by Rachel | Uncategorized
It’s been a few weeks since I posted a progress update on my new studio, and here’s the reason: there hasn’t been much progress :( Well, unless you count the fact that my waiting room couches have been delivered and are in place.
The truth is, I’m limited in the things I can do at this point since I’m using my current studio until the end of the spring session. But come May 27, you better believe that I will be working like a crazy woman to get everything moved, decorated, and ready for students.
Between that day and the start of my summer session on June 13, I have my best friend’s wedding, my husband’s best friend’s wedding, my birthday, an acoustic gig, and a working weekend in Florida with my podcast co-hosts. So I’m sure you can imagine the stress I feel when I start thinking about my studio to-do list, which includes:
- have new outside door painted and replaced
- repaint entry way
- install entry way partition
- move office furniture & piano
- wash window screens and privacy blinds
- choose, purchase and hang curtains
- organize office supplies and instruments
- decorate (this is the really fun part)
Not to mention, prepare for my first week of 60+ students (yes, I just might be certifiably insane). I also need to do paperwork, send out emails and registration invoices, and update my website with info for my new families.
The more I type, the more I realize that this supposed “progress update” has become an outlet of all the stress I’m feeling right now. So if you’re still reading at this point, THANK YOU for this makeshift therapy session!
And I promise: after the 27th, I will share some real progress updates (and many more pictures) with you, my wonderfully patient and amazing friends.
by Rachel | Uncategorized
When it comes to private practice, scheduling is an art. Usually I don’t mind it at all; in fact, I even look forward to it. But this time around, with over 50 students to schedule, I’m not gonna lie: I was nervous.
I sat down at my computer yesterday with all my students’ preference sheets, prepared for several frustrating hours of work. However, all that worrying was for naught..because I was finished within 45 minutes!
Not only had I managed to fit every last student (54, to be exact) into my pre-determined studio hours, but I even managed to schedule a couple of 15 minute breaks throughout the week. I’ll appreciate myself for doing that later this summer, when I’m in the middle of a 14-student day and in desperate need of a snack or bathroom break :)
Once I had the schedule completed, it was time to email all of my students’ families to let them know their designated day and time. So far I’ve only heard positive feedback, and I’m crossing my fingers and toes that the trend continues. Because one change could lead to a domino effect, especially with so many siblings needing back-to-back time slots.
Have you celebrated a scheduling success lately? It feels good, doesn’t it!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
A little over four years ago, I began my professional career as a music therapist at The Hope Institute in Springfield, Illinois. Although many of my new coworkers at Hope, a residential school for children with multiple disabilities, were unfamiliar with music therapy, they were amazingly supportive of me as I started developing the program.
At the same time, I was slowly growing a private practice. After an 8-hour day at Hope, I hit the road as a traveling music therapist and voice/piano/guitar teacher, working with my students in their homes. I did this 5 afternoons a week, for two years, until my husband and I moved into our new home and I opened a home studio.
Ten private students increased to 20, which eventually increased to 30. I loved the work that I was doing at Hope, and I loved the work I was doing in my private practice. Life was good.
But life was also exhausting. When I added my church music job, elected IAMT officer position, and Listen & Learn to the mix, I sometimes marveled at the fact that I actually found time to sleep. Oh yea…and then there was my husband and dog, with whom I was spending less and less time.
12-hour workdays were doable, at least for the time being. But what would happen when Zach and I started a family? And was it really good for my health to be this busy and stressed all the time? I found myself asking these questions on a daily basis.
So what did I do? I took on new students. Over 20 of them, actually, totaling to 52 private students for the upcoming summer and fall sessions.
And then I made the scariest and most exciting decision of my entire life thus far: I gave notice of my resignation at The Hope Institute.
This moment, which I had been dreading, turned out to be like something out of a fairy tale. My principal told me that I would be greatly missed, but that he completely understood my decision and supported it wholeheartedly. And then upon my recommendation, Hope hired Karen, my wonderful intern who has been such a blessing to the music therapy program this year.
I am infinitely grateful to my colleagues and students for providing me with such an amazing, challenging, rewarding, overwhelming, fun, and educational experience these past four years. My work at Hope not only gave me credibility in my community, but it also connected me with so many people who enriched my life and opened the door to countless opportunities.
I’m going to miss this place. But as sad as I am to be leaving, I’m equally excited about this new chapter in my life. Going full-time with my private practice will be a challenge, to be sure, but it will also allow me the flexibility and free time I’ve not had thus far in my career.
June 2 is my last official day at Hope. I’m going to enjoy this final month to the fullest, and then prepare for what promises to be quite an exciting adventure. I hope you’ll come along with me.
Image Source
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?
