Positive Affirmations

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Sometimes being a music therapist is hard. Music therapy, like parenting or teaching, is seldom a cut-and-dried job, and every once in a while I have to question whether what I’m doing is right, or best, or even working at all. Since I don’t have any music therapists as colleagues in my proximity, it’s almost always my students and their parents who provide that feedback.

As the summer begins and I prepare to take on several new clients and students in my private practice, I find myself second-guessing my work more frequently than usual. This can be a little overwhelming, but it’s actually a useful tool that I think is helping me grow as a music therapist. It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut and rely on the interventions that have worked in the past, but I hate the thought of being like those teachers who teach the same lessons, assign the same homework, and give the same tests year after year. I’m much too creative for that :)

In the last few days I’ve had the opportunity to do quite a bit of self-reflecting, and in that time I’ve also been lucky to have several positive affirmations passed my way. The first was in the form of my end-of-the-year evaluation at school, where the music therapy program rests in my hands. Talk about pressure! But the wonderful feedback I received gives me great peace of mind. I had a similar experience with several parents of children who attend my music therapy class at The Autism Program…one even said that it was the “best music experience” her child ever had. That was huge.

But the best affirmation I’ve received all week, I think, came from my 2-year-old niece Kaitlin, who lives in Denver. Her mom accidentally left the CD I recorded and sent her at home, instead of bringing it to play in the car on the way to daycare as usual. Well, Kaitlin was not having this at all, and threw a tantrum all the way there. “I want Aunt Rachel singing!!!” were her words, I believe. Upon hearing this, I made a second CD (with all new songs for my sister’s sake) and sent it out immediately!

These are the things that inspire me every day, and assure for me that I’m in the right place. My job might not be the easiest, and it may not be the highest-paying, but the benefits are countless.

Office Space

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Good morning! I’m back from my trip to San Diego, which was amazing in every way. The weather was perfect – sunny and in the 70s every day – and the city definitely lived up to its reputation. We had a great time hitting up all of the tourist destinations, but I think my favorite aspect of the trip was just enjoying the resort, where we hung out at the beautiful beach and spent more time by the pool than I care to admit :) I have to say, it was really difficult to leave such a wonderful place and come back to Illinois, where it was cold and pouring down rain when we arrived, but it’s home. I’m glad to be back and blogging again!

And that brings me to today’s subject: my new office and studio, from which I write most of my songs and do my blogging. Beginning in June, I will be teaching all lessons and providing music therapy here, which will be a nice change after going to my students’ homes for the past two years. As my practice has grown, it’s been hard to keep up with all that driving; I’m sure many of you know that feeling! Now on with the tour.

My office/studio is located right off of the front hall, which is convenient in that my students don’t have to go traipsing through the house to find it. The nearby living room will serve as a waiting area for families.

Here is the bookcase that houses the many music books and binders I’ve accumulated over the years, as well as books and other resources I use on a regular basis. My guitar hangs out there when it’s not in the trunk of my car, along with a small keyboard for the little ones and a MIDI keyboard I use for recording.

This keyboard is mainly for my own use, though I may move it into the hallway and allow students to practice on it before their lessons. Above the keyboard, I plan to create a bulletin board featuring my students’ pictures and studio news.

My desk, where I spend a ridiculous amount of time when I’m not at school or with students. Normally you’d find a cup of coffee or a Diet Mountain Dew next to my computer, but I tidied up for the purposes of this photo tour ;)

The top frame contains an awesome picture my parents gave me as a gift – a little girl version of Dorothy and Toto, looking out the window at the characters from The Wizard of Oz. It’s one of my favorite movies of all time. Below is a framed copy of my undergraduate senior recital program, and a picture of my mom and I taken right after the recital. Yes, I am a giant compared to her.

My undergraduate diploma from Rollins College is on the left, though it’s hard to tell considering the entire thing is in Latin. Good thing I studied the language for four years in high school so I can read it! At the top right is my master’s degree diploma from Illinois State University, and underneath it is my Certification Board of Music Therapy certificate.

My childhood piano, which you can read all about here. I love the picture above it – I can pretend I am looking out the window, admiring my oceanfront view. Ha!

