New Activity! I Can Transform Ya

How do you entertain adolescents who have a preference for gangsta rap and selling weed?

Lately I've been volunteering at a secondary school here in Tallahassee. The students there all have IEPs with behavioral and emotional goals. Many of the students go to this school after being expelled from public school. Curse words fly, and students are often being marked with "disrespects." Some of the students have problems not only with school, but also at home and with the law.

More than anything, this population is one that needs extra attention. Of course, music therapy is a great way to teach proper self-expression and appropriate social interactions. But what do I do when I am clearly out of place in the classroom?

This activity worked very well with the students. Many of you may recognize the activity, the concept is not mine. However, the activity sheets I am providing a link to are ones that I created and you are welcome to use!

Both of these links will take you to Scribd.com, where you will find the
I Can Transform Ya task analysis &
I Can Transform Ya activity sheets

The video below is the song that I used for the group I mentioned above. Of course, it could be done with a wide range of populations. See the task analysis for more about that.



I want any activities I blog about to be useful and accessible to all MTs. If you have ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL regarding how to implement the activity, how to create music sheets of your own, problems using the sheets I provided, etc., please ask! I will be more than happy to help at any time, even if you send me an email or comment months after this post.

What does it take to undo the therapeutic process? Rebecca Black

We all have probably heard by now all the hype surrounding Rebecca Black. And it isn't all good. After watching this clip on Good Morning America, I felt so angry by all the cyber bullying that is going on.



I immediately thought about the applications to music therapy. Creating a song and a music video is a great intervention for self-expression (take note of that!). In fact, it is exactly what music producers Ark Music Factory did for Rebecca and other teenagers.

Of course, confidentiality is EXTREMELY important in the therapeutic world. Most settings are not appropriate for video recording. What dangers are out there if confidentiality is breached? If a client is exposed to such extreme criticism like Black has received (skip to 1:55 in the clip, it will make you angry!), it could undo everything you have worked toward. All the therapeutic progress can be unraveled in an instant. There aren't many that could handle the harsh words that come from thousands of people.

But amazingly, Rebecca claims to stay strong. I am so impressed by her, not because of her music video but because of the way she copes with her peers. I never had a problem with Rebecca's video, in fact. I am happy to see her making music... how fun it must have been to work with music producers! I can also appreciate the friendlier parodies that are out there that do not cruelly attack Rebecca (see here and here and see Conan O'Brien here).

But there is a lesson to be learned: I cannot stress how important I think it is for us to represent music therapy in EVERYTHING we do. That said, be supportive of others and be positive! Whether you like Rebecca Black or not, definitely do NOT participate in the hateful comments, online or otherwise.

Taking "The Test"

I'm so excited to announce that last week I passed the board certification exam! Many of you are looking forward to taking it yourselves in the near future. If you are at all like me, you will be a nervous wreck. I want to make this blog post helpful to those of you taking it for the first time. There is a lot of information to relay, so I will try to make it as organized as possible.

To read more about why I was freaking out about the test and why you should not, READ MORE...

Up a whole step

We use music therapy to "fix" a problem. And as versatile as music therapy is, we can remedy most problems. Which means that as music therapists we have to be very critical thinkers. We must be experts at applying music in creative ways.

This video is an example of a musically creative way to get more people to take the stairs over the escalator. What are some therapeutic benefits of this? Well, I thought 1) we know taking the stairs is better for us because we move more and this is good for our health, and 2) people commuting past these stairs may be in a happier mood for the rest of the day because walking on a piano is unusual and, well... fun.



Can you think of more therapeutic benefits?

Making advocacy even easier

As advocacy month comes to a close, I wanted to share another important post. I wrote recently about contacting your state representatives. As intimidating as this can be, I want to make it as straightforward and simple as possible.

I am grateful to Olivia Swedberg, chair of the Florida Music Therapy Government Relations Task Force. She has already taken steps to make conversation with your representatives easy. If you are considering writing to your representatives, use these resources that Olivia has put together.


The first is some guidelines to consider when writing your legislators. It includes tips for addressing the representative, formatting the letter, representing yourself, and speaking out on behalf of music therapy.

The second resource is a letter to your representative that is already written for you. All you have to do is FILL IN THE BLANKS! Olivia has made contacting your representatives that easy.

To wrap things up, I want to make a note on follow-up with your representatives. Olivia emphasizes allowing officials an opportunity to see music therapy in action. To make the biggest impact, she suggests that you follow-up the letter by calling a week later to schedule a meeting. However, students likely do not have an established practice that a representative might observe. There are alternatives to this. For example, just sending a letter describing your student status may be effective. You may be brave enough to meet with your representative to discuss what you hope for in the future as a professional. Or, with a professional's permission, perhaps you may invite the representative to that professional's session.

The point I want to make clear is that ANYone can be an advocate for music therapy. Do what you can with what you have. Students should not feel like they do not have a voice.

Discuss: What are some other suggestions and alternatives are out there for students, professionals, or other advocates who feel intimidated by the thought of meeting/contacting their representative?

BTM gets a facelift!

It was time for a change.

Some current events can help advocate MT

This month is a great one to be discussing advocacy. Recently, there have been a couple things that have brought music therapy to the eyes of the general population. We can use this as a means for advocacy!

We all know the tragedy that befell Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona recently. If you have been keeping up with the news, you will know that she has survived a shooting but faces a long road to recovery. The media of course has been following her progress. Recently ABC news ran a clip on Giffords, and mentioned the "high-tech" therapies that might help Gifford. An example of this, he says, is music therapy. He gives a nice, short explanation of how MT might help Giffords redevelop her speech and communication.



