I finally re-strung my guitar with silk and steel strings. I’ve been playing steel strings since I’ve been playing guitar, and find that I’d like some subtler sound. I’d like a classical guitar with nylon strings, but, actually, I’d rather get another instrument before another guitar. A ukelele would be fantastic. It just so happens that in March, I will be in Hawaii for a vacation that seems likely to produce for me said ukelele. Or so I hope.
Thoughts on an article
Earlier this month, some of my music therapist friends got together for another of our monthly meetings. Unfortunately, I did not attend the meeting because I didn’t feel well. But, at this meeting, everyone (myself included) prepared some thoughts on a music therapy research piece or article of their choice.
The article I chose to read was “Bereaved Parents’ Experiences of Music Therapy with their Terminally Ill Child,” by K. Lindenfelser, D. Grocke, and K. McFerran. The article was published in the Journal of Music Therapy, XLV (3), 2008.
The purpose of the study “was to investigate bereaved parents’ experiences of music therapy with their terminally ill child” (330), and from the study there were five themes that arose: 1. Music therapy was valued as a means to alter the affected persons’ perception of the situation, 2. Music therapy was a “significant component of remembrance,” 3. Music therapy was a multi-faceted experience, 4. Music therapy “enhanced communication and expression,” and 5. Shared perceptions of and recommendations for providing music therapy as a service.
The authors expound upon the concept of emotional bonding between the parents and the terminally ill child, and how music therapy supports such a process. The music therapy provided in these situations had been reported as being “a positive focus for both the child and family at a time when most aspects of life felt daunting” (332).
Also covered was the practice of using music as a legacy for the family to have following the child patient’s death. Ideas for experiences that came to my mind when reading this section were those of songwriting together as a family unit and/or recording a favorite song together.
In the Results section of the article, some data that was collected indicated that “music therapy was one of the only things that allowed [the child patient] to continue to thrive/accomplish/achieve” (337).
One of the parents involved in the study noted that the music that was being used in their sessions made her more emotionally vulnerable. I am not sure from reading in what capacity that parent participated in the sessions. I truly cannot imagine the emotions that are experienced in this kind of situation.
The last piece of the article that I’d underlined when reading was in the Discussion section, where one of the parents described the music therapy sessions as something that allowed her daughter to continue “being a child” (341). I can only imagine the identities medically fragile patients assume, and especially when they’re young, I have to believe the playfulness of childhood is all but lost.
Has anyone else read this piece? Has anyone read anything lately that they really like or dislike?
Music appreciation
I do not listen to music very often. I much prefer filling my space when I’m alone with the sound of TV in another room, or NPR downstairs, or more likely one of the many podcasts I love.
I know. I’m a musician. I’m a music therapist. I should live and breathe music. I’ll tell you, I feel guilty about my resistance to music listening. I feel awful when someone speaks about a band they’d just discovered, or one they’ve known for years, and I don’t know it.
Sometimes, I do actively avoid music in favor of soundlessness. Other times, I don’t want to invest the energy that it takes to hear music. I find that there is a lot that goes into hearing music, and honestly, much of the time I don’t have the brain space for it.
This being said: Turns out I love music. What a revelation. Today I added a Talking Heads (one of my favorite bands) station to my Pandora list, and my day began so well because of it.
The lesson I’ve taught myself is that, in addition to considering music on a professional level and that my exposure to it can always be thought of as research, I should listen to music I like as often as I can.
Same As It Ever Was.
Check out Poliça. Cannot get enough.
When the majority of a presentation happens in a circle on the floor, it’s a good thing
I had a lovely time tonight, presenting to a group of families who have children with Down syndrome. I was happy that the children seemed interested in participating in the experiences I shared, and also excited to answer general and specific questions about music therapy and how, for example, I might address a child with a short attention span.
We spent about 45 minutes together. I used half an hour with the children and some of the parents in a mini session. We began with a Hello Song, we used some egg shakers, we played some drums, and most popularly, we worked with some Boomwhackers. We closed our mini session with a Goodbye Song, and then the adults moved over to a table where I provided explanations for the experiences I led.
I was happy to work with those children, and to spread the music therapy word a little further. None of the parents there, save my client’s parents, knew about music therapy. I hope I gave them some useful information.
The importance of being ill
The other music therapist who works at the care center with me suggested to me today that she and I present on the importance of self-care for those new professionals, such as ourselves.
What a perfect idea. How timely, too, given that I am still not feeling well.
What a pity, too, that I/my body chooses the Week That I Am Most Busy to break down a little. (Perhaps this is a coincidence? Indicative of how I’m taking care of myself in this super busy time?)
I can tell you what I’m not doing well enough (in my opinion):
- Drinking enough water
- Sleeping well (though I argue that the past two nights I have been in bed before 10:00, and have not been able to fall asleep)
- Cutting myself some slack when I know that times are going to be more difficult to weather
Here is what I am doing well enough (in my opinion):
- Recognizing the above
I’ll just have to tell my co-worker that I am running an experiment on myself so that I have first-hand knowledge to back up the facts we’ll talk about in our presentation.
Tonight I sadly did not attend the Minneapolis Area Music Therapists Group meeting because, well, I’m sick. I didn’t want to get anyone else sick, who could get their clients sick, and so on.
But, in a few days, I will share my review of the article I chose for this month.
Out sick
Seems as though I have a sinus infection. Yay!
IN2L
I wonder if anyone out there who works in nursing homes has ever heard of, or uses, the IN2L system. Ours has had it for at least the year I’ve been working on their staff. The IN2L (stands for It’s Never 2/Too Late) is a computer system (pardon my lack of technological language) that provides a number of programs, if you will, that are supposed to be interactive and can be shared with groups or individuals. The touch screen allows for some easy use by a resident.
I don’t find the system particularly useful, and the times I’ve tried to work with it, it hasn’t exactly provided what it says it will, but that’s another story.
The reason I bring it up is because my fellow music therapist/palliative care unit coordinator brought it into our office and said that with the system’s last update, there was installed a “music therapy” program. Hm. She said that the program’s title was “Music Therapy,” and that, when opened, it provided a large number of song selections from different genres of music. This is very nice, and seems to be a step up from the music offerings the system had before, but, I question why they call it “Music Therapy.” A better title could be “Music As Therapy,” or simply, “Music,” but not “Music Therapy.” Unless, of course, a music therapist is using those programs with a resident, and having that supplement the therapeutic process.
I’ll have to do more investigating of it. 
Who Dat
Here we have a tambourine my parents acquired while on a trip to New Orleans in January. Who Dat!
(You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me) Technology
I led a group at the care center yesterday that included two family members of one of the residents. The group was going really well, and the family members seemed so happy to be there. (They asked several questions about music therapy following the group session, and requested information from me regarding research. I was impressed by their interest in music therapy, and not simply music, if that makes any sense.) At one point in the session, one of the family members requested the song, “(You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me) Lucille.” I don’t happen to know this song, for which I apologized, but I was able to access it because our department recently acquired tablets for each staff member.
I’ve used the tablet several times for different reasons, and I was able to pull up YouTube and search for the song. I found this:
However, the connection failed right away. I refreshed it, and then it failed again. Repeatedly.
You picked a fine time to leave me, Tablet…
All smiles
I had a fantastic night with a certain client. He crossed midline with ease, he tracked a little better than is normal, he remained seated for the amount of time as is his goal, and he passed his instruments off to me with essentially no prompting.
And, this client is all smiles.
I love what I get to do.