Self-care is a common topic among the music therapy community. We talk about it a lot, but do we actually implement it in our daily lives? It’s something I personally struggle with. I know what I want to do for self-care, but finding the time to actually take care of myself is difficult. Who else is in this same boat?
We’re all busy. Maybe you’re working a full-time job, you have kids stuck at home doing remote learning, you’re trying to navigate a pandemic, you’re enduring the stresses of everyday life, the list could go on and on. For me, it’s trying to plan a wedding during COVID-19. I find myself using this and so many other excuses as reasons to put off self-care.
Instead of using our busy lives as an excuse why we can’t give ourselves some self-love, let’s start using them as reasons why we need to care for ourselves.
This summer has looked very different than I had initially planned, as I’m sure is also true for you. In a normal, non-pandemic world, my kids would be busy with various summer camps and spend one full day each week with their babysitter so that I would have dedicated work time…but this is not a normal, non-pandemic world at the moment.
Instead, the 3 of us have spent each and every day together, mostly at home with some pool days thrown in to keep us all sane. That of course translates into me not getting as much work done (like, barely even a fraction of it) as I had originally hoped, but I’m giving myself grace — as we all should during the year 2020.
That said, I have managed to write and record a few new tunes, as well as breathed new life into a good handful of songs I wrote in my earlier professional years. You can check out all of the latest songs over in the store, but I wanted to feature 3 of them here for you. Hopefully you can get some use out of them as we enter the last full month of summer!
Words and melodies have, for the most part, eluded me over the past 6 weeks. The best I could muster was an adaptation of Maggie Rogers’ “Give A Little” for bells, which I used in my livestream classes recently, but otherwise…nothing.
And then last Friday, our governor announced that all schools in Illinois are closed for the remainder of the school year. Even though I was 100% expecting this news, it hit me hard. I still haven’t told my kids, who are only 4 and 6…young enough to be content at home, but old enough to love and miss their school, teachers, and friends. Needless to say, the rollercoaster my emotions have been on plunged downward.
That night, I sat down with my guitar, and all these lyrics came pouring out, along with a melody to go with them. “It’s Okay Not To Be Okay” was the result, and I want to share it with you if you need a reminder of this message as much as I do.
I am brand-new to the professional music therapy world! I became board-certified a little over a month ago, on November 20th. The transition from intern to professional has been an interesting one.
I have mixed emotions about leaving 2019 behind. It was a great year on so many levels both personally and professionally, but it was also a year filled with more “hustle” and less “self-care” than I’d like to admit.
My word for 2019 was CREATE, and that I did. My big goal for the year was to write a book, and I accomplished that goal with over a month to spare. Writing Innovative Income for Music Therapists was anything but easy, though, and when I reflect on the past year, the difficulty of that process is at the forefront.
A little over 4 years ago, Music Therapy Connections (my private practice and music studio) found a new home at 1234 Centre West Drive. My co-owner Katey and I were convinced it was meant to be when we first took a tour of the building; the layout was absolutely perfect for our needs.
Not only was the layout perfect, but so was the location. Our families commented on how convenient it was, and it also happens to be the exact midpoint between Katey’s house and mine. It’s also right down the street from our bank, Walgreens, and Starbucks (you know, the essentials!).
For the first two years, we shared the building with an eye doctor clinic until they moved out, leaving the other half of the building vacant ever since. It’s been nice having the common restrooms and parking lot all to ourselves, but our current landlord listed the building for sale, so we worried a day would come when a new owner would want our space for his or her own use.
Welcome! I’m Rachel Rambach, board-certified music therapist and creator of Listen & Learn Music — educational songs and musical materials for children. I love sharing my work with you, along with my behind-the-scenes creative process, adventures in business ownership, and life as a mom of two.
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