Goals

The music studio through which I contract operates in sessions that last a certain number of weeks. Our current session will be ending at the beginning of February, only to be followed directly thereafter by the next session. At the end of this session, though, I will be losing two of my clients.

One of my colleagues has wisely said that music therapy, in practice, is so much more about small gains than the big, fantastic successes we sometimes read in the research and other articles we access. I have found that with each passing week, I have had to try and try again to find creative ways to engage one of the clients who will be leaving. Finally, finally, tonight I feel that I had a breakthrough with this particular client. I feel that I found a good approach to organizing our time together that lets me target the goals I have for his progress while also giving him autonomy in the session.

Of course. Of course this happens only two sessions away from his treatment termination! My hope is that he will leave his experience in music therapy feeling at least a small sense of hope and success. Then I will have achieved a goal of my own.

Rhythm Ring

I love my Rhythm Ring. I received it and some Boomwhackers I’d ordered to use primarily with my private clients, but I’ve been using the Rhythm Ring at the care center. Well, of course. There aren’t many reasons not to use it. I have found that it helps my guitar playing sound stronger, likely because I am more aware of my strumming.

I’ve been imagining all kinds of other instruments I can affix to my person while in session. I really could be “the one-man band” that many people refer to me as I pass by in the hall, with my cart filled with instruments and a guitar on my back.

Iso

I have a client who seems to have a great deal of anger. For months now, he and I have made very small steps toward reaching his goals. I have had trouble engaging him in any of the musical experiences I present, even though he speaks at length about how he wants to be a guitarist.

I feel that I’m failing him, and I don’t have any more ideas. Only one time in months leading up to tonight have I felt that he was interested in anything I provided, and that experience was songwriting. He participated in that for only one session.

Tonight, he seemed particularly angry. He vented for most of the session, which seems absolutely appropriate for some clients to do every so often. However, with this client, I can hardly ever direct him away from this venting on any occasion. Because I sensed he would not even touch his guitar, I decided to match his mood with some recorded music I have on my iPhone. His favorite genre of music is heavy metal. I don’t have any of that genre readily available, so I found “God’s Away On Business,” by Tom Waits, with which he was not familiar. The timbre of Waits’s voice could be somewhat comparable to some of the vocals in some heavy metal bands. But, Waits typically juxtaposes the roughness in his voice with melodic lines, provided by instruments such as the bassoon and marimba. I felt I could intrigue my client with novelty and the quality of Waits’s voice, and hopefully move him away from his anger. I think it worked; he quieted and seemed to listen, even though his comment was, “That sucked.”

We moved on from there, and I did hold his attention for the rest of the session by using Pandora on my phone to play a station of bands he likes.

Sure, we weren’t able to reach any “true” goals tonight, but I was happy with the distance we did travel.

Meetings

I love getting to see the music therapists I know face-to-face. Tonight some of us met for a Minneapolis music therapists meeting, and I adore how rejuvenated I feel when in the midst of other professionals. One of us shared a template she uses to track her CEUs. We discussed different tactics in working with certain clients. We planned for future months. I was happy to see them all, and am excited to be trying to grow a community, hard though it may be at times.

Presenting

I am thrilled that tonight I was asked whether or not I am interested in presenting on music therapy to a monthly meeting of families with children who have Down’s syndrome. Thrilled. I look forward to this opportunity, should it come to fruition (I haven’t been officially invited yet). I’ve wanted to present for a long time; this would be a great beginning.

My technology age

I am beginning to find more and more uses for technology in my professional (and personal) life.

I recognize there are several music therapy bloggers who write with frequency about newfound apps that benefit their work. I feel way behind the times, because I don’t use many apps on a regular basis. (Tonight I had the urge to buy a metronome app, though.) I do use my iPod and iPhone with my clients for a number of reasons, however I know there is a myriad of options that I am not utilizing.

But, I’m loving the whole online, web presence “identity” I’m developing. I’ve decided to build yet another site that I will dedicate to my performance endeavors. I use the word “performance” not to mean that I am a solo artist. I’m not, nor do I want to be at this point. I do, though, want to provide vocal and/or violin music for special events.

Also, I’m considering using Facebook for these projects. Has anyone had a bad experience using Facebook for professional pages?

Documentation

I am currently designing exactly how I’d like my documentation to be, in terms of assessment forms, treatment plans, progress notes, and contact information. The studio through which I provide music therapy services does not require any of my paperwork, but I need to know that my treatment plans are current and that a certain experience works well to target goals I have for my clients.

I’ve seen on the AMTA listserv that there is a conversation about such documentation. I have been using my own combination of forms that I saw in coursework and that I’ve used in internship, and have fitted them to be appropriate for my clients at this time. However, I wonder, where do you, who are contracting like I am, find your sources for paperwork templates?