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Word of the Day

I want to open this post with a funny, quirky but beautiful moment of life that we can take for granted and sometimes pass over.

For example, hitting every green light on your way to work when you are running late. (This happened to me last week) I find it amazing and (beautiful) that the quirks of life lined up at that moment and were able to help me out. Continuing on this driving topic, I also find beauty whenever someone cuts me off on the highway and then I pass them 5 minutes later because they got stuck behind a semi. That is a moment for car dancing

I cannot write a blog post without writing about the scenery here. San Diego is a beautiful place from its manmade structures to natural ones. One place that I find beauty in is watching the sun set over the ocean from my deck, the view in perfect. Sometimes when the sun sets you can see an island off the ocean, I didn’t even know it existed until two weeks ago when I saw it for the first time wondering what that giant piece of land was. In the same way, the whole island of Coronado is also breathtaking, especially the bridge! Being on the island and seeing downtown San Diego on the other side of the water is amazing, there are so many different colors, sounds, and buildings.

I thought I would end in something I find beautiful about music therapy. This past Tuesday I brought and played my viola for the first time for an older adult, special needs, group setting. One of the clients across the room starting tapping her chin repeatedly, the aid close by kept saying, “Wow! I have never seen here do anything like that before! She never acts like this!” I came directly over to the client and began playing to her, again she kept patting her chin. The client was signing thank you over and over again. It was a beautiful moment to be a part of. In the small piece of time I was able to reach here and communicate with her through music.

Which leads me into saying the music is beauty and I am so happy to be in a profession where I can be surrounded by it every day.

Beth

Whether it be in our personal or professional lives, conflict is bound to happen at some point.

Each week, us interns pull a word out of a hat to determine our weekly “word of the day”. Of all the words I have drawn from the hat, I think “conflict” is the most challenging blog topic I’ve gotten so far. This is probably because I value harmony and tend to avoid conflict!

One thing I’ve learned in the past 5 months is that in music therapy, particularly within private practice, conflict is inevitable at some point. MTCCA works in schools, in-home, at facilities, and in-clinic. To avoid breaking HIPAA rules, I will not disclose specific stories, but I can say that one of the main ingredients to a harmonious relationship with clients is COMMUNICATION! It is very important to be clear and concise, and learn how each person communicates best (phone, email, text). At the end of the day, one of the most important things is confidence in the fact that I’ve been totally clear in all my interactions.

At the beginning of my internship, I would have avoided conflict at ALL costs, but I think that since then, I have certainly grown in confidence and am much more comfortable in dealing with conflict now! These lessons come with experience.

-Marjie

Harmony

There are multiple definitions the word harmony. Here are three main ones.

1. Harmony can mean singing notes in a chord that are not the melody.
2. A state of being, everything is equal or calm/content.
3. A program created by music therapists and speech therapists to teach social language skills in a functional and fun way.

In regards to number 1:
Since beginning my internship I have attempted to sing more harmonies. This has taken me out of my comfort zone, but this is probably the safest place to practice without receiving too many raised eyebrows. I had to work my way up to singing harmonies, first I would only sing harmony on the last note or the last phrase of a song, now I am stepping up my game and working on harmonizing complete songs. There are still some interesting days. For example today in one of my sessions I could not even think of the starting pitch for My Bonnie, needless to say harmony was not attempted. I couldn’t even sing the melody. I probably stood up there for a good two minutes singing the most awful sounds trying to hear my pitch. Then I had some people try and help find my pitch so four or five people were singing random notes with me. Needless to say I became flustered and failed miserably. Looking back I still cringe. There is a happy ending though someone did save the day, but it wasn’t me.

Moving on to number 2:
Ummmm I’m in an internship right now working my but off. I don’t understand this…
(not complaining though, I am learning so much and wouldn’t give up this opportunity to learn from these amazing people here at the Music Therapy Center of California!!!)

Saving the best for last, 3:
This is program developed to teach kids functional skills. I first heard about this program a couple of weeks before starting my internship. Funny story time. There was a mix-up with sending me some documents before I started and I never got the music to all the In Harmony songs until two weeks before I was about to start my internship. Interns are suppose to have the music memorized and able to accompany oneself. So I spent the next two weeks singing and playing theses songs over and over again, my dad and I even listened to them for 80% of our drive out to California from Oklahoma (I think he has The Potty song memorized for life). By listening to the music and watching the DVD you can see how effective the program is and how the workbooks that are incorporated as well are very effective.

Each definition is different, yet all are important to being an awesome music therapist.

