This (several years old) photo is a pretty accurate depiction of how I often feel during the summer: hot, tired, and conquered by my kids. That’s never been more true than this summer in particular.
Their completely packed schedules — tennis, swim team, art class, yoga camp, tutoring — are a product of my own making; in my excitement to resume mostly normal life, I forgot that I should also probably factor in some recovery time.
We’ve been in “go mode” since school ended in May, but professionally, I’ve felt pretty stagnant. And while I’ve only been a parent for 8 years, I’ve been experiencing this summer slump every year since I first started my career in 2007. Maybe it’s because I work mostly with children, and these summer months are typically lighter in terms of my workload, but I still have businesses to run and tasks to be completed.
As is typical for me during the summer, the essential things always get done. And while I usually ride out this slump and get back at it when fall comes knocking, this time around had me feeling restless. I needed…a spark.
I know I’m not the only one, based on the conversations I’ve had with quite a few friends and colleagues. During a quick brainstorm of things I could do to help provide a spark to my fellow music therapists and educators, I came up with this:
I chose 4 of my most popular resources, all of which can be put into use right now and will still be useful as we head into the upcoming school year (and beyond!).
Now through June 30th, get this mega bundle of goal-based music and professional development resources for nearly 50% off the total value. The Mid Summer Spark collection (JUST $38!) includes the following:
Summer Song Pack {Value: $12}
A bundle of 12 songs for children based around the theme of summer. These songs target a variety of objectives and skills, including calendar, rhyming, speech goals, instrument play, academic concepts, group participation, spatial awareness, and gross motor movement. More details here.
Ring, Sing, Strum & Drum {Value: $12}
A downloadable songbook containing 12 Listen & Learn songs for playing instruments — including shakers, rhythm sticks, gathering drum, guitar, cabasa, jingle bells, rainstick, lollipop drum, and tambourine. More details here.
July Session Plan {Value: $10}
In the month of July, I’m incorporating scarves, rhythm sticks, and a variety of small percussion instruments. Targeted domains include impulse control, social skills, fine and gross motor movement, following directions, and much more.
The July session plan includes 10 goal-based songs (mp3, instrumental track, lyrics/chords) along with a facilitation guide for each song, which will allow you to implement a cohesive 30-45 minute music experience. More details here.
Innovative Income for Music Therapists E-Book {Value: $27}
The work we do with our clients and patients requires the use of two precious limited resources: time and energy. Many music therapists experience compassion fatigue, physical exhaustion, and burnout as a result of overextending themselves in the clinical setting.
How can we apply our music therapy expertise in ways that not only help us to conserve those resources, but are also profitable? This book combines my own experiences with those of other trailblazing music therapists to illustrate the virtually endless ways in which to generate revenue using your unique training, knowledge and skills. More details here.
Summer always flies by SO quickly, and while I want to enjoy every moment, I also want to stay fresh and motivated so that the school year transition isn’t such a shock to the system. I hope these resources can help you find that balance! Get your spark here.
