intern and are looking for a formula for writing a philosophy statement, you are going to be disappointed. There is no formula for writing a statement of belief. You just have to start writing and then rearrange into a systematic series of s...

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)...

I talk to people quite a bit about one of my passions - How do we create the things we do in sessions? Also, what do we call those things anyway? I choose to use the term Therapeutic Music Experiences (TMEs), but you can call 'em anything you want... applications, interventions, even [shudder] activities. Anyway, one of the inevitable questions that comes up (especially with interns and students) is "what do you do when you can't sing?" There will be times in your life when you simply cannot interact through using your voice. This may be due to laryngitis or something else, but there will be those times. So, it is wise to have some non-verbal contingency TMEs tucked away in your TME file for such days. Here is one of mine... Music Therapy Centers Mary Jane Landaker, MME, MT-BC Play Centers: To decrease sound making in music room when sounds are contraindicated; social awareness; play skill development; creativity; imagination; communication of wants/need...

When I started this last round of intern seminars, I had the bright idea that I would increase the number of seminars from 6 to 8 and would add in two different topics. Those topics included one that I really love, "The Therapeutic Triad," and another that was completely brand new, "Understanding Our Tool." The new one is scheduled for this Thursday, and I am trying to figure out how to structure the discussion. I know what I want to start talking about. I want us to start to think about music as something we use in addition to something we do. Ooh - that may just make the conversation... Now, I'm not implying that we don't think about music as something we use, but we (this is a collective "we" by the way - me included) sometimes cannot articulate how we are using our music to move our clients towards their therapeutic goals. We are not always aware of the options that are available to us within the music itself. When administrators or hirin...