In addition to this, there is a movie being shown at the Sundance film festival (going on RIGHT NOW!) about music therapy: The Music Never Stopped. Read about it here, on the AMTA website! And then visit their website and contact them to request a screening in your area. Like their facebook page (or Myspace or Twitter) and comment there, too.



This is a great opportunity to contact Giffords' fellow representatives and bring to light the greatness of music therapy. As the general population learns more about our profession, we hope that they will let their government representatives know that they want more of us. In the long run, this will mean a higher demand for music therapy and thus, music therapists. This means more jobs!

Write letters, emails, or make phone calls that mention this ABC news clip and the Sundance film festival movie and let the representatives know that music therapy is important to you.

Interactive post: Black Swan (comment!)

In the previous post on advocacy, I mentioned the different hats we wear. I’m sure that many of you can relate that it is close to impossible to take off your therapist hat when not on the job. By this, I mean that we have rewired our brains to think analytically and therapeutically all the time. And never has this been more apparent to me than this past weekend.

I would love to know what you guys think of the new film, Black Swan. I went this past Monday with a group of friends to see the movie in theatres. I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone with plans to see it, but I will say that Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) has a whole mix of issues. And while some will interpret the movie differently, I saw evidence of various mental health issues. And of course I thought to myself, how could music therapy help Nina?

The answer to this will differ depending on which music therapist you talk to. Really, there can’t be a wrong answer to this considering Nina is a fictional character in a movie that is made to raise eyebrows.

Nina was a girl in a crisis. First and foremost, I think she needed crisis intervention, as her life was spiraling out of control. But following this, I thought Nina might really benefit from both individual AND group therapy. One possible goal might be to improve self-esteem. If the group therapy included other members of the ballet, an added benefit would be improved group cohesion.

Considering the population and appropriate goals, what are some music therapy interventions you might use in this case?
Please leave a brief comment with your ideas!

Let Me Explain Something You May Not Know

Sometime within these past five years, I became an advocate of music therapy. I’d like to believe I know myself pretty well, but somehow I managed to transform into this role by accident. It was pretty sneaky how it happened, considering the fact that I was NOT looking for this hat to wear on top of all the others. And let’s just be honest here. You’re probably wearing that hat as well.

An advocate of music therapy is any person that stands up for our field. It might simply be someone that answers the question, “What is music therapy?” We answer this question a lot. Beyond this, students and professionals regularly practice advocacy when they dress up and attend an observation, practicum, internship, or other session. Generally, if you wear the hat of music therapist or music therapy student, then you can already consider yourself an advocate.

Knowing that you are already an advocate of music therapy, I want you to consider two things. One, in your everyday life, represent your career choice to the best of your ability. This means dress appropriately, speak intelligently, and act professionally. Put your best into every meeting, planning, and session. Two, is it possible to do more? If you love your field, let people know it. Make your circle just a little larger and teach people the reasons you love music therapy. Speak up and make your voice just a little bit bigger.

Because government has a hand in everything we do, the ultimate goal here is to let the big guys know that our field is worth a penny. You can do this on whatever level makes you feel comfortable. If you are comfortable speaking out on behalf of music therapy within your current circle of friends, this increases awareness in hopes that they might spread your word in their own circles. If you wish to go beyond this, you can speak out to businesses and potential music therapy clients. These are the people that can directly invest in our field. One of the greatest impacts I think you can make however, is to directly contact government representatives. If this is where the thought of advocacy gets scary, let me help make it less intimidating.

Generally, there are three layers of representatives: national, state, and local.

National level:
You have two senators to represent your state and one congressman to represent your district or community (that makes three letters).
U.S. Senate: www.senate.gov/ (search for your state in the drop down box)
U.S. House of Representatives: writerep.house.gov/

State level:
Find the website for your state legislature. The number of representatives that you can contact will depend on your state.

Local level:
Find the website for your city council and county commission (or find the equivalent of this; the names of these will vary depending where you live). The number of these will also vary.

With just a few letters (and they can all be the same, folks, just change the header!) you can get word directly to the people that directly influence our field. If a bill ever comes to their attention that involves music therapy, they may remember your letter and vote in its favor! The more they hear the words “music therapy,” the more likely it is to stick. So make your voice heard. With this new year, make a resolution to contact at least one representative. And what to say? Answer that question, “What is music therapy?” Tout the benefits. Mention the incredible research supporting it. The point, I think, is just to say “Music therapy is important to me, and as my representative it should be important to you too.”

Well advocate, thank you for reading this blog post. This may be one of the most important posts I make all year. If you have questions (I will answer any to the best of my ability!) or comments, please leave a message below.

Welcome 2011!

Well let me just say,

HAPPY HOLIDAYS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm sure we've all at least considered making New Year resolutions. One of mine is to post more frequently on this blog. So look forward to more activities, ideas, and conversations to be had in 2011!

On a more personal note, I begin grad school today. I have grown up a lot since this blog first began. When I made my first post, I had no idea what my internship would have in store. Graduation was one of the best days of my life, and it was one of the reasons 2010 was so great to me. I look forward to 2011 as well. This year, I begin my first music therapy job, become board-certified, complete a thesis, and hopefully graduate by December!

I am thankful to everyone that reads this blog, especially those that check back regularly. You guys keep me motivated to continue writing.

That said, I look forward to future blogging. I hope that everyone has had an amazing start to this New Year and I hope it will be as fruitful to you as I hope it will be for me.