by Rachel | Uncategorized
This is the intention I have set for today, because I have no other choice but to complete every item on the long to-do list I composed before bed last night.
Here’s the thing: being in total control of my day-to-day schedule is harder than I thought it would be. I’m an extremely motivated and hard-working person, so I had no doubt I would be disciplined enough to structure my workdays well and get everything done.
But you know what they say about tasks stretching to fill the amount of time you have available to do them? Extremely true — and my friend Kimberly S. Moore (a time management vet who has even written an e-book on the topic) assured me that I’m not the only one who has struggled with this.
So did my mom, who I called just recently to express the guilt I felt due to my lack of super-human productivity. She has lots of experience being self-employed, and possesses more self-discipline than anyone I know. But her comments echoed Kimberly’s as she promised that my struggle is completely normal, and that I will find my rhythm.
Today is the day I find my rhythm. No better day than the Friday before a long weekend. Yes, I have a monster list of tasks ahead of me, but I have a plan. And since I’ve titled this blog post “The Most Productive Day Ever” and furthermore, made it a Friday Fave, my only option is to follow through!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Before I go on, let me qualify that title: whether or not I will continue teaching lessons is NOT the question. But it’s a curious topic amongst music therapists.
Yesterday, I had a brief conversation with one of my music therapist friends about teaching lessons. It seems that there are two different camps in our profession: those who stick to music therapy and don’t offer music lessons at all, and those who do. I most definitely fall into the latter camp.
Even before I made the decision to become a music therapist, I taught lessons. It was a great way to make spending money back in college, and what I realized early on is that teaching was the perfect way to keep up my skills as a musician. In fact, I owe several young children (who are all grown up now) for getting me back to the piano — an instrument with which I had a love/hate relationship at one point — in order to teach their lessons.
Now all these years later, I am a much better pianist because of those lessons, and feel like I continue to get better the more I teach. Same with guitar and voice. And all of those skills carry over into my music therapy work, which is why I consider teaching to be a crucial part of not only my business, but also my professional development.
As a music therapist (if you are one), what are your thoughts on teaching lessons? Do you fall into my camp, or are you a music therapy purist?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
After writing on Monday about my first day back to work (and official full-time self-employment), I was hoping today’s “Friday Fave” would be a celebration of a successful first week back. And guess what: it is!
I still have today’s lessons and music therapy sessions to go, but I’m optimistic that they will go just as smoothly as the previous four days. It has been such a relief to have students coming through the door exactly as scheduled — because as I’ve written about before, scheduling is the hardest part of running a studio and private practice.
But that hasn’t been the best part of the week. Not even close. Far and away, the best part has been seeing and hearing my students’ progress (mixed in with a few great excuses here and there).
Yesterday, for example, one of my piano students blew me away by playing “Hey Jude”. We had just started it at his last lesson before the break, and three weeks later (after working on it completely by himself), he gave a nearly flawless performance. Those are the moments that remind me just how lucky I am to do what I do.
Of course, there are still kinks to work out…like adjusting to having so much unscheduled time during the day. I’m working on a schedule that will help me use that time more productively, and I think next week I’ll have a better handle on it. It’s always tough to get right down to business after a long vacation, which is why I’m trying not to be too hard on myself ;)
How has your week been? I hope you are celebrating its fantastic-ness right along with me today. Here’s to an awesome Friday and a fabulous weekend!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Early morning workout? Check! Coffee? Check! Game plan? Check! Am I ready to get back to work today or what? Check!
After two long, lazy weeks of vacation, the thought of seeing all of my students this week makes me giddy with excitement. Not only does teaching lessons and providing music therapy keep my brain active and alert, but it also gives me plenty of fresh material for the blog. Not to mention the fact that I just plain ol’ love what I do.
Never before have I had the luxury to spend my days planning, practicing, creating, recording, and writing — all in my pajamas, if I so pleased. But that is what my new schedule allows, since I no longer balance my full-time studio with a full-time job at a school. Sure, my days stretch a little further into the night, but the freedom that I have now is so worth it.
There is still so much I have left to do before I welcome my first student into the studio at 3 pm this afternoon, so I’d better get a move on. Here’s wishing you all an exciting and productive Monday, and crossing my fingers that I have the same!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
One thing I look forward to every summer is having the time to play a few gigs here and there. I very rarely get to do so during the school year (although I’m hoping that changes with my new schedule this year), so it’s been a special treat to perform around town pretty frequently these last few months.
Back in June, I played my first gig with Ryan, an extremely talented guitarist I met through his wife Misty. Not only have the two of us played gigs together, but he has also invited me to sing with his band a couple of times this month. If you’ve never sung with a live band, you don’t know what you’re missing!
We’ve talked on past episodes of the Music Therapy Round Table podcast how important it is for music therapists to nurture the musician in themselves, since after all, we were musicians first.
I know that with each gig I play, I fall a little bit more in love with music and am even more inspired as a therapist and educator. It sounds cheesy, but it’s completely true.
What have you done this summer to nurture your inner musician?
