by Rachel | Uncategorized
Please note that this is NOT a picture of my new waiting room. But these ARE the new couches I just purchased for it…minus the horribly patterned pillows (yuck!).
This past Saturday, my mom and I went shopping with the goal of finding the perfect waiting room furniture. You know when you have a mental picture of what you’re looking for, but you’ve never actually seen it? Well I had that mental picture, and I did in fact find the actual version of it in this sofa/loveseat combo.
However, we both absolutely despised the pillows that came with it, so try to ignore them in the picture above. Luckily, Amanda Ellis at More With Music has offered to make pillows for me! Not only that, but the Music Therapy Tween, Michelle Erfurt, is making some cute beanbag chairs for my little ones. Have I mentioned how much I love my fellow music therapy bloggers? :)
My new furniture is being delivered on May 9, so I’ll soon have some pictures of them in my actual waiting room to share with you. I’m still hunting for a coffee table of some sort, but I think I’ll wait to see how much room is left after the sofas are in place.
So what do you think? And if you have any decorating ideas that would complement them (along with the new flooring and yellow walls – here are some pictures to refresh your memory), let me know!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk to a classroom full of college students about my approach to personal branding. The instructor just happens to be the mother of one of my piano students, so she has seen first-hand how I’ve built my own personal brand over the last couple of years, both online and locally.
I was a new professional, fresh out of graduate school, when I began building my personal brand. I was afraid of getting lost in the sea of music therapists, and wanted to make a name for myself as I started my career.
First came Listen & Learn, where I established a presence and voice in the online world. Soon after, I started a Facebook page so that I could further connect with people interested in my work, my blog, and me in general — in other words, my personal brand. I joined Twitter for the same purpose.
While I was working hard to spread my message online, I was simultaneously doing so in my community. Presenting at conferences and workshops, performing at various local venues, and being featured in newspaper articles were all ways to make my brand known.
And while I didn’t have a specific strategy at the time, as I look back, I realize that I followed a pretty simple set of self-written rules:
- It’s never too early to begin building your personal brand. No matter how young or inexperienced you are, just get started. Your brand will grow as you do.
- Be genuine in everything you write or post. When people meet you in person, you should come across the same as you do online.
- Be consistent. Use the same profile picture and style across platforms.
- Be transparent. Don’t inflate your credentials, your numbers, or your network; just show your true colors and eventually all of those things will inflate on their own.
- On the flip side, don’t give yourself too little credit. If you underestimate your abilities and potential to be an authority in your niche, others will do the same.
Even though I still have a long way to go, I feel like I’ve been pretty successful in my efforts within a relatively short period of time. So based on that success, here are the six things that, in my opinion, are essential to every personal brand:
- A goal. What are you working towards? Where do you want to be a year, 5 years, 10 years from now?
- A resume. Always have this on hand and ready to share, and always be adding to it. Every experience counts.
- A website. Even better, a blog. Create dynamic content so that people have a reason to keep coming back.
- A slogan that people will remember. Mine is “helping children learn and grow through music” — which sums up all of the different kinds of work I do.
- Social media presence. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube…the more platforms for people to find you, the better.
- Business cards. I use VistaPrint to create custom cards that reflect my brand’s aesthetic and message.
Whether or not they realize it, most people are building their personal brand on a daily basis. What are you doing to set yourself apart from everyone else?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Each time one of my students completes a level in a lesson book, masters a particularly difficult piece, or receives an award in a competition, his or her picture goes up on the studio bulletin board — or “Wall of Fame” as I like to call it.
Only my students and their parents see the bulletin board, but what about posting pictures and videos of students on my website (as I did with Sergei above) and Facebook page?
The answer is simple: you MUST ask for parents’ permission to do so. Each spring, I have parents fill out a yearly survey which includes the following question:
Do I have permission to feature pictures and/or videos of this student (never using last name) on my studio bulletin board, website, and/or Facebook page?
Parents then have three options: 1) Yes; 2) Please ask on a case-by-case basis; or 3) No. Once they have signed the form, I keep it on record until the following year.
Amazingly enough, I’ve not had one parent mark “no” in response to that question. However, I never take advantage of their trust, which means I share students’ photos and videos very sparingly. But every once in a while, it’s nice to showcase students and give them the thrill of seeing themselves in a public space.
Do you have a media release option for your students?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Each morning as I decide what to wear, a few thoughts go through my head: what’s the weather like? Do I have any floor groups today? Am I going to be lugging instruments and equipment around?
As a music therapist, my job duties and work environment changes on a daily basis depending on which clients I’m seeing and in which setting I’ll be seeing them. I spend most days in multiple settings, going straight from my job at a school (where I need to adhere to a certain dress code) to my private practice (where I can keep my outfit a little more casual). So the key is finding a good balance.
There is a list of rules I follow during the school year that make getting dressed a little easier, no matter what I’ll be doing on any given day. Here are some things I stay away from:
- open-toed shoes
- uncomfortable heels
- short skirts
- shirts that are too short
- pants that are too low
- sleeves that don’t let me lift my arms easily
- overstated jewelry
In other words, I pretty much stick to the basics. My wardrobe feels pretty boring at times, but it’s better than being uncomfortable!
In the summer I can be a little more lax, since I work mainly in my home studio and don’t have to do any hauling or walking around. I still need to look professional enough, but I want my students and parents (who most often are dressed down during the warmer months) to feel comfortable and “at home” in my studio.
There’s so much more you have to take into consideration when you spend your days with children. What rules — whether your own or a strict dress code — do you follow when you get dressed for work?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
There are a few people on the internet who I look up to immensely. Chris Guillebeau is one of them, which I’ve mentioned here before. All of my music therapy blogger friends fall into that category, as well. But before I discovered Chris, or met any of those music therapists, there was Hugh MacLeod.
Back in 2008, just prior to starting Listen & Learn, I came across an article on the internet called How To Be Creative. It inspired me so much that I printed it out, and then read it over and over again. I didn’t pay much attention to who wrote it, or where it came from, until I stumbled upon a book called Ignore Everybody at Barnes & Noble a year and a half later.
The best-selling book was based on that article, and the author was Hugh MacLeod, whose blog contains tons of other great articles and cartoons about marketing, social media, and being creative. Needless to say, I subscribed to his daily cartoon newsletter and added his blog to my Google Reader immediately.
Hugh’s latest book is called Evil Plans, a term which he defines as “a crazy, out-there idea that allows you to ACTUALLY start doing something you love, doing something that matters.” This is a book you open at 11 pm, tell yourself you’ll read one chapter before bed, and then before you know it, you’ve read five and don’t want to put it down. It’s inspiring, funny, and brutally honest.
Hugh says that everyone should have an evil plan. What’s yours?
(And yes…I have one. A few, actually. I promise I’ll spill the beans soon!)
