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… New

As compared to other related fields, music therapy is a relatively new, though rapidly growing, profession. Though music has been used within many cultures for the purpose of healing for hundreds of years, the actual practice of music therapy did not become widely recognized until the 20th century.   The following information regarding the history of music therapy has been taken from the American Music Therapy Association webpage which can be found HERE.   The History of Music Therapy “The idea of music as a healing influence which could affect health and behavior is as least as old as the writings of Aristotle and Plato. The 20th century profession formally began after World War I and World War II when community musicians of all types, both amateur and professional, went to Veterans hospitals around the country to play for the thousands of veterans suffering both physical and emotional trauma from the wars. The patients’ notable physical and emotional responses to music led the doctors and nurses to request the hiring of musicians by the hospitals. It was soon evident that the Read More

We Are… Kinesthetic

I got the idea for this post from JoAnn Jordan’s post related to ABC’s of Music Therapy.  JoAnn posted a quote regarding the kinesthetic part of music therapy that I completely agree with! “I hear and I forget. I see and I understand. I do and I remember.” – Confucius Personally, I learn by doing, by moving, by trying things, and by playing around.  I have to explore and actually feel things in order to completely grasp a new concept.  I know this is the same for so many of my clients.  We do  A LOT of moving, playing, and exploring in all of our session.  The movement and activity are both a great way to engage my clients and help them learn new concepts.  You may have noticed by exploring My Music Page that many of the songs I write or the interventions I post on the Blog include movement, actions, or doing of some sort. Below are some of the links to interventions I have created.   Can You Play Like This? Kick It! 3 Songs for Movement Tiptoe Read More

We Are… Journal Writers

Music therapy is an evidence-based practice.  That means loads of research all compiled and published in music therapy journals. The American Music Therapy Association produces two scholarly journals where research in music therapy is published and shared, The Journal of Music Therapy and Music Therapy Perspectives.   Music Therapy research and articles are also published in music therapy journals around the world including the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, the British Journal of Music Therapy, the Australian Journal of Music Therapy, etc. Music Therapy articles often also appeared in the scholarly journals of other related fields including medicine, nursing, and education. A recent google search of scholarly articles for “music therapy research articles” yielded 123,000 results.  There is so much material researched and written by music therapists and the articles keep coming from all of the dedicated MTs out there!  Take a moment to explore some of the links above and learn a little more about the evidence behind music therapy. Read More