Songbird Studio

Or, Top Ten Ways to be an Effective Music Therapy Advocate in the Workplace... But can I confess? I think these would work in any profession! 1) Be professional. Be on time, with an appropriate appearance and demeanor for the facility you are working in. Follow facility guidelines for charting, communication, scheduling, etc. Be friendly with everyone on the staff--no one is beneath you, and everyone can help you! 2) Know when to talk. Be open to teachable moments--those random hallway conversations or tangents during meetings where you can pipe in knowledgeably with a little nugget of music therapy gold. 3) Know when to zip it. Don't be preachy. Of course you're excited about music therapy and its benefits, why else would you be doing the job? But sometimes it is best to let your work speak for itself. People will notice positive results, but if you are constantly achatter or seen as exaggerating, you may drown yourself out. 4) Actively seek ways to add value ...

I am so excited about this! The first fall of the day treatment program in my school district, through a series of events, I began collaborating with our school psychologist (at the alternative school I work at part time) on a social skills group using music therapy. I was very excited about the work I would get to do in this group, as it is a type of music therapy that I find interesting and fulfilling, and I was hopeful for positive results. It paid off! Students have attended the group willingly, participated actively in the variety of interventions we developed together, and I hope that I have shown how effective music therapy can be with a challenging population to the administration of my school. I suggested submitting our work to the Midwest Region of the AMTA for their regional conference, and we just received word that we have been approved! It is my first conference-level presentation, and I cannot wait to dig in and start preparing in earnest. Here are some highlights...

Just popping in to share this recent press release with you: "In January 2011, the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) and Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) are spreading the word about music therapy advocacy and government relations through the social media airwaves. Through the month, music therapy bloggers and podcasters will be sharing their thoughts, ideas, and questions about what it means to be a music therapy advocate, what the State Recognition Operational Plan entails, and how you can be involved. The following sites are supporting this project: Beyond the Music (blogger: Michelle Strutzel) Developmental Community Music (blogger: Kalani) Eclectic Guitar (blogger: Sara Sendlbeck) Key Changes Music Therapy (blogger: Natalie Mullis) Listen & Learn Music (blogger: Rachel Rambach) Mindful Music Therapist (blogger: Roia Rafieyan) More with Music (blogger: Amanda Ellis) Mundana Music Therapy (bloggers: Megan Resig and Kimberly Thompson) Music...

We just set up our new office space today, and while looking through old files on my computer, I found a graduate school assignment--to define music therapy in two sentences or less. It was amusing to me as it came on the heels of reading an entire book that attempted to define music therapy... but I tried, nonetheless. "Music therapy is the use of music and music-based interventions by a qualified music therapist to achieve non-musical goals." Breaking it down: Music itself can be applied in a therapeutic way. This can include the use of music in Neurological Music Therapy , using the iso-principle in a session, or modifying live music to adjust client responses. (And look at all that great future blog fodder!) Music-based interventions utilize music and its therapeutic characteristics but also incorporate basic therapeutic, instructional, or rehabilitative techniques. I personally use a variety of music-based interventions, including everything from shaping behavi...