The Traveling Music Therapist – 12 Apps I LOVE

Whether I am on the road, in my office, or with clients, I almost always have a device with tons of apps I like to use for a variety of purposes.  The following apps I’m going to talk about are apps for business and travel.  Enjoy! 1.  Triplog – mileage tracker.   I loved this app when I started using it because I could press “start trip” and it would use GPS to track my miles.  However, I have poor GPS signal in several of the rural towns I go to so I have taken to manually inputing my miles.  This is a great apps for people in larger cities or areas with great signal strength 2. iCal – I have my google calendar synched with my iCal so that all my events pop up and sometimes even have alarms 3. Chase – I do not live near my bank and am always on the go so I use my Chase app ALL the time 4. Maps – I have given up trying to use my Tom Tom for the Read More

We Are… Well-rounded

If you take a look at the diverse populations and settings MT’s work with, the intense and varied curriculum MT’s have to complete, and the practicum experience MT’s are required to complete, it would be evident that we are pretty well-rounded. We (MTs) are so many things and wear several hats! Shall we do a brief review? We Are… advocates collaborators educators journal writers musicians songwriters therapists AND SO MUCH MORE! I personally am also a… business owner  blogger PR chair for IAMT lesson instructor contractor and all of the behind the scenes jobs that come with being a business owner   On top of all of those hats, we are musically and clinically well-rounded.  In a single day I often play 3 or more instruments, sing songs ranging from the ABC’s to Johnny Cash to Ke$ha, and work with people across a vast range of ages with a multitude of diagnoses.   Read More

We Are… Resourceful

When I typed “resourceful” into google, this is the definition that popped up. re·source·ful riˈsôrsfəl,-ˈzôrs-/ adjective adjective: resourceful 1. having the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties. synonyms: ingenious, enterprising, inventive, creative; More   Music Therapists have a huge toolbox filled with ideas, instruments, interventions, etc.  Because we are a people-oriented profession we have to be flexible and are constantly pulling from our toolbox of resources. When we can’t come up with a particular solution on our own, we either create it (like many of the songs and interventions I post on the blog), improvise based on the knowledge we have and what is at our disposal, or we look to others for inspiration! I wanted to take a moment to share with you some of my favorite MT resources! CMTEs Sometimes, when I have to learn something new, the best way to do it is by taking a CMTE course like the ones over at MusicTherapyEd.com Songs When in doubt, youtube, google, and pandora (or spotify) are great options for finding songs on the fly!  However, if you are looking for songs geared toward Read More

We Are… Outstanding

Thanks all those who responded to my question on Twitter about the letter “O”.  I decided to go with JoAnn Jordan’s adjective, “Outstanding”. “Outstanding – standing out from a group” As a Music Therapist (MT) it is hard not to stand out.  Especially when you are carrying a load that looks like this! When I am carrying my guitar in a hospital or singing with a patient when  doctor comes in the room, music therapy stands out.  When clients talk to me but will not speak to a nurse, music therapy stands out.  When a client learns new words or makes new sounds while singing a song, music therapy stands out.  When a client reaches higher than they knew possible to hit a drum, or hops up and down to a beat, music therapy stands out.  For all those reasons and a thousand more, music therapists are outstanding. Outstanding-“marked by superiority or distinction; excellent; distinguished “(www.dictionary.reference.com) For all of the other reasons I have mentioned in previous posts and the many I have left to write about, music therapists are outstanding.  We are educated, board-certified, keep up with Read More

We Are…Musicians

As MUSIC therapists we are defined as being MUSICIANS. MT’s have often debated whether we are primarily musicians or whether we are mostly therapists but, personally, I believe it is a good balance of the two.  When completing a degree in MT, students must learn to play guitar and piano, as well as learning to sing.  MT’s are also required to take courses in music theory & music history, perform in ensembles, and take lessons on their primary instrument.  On top of all that, MT’s are always learning new music, practicing, and performing. Many of the MT’s I know are involved in performance groups or bands and some record their own music.  When I tell me\y students that I practice almost every day, I’m not kidding.  I am making music all the time! Being in a music related profession was never a question for me.  Music has always been a huge part of my life and I feel so lucky to have found a profession where I can use my love of music to better the lives of others! Read More