I feel rather distant from a number of things lately, but this is because we are so busy getting together the rest of our wedding planning. Obviously I haven’t been writing daily; but I’ve been working daily.
Last week’s UPS included:
Acquiring new clients
Seeing my once-a-month clients
Setting up a high school student observation
Acquiring new instruments and materials for the little ones I see each morning
Getting a $15.00 discount at a children’s store, just by using foursquare
Last week’s NOT-SO-UPS included:
Learning that I won’t be seeing a really special client after the Spring session
Becoming frustrated with my (in)ability to continuously engage my little ones
Becoming frustrated that I’m finding it more and more difficult to separate my wedding planning from my every thought
Realizing I can’t keep up with everything I’d like to be doing right this minute
I have missed blogging with my regularity this past week, however I am in need of any extra time I can find; I’m getting married next month and I have ohsomuch planning yet to do. So, with this upcoming, life-changing event (a wonderful one), I am going to post to this site only once a week in this month of May. I’ll see how life treats me in June…
This being said, I have to say I was heartbroken when I heard this news story, and I want to share it. (Not because I want you to be heartbroken, too, but because I find it a notable story.)
I’ve decided to add another challenge to my days this week. Not only am I busy planning my wedding, but I’ve decided I need to direct more energy at my musical skill development. I’ve challenged myself to writing one song (defined, in my head, as two verses, one chorus, and one bridge) each day this work week.
How am I doing? Today is only Tuesday, and I am one-for-two…
But, I am happy enough that yesterday I wrote in a minor key, which is something I’ve rarely used recently, and I’m using some different strumming techniques. I am all for professional musical development.
My excuse for not writing today is that my fiancé and I were too busy learning the subject of the YouTube video in preparation for our upcoming wedding… Hurrah for old-time music at our reception.
On Mondays, I will be writing up a short, non-academic review of an article I’ve found interesting. These articles will be taken from music therapy literature.
Tonight, I’m writing about another article I found in imagine.
I presented to a group of mothers who have children with delayed speech, and the title of this piece stood out to me because of my experience presenting to that particular audience. And, because I heard the most recent episode of “The Music Therapy Show with Janice Lindstrom” (of Heartbeat Music Therapy), which was an interview with music therapist Roia Rafieyan (whose blog is Contemplative Music Therapist), I am even more interested in meeting clients where they are, whether or not they are able to communicate verbally or otherwise.
“Possible Effects of Music Therapy on the Building Blocks of Communication”
I thought the Theory section of the article was interesting.
According to speech language pathologist James MacDonald, a child’s interactive life has these three components:
Social Play — interacting with another with no goal other than being with each other
Imitation — acting and communicating like others, spontaneously learning from the surrounding world, and
Reciprocal Turn-Taking — having the habit of give-and-take in a related meaningful manner (pg. 31).
The protocol used in this study included the use of hello songs, goodbye songs, and four pre-composed songs that used scarves, shakers, drums, and sounds. The object of the study was to determine whether a communicative effort would be extended by the client.
Following the four-week study, mothers of the clients wrote that they saw an increase in their children’s turn-taking, imitation, imaginative play, and other positive aspects of interaction.
Certainly I do not do the article justice with this very brief review. My interest in developing communicative behaviors and/or speech is ever-growing; I’m working with children and adults who use little to no speech at all.
I found Roia Rafieyan’s interview on Janice Lindstrom’s show to be inspiring. Two pieces I remember are that she said about ninety percent of her job is hearing (or listening, I can’t remember her word — there is quite a distinction between “hearing” and “listening”), and another being that she is most interested in knowing how her clients are, not in trying to get them to do something.
I had the opportunity to see a good friend and music therapy colleague perform last night here in Minneapolis. Lynn O’Brien and her trio, Hummingbirds, opened for a CD release show. Not only did one of Lynn’s songs bring tears to my eyes, she also inspired me (as she usually does) to try my hand at songwriting again.
I often create songs in my music therapy sessions, and sometimes those same songs develop over time into more detailed experiences. But I’m going to try, to TRY, to write one song per day this week.