Beth

As a musician, the first thing I think of when I see the word “transpose” is my clarinet. Why? Because when I played in a symphony orchestra in college, I often was given several different clarinet parts (Bb, Eb, A) and each clarinet was a different size and therefore, tuned to a different key, if that makes any sense. Sometimes I would bring my Bb clarinet and forget my A clarinet, but had to play music that was written for the A clarinet, so I’d have to transpose the music in the moment. For musicians, to transpose means to perform something in a key other than the one which is written out or given. In other words, to play A clarinet music on the Bb clarinet, I would have to play each note a half-step lower on the spot. At first, it was very difficult, but after years of practice, I’ve become semi-decent at transposing on the spot!

To apply this to music therapy, I think of all the times I’ve had to adapt in the moment during a session. I’ve had to rearrange the order of the session plan on the spot, or come up with new ideas in the moment. For example, some of my clients have a hard time transitioning or initiating due to sensory needs. If a boy comes into a session sprawled out on the floor and flopping around, It can be very difficult to engage him in a music intervention. Instead of forcing my set session plan on him, I have to adapt my plan to where he is at that very moment. If he is laying on the floor, he may need sensory input to get his body regulated and ready to pay attention and engage. I believe that one of the most valuable things I’ve learned during this internship is how to adapt in the moment according to each client’s specific need. Just as I’ve had to TRANSPOSE while playing the clarinet, I’ve had to TRANSPOSE a session plan many times. And I will admit, it can be very difficult at times to think in the moment, but it will only get better with time and practice!

-Marjie

There are many different forms of support. Support can come from people, pets, or things.

As for me the area I receive the most support from is my parents. Throughout my life they have supported me in all my endeavors. When I first decided to play the viola my parents didn’t hesitate to buy one for me and to start me in lessons. And then in high school, when I decided to pursue music therapy I was not talked out of it or swayed from that degree choice. My parents said, “Ok what can we do for you?” Looking back I’m realizing how loving and caring my parents truly are. When so many other young adults are steered away from a music degree my parents accepted this and did not question if I would be able to make any money, be able to support myself, or if I could even find a job in my degree field.

I do not only receive support from my parents, but also my internship supervisors and all the staff at the Music Therapy Center of California. They are all helping to mold me into a future music therapist one intervention at a time. I have already learned so much from working with them.

Here is just a taste

What is the goal?…Is it functional?…Flexion/inflexion…driving down beat…a compliment…popcorn…wh questions…metronome…TIMP…PSE…memorize…who has the instrument bag?…printing…copying…community helpers…singing…singing…singing

To end this blog I wanted give some of the best support you can get out there. Here’s a shout out to the over the shoulder boulder holder! Have a great day!

Thanks everyone for all your support and care, I may not show it, but you are appreciated and loved!

Beth

As a music therapy intern, I see about 70 different clients and staff a week. Now, think of all the germs floating in the air- runny noses, uncovered sneezes and coughs. Being a music therapist is a real test for your immune system! During my first 3 months here, I caught 2 colds and lost my voice twice. Emergen-C and Echinacea have become my best friend- I try to drink a cup of Echinacea tea about 4 nights a week, and take Emegen-C any time I’m feeling extra tired or feel the first sign of sickness. I also keep a small dropper bottle of Echinacea to drop in any drinks or to add to my Emergen-C mix. I try to take Elderberry capsules daily and I also sometimes get a shot of wheat grass from Jamba Juice when I’m feeling icky.

After losing my voice the second time around, I talked to one of my college roommates, who is going to grad school for vocal health. She told me that it helps to speak in a higher voice when you feel the beginning of a hoarse voice- it takes the strain off of the vocal cords by utilizing a more resonant tone. I took her advice the next time I thought I was going to lose it- and by golly it works!

Being in the fifth month of internship is beginning to take its toll on my stress levels- I have many more responsibilities and projects to work on than two months ago, and I’m starting to feel overwhelmed. Pulling this word of the week was a nice reminder that if we don’t take care of ourselves, we most likely won’t do our best. When I’m working on something for a long period of time and start to feel stressed out, I try to take a 10-20 minute break- a short walk outside, or just veg out watching YouTube or TV for a little bit.

These are just a couple tricks that I’ve learned are helpful for my well-being. Self-care is a very important part of life for anyone, and music therapists are no exception!