I wasn’t so crazy about the idea of storing all my musical instruments and music therapy supplies in plain view, so I bought this chest of drawers, which matches my bookcase and desk. For now, it stores almost everything, though I’m sure it won’t take long to run out of room.

The framed picture above the chest is actually a puzzle I put together a couple years ago and has been hanging out in storage. I love Mary Engelbreit, and I find this quote really inspiring. I hope my students do, too!

Here is a more comprehensive view of the room, taken from the doorway. It’s a fairly big room for an office, which is lucky for me since I have a couple good-sized groups I need to accomodate.

Another view from the back wall. I wish the day had been sunnier so that there was more light in the room.

A close-up of the awesome rug I found at Target. After weeks of searching online, I stumbled upon exactly what I’d been looking for: something cheerful and kid-friendly, tying all of the colors in the room together.

I still have some orgaizing to do in these drawers, but have a look. Lollipop drums, maracas, visual aides, picture cards…

…tambourines, bells, shakers, rhythm sticks…

…harmonicas, kazoos, a bag of stuffed animals, star tambourine…

…animal clackers, ipod/speaker bag, boom box. Everything else is in the trunk of my car, so I’ll have to find homes for it once I cease my tour as traveling music therapist.

So there you have it – a sneak peek at my second most frequented place in the world (the first being my tiny closet..er, office…at school). For those of you who work or teach from home, any other suggestions to make the room complete? I am always searching for new ideas, so yours are welcome!

Picking Favorites

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I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at how fiercely my students become attached to certain books, songs, and activities, but it never ceases to amaze me that they can be just as amused today with “Eight Silly Monkeys” as they were 18 months ago.

One of my students in particular is very attached to that book, along with “Down by the Station”. Every week, I pull out new books in the hopes that he will move on, but it just hasn’t happened yet. He will happily listen to the new book, even participate and answer my questions, but when it’s over, he will without fail walk over to my bookshelf and pull out the two old standbys. He will flip through the pages, hum the melody to himself, even answer the questions he remembers me asking about the book. Then he’ll close the first one and move on to the second book, doing the same.

I’ve considered my options: 1) remove the books from the shelf, 2) stop him when he goes to take them off the shelf, or 3) continue to let him do what he’s been doing. For now, I’m sticking with option 3 because he is not resitant to the new books, and his skimming through the old ones only adds about three minutes total to the session. He completes every task I present to him, and his behavior is almost always impeccable during individual music therapy.

So what would you do?

Friday Fave: Jingle Sticks

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See this yellow beauty right here? I have fifteen more where that came from, and it has quickly become my most popular instrument among the students of the Hope Institute. They are a relatively new acquisition; I received them just in time for the Christmas season to be over…they would have been the perfect accompaniment to “Jingle Bells”, “Jingle Bell Rock” and other seasonal favorites. But hey, I’ll take what I can get!

These jingle sticks are a total steal, ringing in (pun intended) at just $3.15 over at West Music. I plan to order several more for my private practice, since I donated the ones I already owned to the Hope collection. What I like best about them is that they are easy to play, only requiring one hand, and they just sound so cheerful. Pair them with a fast-paced song, and in no time you’ll have a roomful of happy kids.

So that is it for this week’s installment of Friday Faves. I have some lofty goals for the weekend, including lots of recording, songwriting, cleaning and packing (my husband and I are moving in a little over a month). I hope your weekend is simply wonderful!

Ten Little Ladybugs

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Over the last few years, I have amassed quite a collection of books that I use with my students. I always keep my eye out for books with bright, colorful pictures and engaging content, but most importantly, the words must rhyme or have a lyrical quality. This is a must because rather than just read the books to (or with) my students, I sing them. It’s easy to set the words to a simple tune, either original or familiar (such as “Twinkle Twinkle” or “Clementine”), and it is more appealing to the student, as well.

I can address multiple goals while singing books with my students: answering “yes/no” or “wh” questions, naming objects and colors, reading, counting, following directions (such as turning the page or pointing to something), and attention to task.

My favorite types of books to read, especially with the younger crowd, are those with texture or 3-D elements. One great example is Ten Little Ladybugs. The book is visually stunning and stimulating, and my students never grow tired of it!