Lynn O'Brien
Too often lately I have busied myself with paperwork and preparation. I think it’s time to shift some energy over to my musical development.
In the last podcast episode of The Coffee Klatch, Dana Commandatore interviewed her husband, actor Michael Broderick, about his experience as a father with a son who has autism. Commandatore and Broderick are the creators of Rethinking Autism, a site where the two create and share videos that are aimed at education and support for those affected by autism.
I enjoyed the interview and conversation. You can find it and other interviews here.
I am having trouble with my site at the moment, so I’m hoping that this post at least shows up… Oh, how technology can (and does) make and break my day.
I want to say that on Saturday, a smallish group of music therapists in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area met for our monthly meeting to take the opportunity to support one another and to share resources. We’ve created a group on Facebook that we call Vitamin M. Feel free to ask to join if you are a Minnesotan!
I have a tendency to acquire tools, materials, apps, and even instruments that I enjoy knowing I own, but do not actively use for as long as months after I buy or receive them.
Enter: GoodReader. My fiancé happens to be a computer and technology genius and seems to have daily tips and advice, and showed me GoodReader probably months ago. Not until this morning did I use it.
Essentially, GoodReader opens PDFs on an iPad or iPhone, but what’s great about it is that it allows the user to highlight text and save edited copy. I’d been reading my music therapy articles from the real live paper journals and had been highlighting passages with a real live highlighter. Though I love handwritten notes and paper planners, I find that GoodReader’s capability is really useful since I will likely be finding more material online now than in the older research I have in printed form.
Ah yes, my handwritten planner
Tell me: Do you use GoodReader? How else do you use it?
On Mondays, I will be writing up a short, non-academic review of an article I’ve found interesting. These articles will be taken from music therapy literature.
Today I read a piece by Blythe LaGasse, Ph.D., MT-BC, Assistant Professor of Music Therapy at Colorado State University. This article appeared in imagine, the online magazine published by American Music Therapy Association.
“Research Snapshots 2011: Music and Early Childhood Development”
imagine | 2 (1) 2011
I haven’t explored imagine probably as much as I should, so I was happy to find a reason to do so today. I have been working in early intervention for a few weeks now and am finding that my methods are evolving. I am also noticing that the one-year-olds I see on a weekly basis seem to be really attuned to some rhythmic qualities of the experiences, much more so than I anticipate going into the class. Many times I’ve picked up my guitar with a movement song in my head and thought, “Maybe I can promote a little bit of movement with this.” As many times as I’ve thought that, I’ve been surprised by the dancing that happens by those same one-year-olds.
One question LaGasse poses in the article is, “… [A]re we hard-wired … for music engagement?” (pg. 29).
Two answers to that question are:
Infants moved their heads with classical music but not with random sounds (pg. 29),
Infants moved significantly more with rhythm or music than they did with speech (pg. 29).
One excerpt from the article that I particularly enjoyed is as follows:
“… [R]esearchers found that children engaged in an arts-enriched preschool (early learning, music, visual arts, and creative movement) improved in language, literacy, mathematics, and science skills, regardless of ethnicity and economic disadvantage. This growth was in comparison with another ‘high quality’ preschool, suggesting that an art-focused program can enhance early learning goals” (pg. 29).
I began my music instruction at the age of two. I wonder what kind of adult I’d be today if I hadn’t begun so young (or at all)!
I had another awesome opportunity to attend a Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra concert, this one being the Chamber Music Series #5. I grew up playing violin, and have had a somewhat tenuous relationship with the instrument over the past few years, but I was very engaged in the music tonight.
The non-musical benefits of music instruction have always been of most interest to me, which is probably why I am so excited about music therapy. I have always touted music instruction as being integral in the development of poise and confidence in front of others. Tonight I enjoyed watching the musicians’ movements, and noticed that their bodies were absolutely synchronized with their music. This didn’t surprise me, but I loved being a little bit more aware of the musicality of their movements, and knowing that the poise with which they engrossed their audience in the performance came directly from the music they produced. I hope to be in their audience again soon.
