Being a Supervisor…

…definitely has it’s challenges and tough moments.  There are long nights, hard conversations, sweat, tears, stress, etc.  I get it! However, it is one of the most rewarding and consistently joyful things I have ever done professionally.  I love having the opportunity and ability to influence someone and help them grow into the professional they want to be.  I love being there when they have questions and being able to answer them or learning new things along the way by finding the answer together.  I like being able to have conversations where we talk about the aspects of Music Therapy or business that often get swept under the rug or taken for granted.  AND I am absolutely thrilled whenever I see my intern succeed. The past few weeks, Alisabeth has displayed an incredible amount of growth (whether she realizes it or not) and in spite of some really challenging situations. Needless to say, I am beyond excited to see where the next few weeks lead! Mostly, I just wanted to take a moment to encourage anyone in a teacher, supervisor, student, or Read More

2016: Simplify, Streamline, Self-Care (part 3)

STOP!!!!  Stop what you are doing right now! Take a deep breath.  How did that feel?  Pretty great, right? Take another one. A slow, deep breath.  Remind yourself to simply breathe and take a second to step away from everything. Close your eyes and take another deep breath.  You’ve got this.  When I feel myself starting to tense up and my shoulders slowly creeping toward my ears, I remind myself to stop, take a moment. Breathe. Remember, to breathe. Previously, I’ve talked A LOT about self care in a series called “Love Yourself”.  However, it’s soooo important that I’m going to rehash it now. Take at least a little time out of every single day to…you guessed it… Do something (literally ANYTHING) for yourself. We get so consumed in the tasks we “have” to do every day that we simply forget to take care of ourselves.  We forget that in order to care for our families, help other people, or be successful at work, that we first have to take care of our selves.  We have to make sure our proverbially batteries Read More

Practice What You Preach

We just completed week 3 with our outstanding intern, Alisabeth!  I am so excited to begin this new endeavor as an internship supervisor! It’s thrilling to be in this influential role, though it has been a little daunting and challenging at points. I’m in a role where I’m teaching someone what I know about my profession and helping to shape them into the professional they want to be.  My internship was one of the most formative experiences of my professional life. So, maybe it’s just me, but I see this a very important role that I take seriously.  My style may be a little different in that I try to be 100% open and honest with my intern, but I like to maintain that they are a real person and adult that can be treated as such. With that in mind, I try to be a “real” person around her: I try to be honest when I’m not feeling great, or when a session is a struggle, or when I’m really excited about a client’s progress, etc. I think it’s good Read More

Inexpensive Props and Dual Purpose Furniture!

I get really excited about finding good deals and new ways to use things I already have! When we moved into our new office space we had to get a little creative because there isn’t a whole ton of room! This is especially true in our therapy room. We needed to have somewhere to put all of our instruments and props, but still leave enough room to conduct a therapy session. We purchased two large metal cabinets to run along the back wall of the room and house all of our equipment. They have worked splendidly! When we were putting everything away, I noticed that we had a bunch of little magnets and a light bulb instantly went on! Magnets & Metal Cabinets! OF COURSE! Perfect way to do picture scheduling, highlight important things, and give clients another way to manipulate materials! Perfect! A couple of my clients love helping me put up the picture cards and pointing out where we are in our schedule. This large amount of metal space allows us to get creative and be flexible! One Read More

NEW SONG: Bouncing and Swaying

This song can be used in both individual and group settings. In a group, children sit on parents laps while parents bounce or sway with the music. This can also be done with parents standing and holding children’ In an individual setting or with older children, children learn the difference between fast and slow and demonstrate movements with their own bodies by bouncing up and down or swaying side to side. this is a super simple song that is quick to learn and easy to sing. ENJOY!!     Bouncing and Swaying by On A Good Note Read More