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viola Tag

This is a word I do not have much experience with.

I am a notorious planner. I love writing and executing plans. I do not like do deviate, because then I am not being efficient with my time or plan of action.

I know being a music therapist this is not an ideal mindset. Sometimes your client could be having a bad day or everything you planned is not working, then what? You have to IMPROVISE… dun dun dun. Those dreaded words, but if that is what is needed than you should go forth into uncharted territories. Though I am not the best at this, I am striving to think more on the spot if something is not working or the client has mastered this and needs something more challenging.

Another way I have had to expand my improvising skills is when I play viola. I have NEVER done this before and that has definitely been a new experience. The one thing I can say though is I’m happy to finally be using my primary instrument within sessions! This has been fun and an engaging way to incorporate viola into the sessions.

The nice thing to know and something I keep telling myself through this whole process of learning how to improvise within a session and with my primary instrument is that it can only get better, I don’t think I can get any worse!

Beth

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