-Marjie

I consider my family a very important part of my life, without them I would not be who I am today. To give a little background information, my parents met on a blind date in Nebraska, got married and had three lovely children, but the loveliest was their youngest. (That would be me) My siblings and I are all two years apart. I have one brother and sister, my brother is the oldest. We had a normal childhood with all the practical jokes, temper tantrums, and bickering. I have so many amazing memories of my childhood; it is hard to pick the best ones to share with you.

Here are some quick facts about my family, we were never able to finish a game of monopoly (fighting always ensued first), Phase 10 is a cut throat game that could bring one to tears, we grew up without cable, my brother, sister, and I use to dance like Jack and Rose when they are at the party where Rose stands up on her toes, my dad use to pull my sister and I out of the tub by saying he was going fishing, he also told us awesome bed times stores about Hank and Carla a cat and dog who went on some wacky adventures, my mom is the best cuddler if you are having a crappy day and need to snuggle, she is also one of the best cooks/bakers I know (SERIOSULY it’s amazing food), I still hold my mom’s hand in public, my dad can bring me to tears just by saying he is disappointed in me, and I wouldn’t change any part of my childhood.

Basically I would not be the person I am without the influence of my parents and siblings. Which is true for everyone in the world… so the question is, how to make this personal, how can I express how awesome my family really is??

I guess the answer I am searching for is to say that my family is pretty normal, we have our fights and our quarrels, but at the end of the day they are my family and I love them more than anything, would do anything for them, and will always be there for them. Isn’t there a saying that goes something like, I can say as much crap about my family as I want, but the second someone else has something bad to say I will become like the mob and end you. (Figuratively speaking of course) Family is important. They come in all different ways, just remember to hold on to the ones you love and let them know every once in a while that you care.

Beth

This week’s word is SCIENCE. When I think of the word “science”, I immediately think of when I was in 4th grade and our class would watch an episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy every Friday. I hope you folks are ready for a throwback to the 90’s with this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx4HdbTiksY

Brings back some good memories 🙂 Now for my rocky segue into how it relates to music therapy.

The music therapists at MTCCA are NMTs (Neurologic Music Therapists), which means that they are trained on the specific areas of the brain that react to certain things, like motor movement, language, and cognition. We use music therapy techniques that are specific to the certain areas of the brain. Bill Nye discusses memory at about 5:36 in the above video. In retirement homes and older adult settings, I like to use “name that tune” to stimulate long-term memory in clients. The melodies from their favorite songs are stored in the brain, and when they hear the familiar tune, the memory comes back.

Children with Autism often have delayed speech development due to the way their brain is wired. Speech is processed in specific parts of the brain, but the great thing about music is that it is processed in the ENTIRE brain. Think about it a pianist: when someone plays piano, they are accessing fine motor movement (moving the fingers), tracking (reading the music), auditory processing (listening to themselves play), and much more! In children with autism, the neural firing networks do not work the same as the typical functioning brain. By using melodic prompting and left-hand tapping, we can help a child with autism form a sentence. The brain is such an amazing thing! I will leave you with another Bill Nye gem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMoRrIc-BPA

-Marjie

I find this word very fitting for my point in life right now. I have just moved from Oklahoma to California, have finished all my “classroom” classes for my Bachelors degree, and started my internship here at the Music Therapy Center of California. The past three weeks have been somewhat of a whirlwind, not that I don’t mind. I seem to have found myself twenty different projects to work on. One of the big projects I have put upon myself is creating a binder of session plans and another for visuals to use during sessions. Through this endeavor I have found myself obsessing over a cube, the cube is used for certain interventions that can be implemented. I have kept thinking of new ways and themes that I want to use this cube. The sad part is, the cube is not even mine. My internship director is going to have to keep her eye on it. (have to do a LOTR reference now, my precious) This is how invested music therapy interns become. Or maybe just me and that cube…

As a music therapy student and intern, I am constantly learning how to defend and validate the profession. In his book, Rhythm, Music, and the Brain: Scientific Foundations and Clinical Applications, Michael Thaut discusses the Transformational Design Model (TDM). This model is a way for music therapists to validate the interventions planned, by looking at the specific clinical function. Thaut mentions the two main mistakes music therapists often make when planning interventions: creating an activity-based approach where generic musical activities are adapted for different populations, and therapeutic music techniques applied to reach broad, general goals. Beginning with a diagnostic assessment of the client’s needs and goals, the TDM uses an “upside-down pyramid” technique, with each consecutive step becoming more specific. By utilizing the TDM, music therapists can more effectively treat their clients by gaining a better understanding of each intervention’s specific function. I hope to make it a habit to regularly use the TDM in my intervention planning!

-Marjie