music, therapy, and me

Lately, this song has been coming up often. Just thought it was appropriate for today as we are waiting for so many things. Therapeutic Music Experience Waiting is Hard to Do Mary Jane Landaker, MME, MT-BC Purpose: To remind clients about waiting; to address impulse control; to increase social awareness; to increase social interaction; to cue appropriate behavior Source: Original song. © July 10, 2009 by Mary Jane Landaker, MME, MT-BC Materials: None Song: Check out the website for the link to the sheet music for this song. Head down to the bottom of the page for the file.   CHORUS Waiting is hard to do, waiting is hard to do, waiting is hard to do, but sometimes, I have to. VERSE I might have to wait in line when I want to eat. To wait for food is really hard, it rarely is a treat. Other kids will be there too, making lots of noise. It’s my job to wait in line with a quiet voice. CHORUS I have to wait in line to go back to my ...

I bought some new music this weekend. It is almost the end of my fiscal month, and I had some money left over, so I went spending on iTunes. I bought some music for kids - specific requests that I did not have already - and some music for me. I also bought the most recent Now! That's What I Call Music compilation and was reminded that I already have some other music to hear during my music listening moments.   You know, I don't listen to music just to listen very often anymore. I used to, back before I was immersed in all of this music therapy stuff. Almost everything I listen to these days is something either requested by students or background music to the talk I am hearing. I rarely take time to just listen to music. I did a bit of that last week, and I enjoyed it, but I didn't really listen. The music became a background figure to my thoughts and verbal practicing (I admit it, I talk to myself in the car during my commute). I anticipate that this same thing will ha...

It is time to start a new book for Synthesis Sunday. After mulling things over, I've decided to use my Sunday readings for two purposes - first, to read and share something that I find interesting and important (I hope), and second, to work on a course that I want to offer. To that end, I introduce to you Synthesis Sundays centered around trauma-informed care and music therapy! I have my textbook, Music, Music Therapy and Trauma: International Perspectives , and I have my notes from my facilitator training. I have my notebook, and my ever faithful assistant who is ready and willing to sit on top of materials, to hit the pen as I take notes, and generally comment on my writing process right near by. It is time to start. First, a bit of background about why this topic at this time.  I work with children and adolescents who have significant trauma histories that have led to the development of antisocial behaviors and responses which make education and safe community particip...

It's time for a Bullet Journal update - Music Therapy style! If you've been following this particular thread on my blog, then you know that I am doing something sorta, kinda like bullet journaling for my session strategy development. It's not pretty, but it is turning out to very functional for me and my strategizing practice. So, I have this elementary school teacher planner that I got for free with purchase at Lakeshore (an educational supply store - by the way, I get absolutely no financial benefit from the things and stores that I talk about on my blog - if I mention something, it is because I use it and find it helpful). It isn't exactly perfect for music therapy planning, but it is much more functional than the planners that my school provides - those are designed for high school teachers, not for therapists. Since I am not a teacher, but a therapist, I change the planner a bit to make it functional for me. Someday I may make my own planner, but, for the mom...

I received some news yesterday that kinda threw me into a tizzy. The news is good, but is along the lines of "that thing you thought you had four more months to coordinate? Yeah, maybe only a month now." I can't share any more details, but I can tell you that I am going to be spending some time today trying to see if I can figure out what has to be done immediately. This is actually a good thing for me. In the past seven days, I've had the "I'm feeling like I need a challenge" thoughts as one project wrapped up, and I was trying to come up with another one. I'm sure that this happened partially to get me going on something.  So, thank you, Universe, I appreciate the challenge. As a result of this new challenge, my plans for Friday have changed a bit. I really need to put things back where they belong in my music therapy clinic. I've either been sick or isolated in my office for the last two weeks, so things have piled up inside the cabinet...

I've been listening to lots of music lately. I left the iPod at work, so I decided to take some CDs, and I randomly popped in some Haydn. My first thought, "Okay, at least it isn't rap." My second thought, "Ooh, I could say this during my presentation." I talked to myself the entire way to work - all centered around my upcoming presentations, and I generated several new ideas! This led me into remembering the foundations of my music therapy theory. Here's the foundational thought that is my current focus - music is motivating. By listening to something that was inherently familiar to me, and not something that intruded too much, I was able to create some new ideas. Music engaged my brain and allowed synapses to interact in ways that they hadn't in quite some time. I had ideas and the music spurred my presentation practice. Well, duh, right? One of the presenters that spoke at last week's Online Conference for Music Therapy reminded me t...

Yesterday, our BCBA guy came to observe me during a music therapy group. He's been at the facility since October and presented on a "school-wide program" that he had started that was not truly "school-wide" back in January. I got a bit frustrated by the attitude that something encompassed the entire school but did not include the entire school. He came into my room on Monday, during lunch while I was eating ravioli and watching my documentation television show (long story), to talk for "a couple of minutes." He stayed for 20. Yesterday, he arrived for one of my therapy sessions to count interactions and see what was going on in music therapy. After the session, we talked for an additional 20 minutes about his current data collection strategy and how music therapy does not fit. Now, since I left my internship many years ago, I have not been evaluated by a music therapist. I have had no information about whether my skills are appropriate as a therapis...