For you Minneapolis/St. Paul area music therapists:
Upcoming events at Sound Matters Music Therapy
Meeting of Minneapolis Music Therapists
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
7:30 PM
Fascination Station: Björk’s “Biophilia”
I love Björk. I have for years. I even liked how she sent me to tears for days in “Dancer in the Dark.” 
I find Björk to be a creative genius, with the beats she produces, the instrumentation she manufactures and manipulates, and the ideas she seems to be constantly generating. This is why I was thrilled to hear a description and review of her newest album, “Biophilia,” on the The New York Times Science Times podcast.
“[The album] is no ordinary album. It uses unusual and newly-invented instruments to reflect the rhythms of nature.”
–Pam Belluck, The New York Times
Ritchie King wrote about “Biophilia” for Science Times, and you can hear some of what he has to say about it here.
Björk combines her music with iPad apps in order to make her product interactive. I am fascinated by her.
More podcasts to hear
My list of podcasts is quickly becoming just as full as my Google Reader. I have been subscribed to The Music Therapy Show with Janice Harris for a bit, and though I read the blogs of Rachel Rambach, Michelle Erfurt, and Kimberly Sena Moore, I had yet to subscribe to their joint podcast, Music Therapy Round Table. I really liked their last podcast in which they spoke about their professional inspirations. I have heard some good things about their service, Music Therapy Pro. I need to look further into this, as I can already see its use as a huge benefit.
Dance, storytelling, moths, and music
I am sorry to be missing the American Music Therapy Association National Conference this year, but alas, I simply will not be there.
***
Here in Minneapolis, though, I have been reading up (however briefly) on some information I’ve been given.
On Monday, one of my co-workers at the care center brought in an article published in the AARP Bulletin, entitled, “Living Art.” This co-worker is very active in theatre, and has even begun a drama group at the care center. I have been able to see their rehearsals, and I love seeing residents display a variety of talents.
Find the article here.
The author of the article definitely advocates for the benefits of creative expression in residents in assisted living and care centers. I was really happy to read about “The Dancing Heart” program, offered by the Kairos Dance Theatre right here in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The work of Stagebridge Theatre Company in Oakland, California, was also included in the piece, but of course what interested me most was the mention of Songwriting Works.
The mission of Songwriting Works is to “restore health and community through the power of song.” As the name implies, their intention is to spread the impact of songwriting to the elderly population. I was curious, as I perused their website, if there would be any mention of music therapy. In the FAQ page, there were some nicely worded summaries of the distinction between music therapy and their mission.
I am always excited to know what else there is out there.
*While reading about Stagebridge Theatre Company, I thought that the awesome podcast, The Moth, could venture out to the elderly population. That would be storytelling.
Design, public policy, and the learning process
I attended an event tonight entitled, “Can Design Change the World?” This is a part of a speaker series called “Policy and a Pint.”
Policy and a Pint® is an event series co-sponsored by the Citizens League and 89.3 The Current, that engages young people in important conversations about public policy in Minnesota.
Three designers answered questions asked of them by a host who was broadcast on 89.3. The designers spent about half an hour speaking amongst themselves and the host, and then another half an hour taking questions for audience members.
One of the guest designers mentioned that after the fourth grade, the level of creativity (however that is determined, I am not sure) plummets. Each of the designers spoke to the importance of cultivating creativity in our education systems, and that design is a practice of imagination and implementation that each and every person does on a daily basis.
As we all know by now, I am not an architect or a fashion designer or a stylist. But, I was intrigued by one of the questions: “How or why is design practical?” One of the guests responded by speaking to the fact that most people require at least two if not three means through which to learn a skill — audio, visual, and experiential. A way that design supports the learning process is by bringing to reality technology that provides tools for such ways of learning to take place, i.e., the iPad and its apps that many of us music therapists, teachers, and students use in a variety of ways.
If only there were a way to keep music and art in schools…
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.
Bereavement care
I had a meeting with the director of my care center’s pastoral care department today regarding bringing music therapy into staff bereavement services already offered by pastoral care. I am really excited to now be a part of the services. I’d like to be more integral in the care of those residents in hospice and in creating more support for grieving staff. Just this morning, I had a conversation with a staff member who was angered and emotional about the fast decline and death of a resident. Of course I thought she could benefit from the bereavement services that will be happening, but I also know that there is such little time any staff has to process the losses of those residents in their care. So, I am sure many staff will choose not to participate. I’d love to be able to make such services available and easily accessible to all. The next services are on Friday.
Music Therapists Unite!
I am excited that a meeting I had organized tonight went really well. I invited all of the music therapists I know personally who live in Minneapolis and its surrounding areas to get together and catch up, share knowledge, and plan for future meetings. I found a space to hold the get-together, which, unfortunately, didn’t prove to be ideal. I am so happy we got together, though.
Beyond re-connecting and sharing where we’re working and what we’re doing, we talked about CEUs, supporting each other in performance endeavors, and what we want out of this group in the future. None of us happened to be very versed in how, when, or where to obtain our CEUs, so we’ve decided that our next meeting’s big topic will be learning just that.
Ideally, we’ll have time to make music together in some fashion. Tonight, we didn’t.
Humor
I have always felt that humor is an important character in the livelihood of any successful person.
“Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.”
Mark Twain
Do you find laughter, or inspire it, every single day?
A day of observance
I work in a Catholic care center. I, however, am not Catholic. I am also not ready to start talking about or singing about or anything about Thanksgiving, even though it is now officially November. So, I researched All Saints Day (today), and All Souls Day (tomorrow). Knowing that the days are observed in the Catholic faith, I doubted the majority of my residents would take any issue to discussions about the special days.
Certainly, the true definition of the two days is elaborate and, well, based in Catholicism. But I was interested when I read, “All Soul’s Day is a Roman Catholic day of remembrance for friends and loved once who have passed away” (Source). This, of course, is a very simple overview of All Souls Day, and I like it.
In my internship, I worked primarily with hospice patients. Now, most of the work I do is with residents in a care center, some of whom live in the palliative care unit. Many of my residents won’t live through the rest of this calendar year.
I have been searching for ways in which to commemorate the lives of those patients and residents who have died. Perhaps tomorrow, I can create my own version of All Souls Day, and use a portion of the day to spend honoring those people who have passed away.
Do you practice any kind of memorial for passed patients or residents?