“Lots of us became music therapists because we LOVE MUSIC. This can sometimes change when music becomes your job… Like any love relationship, it takes effort to maintain.”
Learn 4 easy strategies to avoid the clinification of music, in order to stay refreshed and healthy! Watch the video below:
If you’re inspired, or want more self-care resources, don’t forget to check out Ami’s Self-care for healthcare professionals course!
Be well, feel good, and make MUSIC – Kat
So true!!!!! Music – for me – and in what I do – is admittedly fun!!!! And it should remain so. I’m not delving deeply into people’s inner psyche worlds. I’m often helping them stay reality-oriented — and just enjoying the aesthetics of this artform. I’m often distracting/re-channeling the elderly residents in a dementia unit – from unproductive or dangerous behavior – through the attractiveness (literally) of some of the songs.
I try to alter the style, arrangement, rhythm, or key of the songs – to sort of give them new life – and it makes me re-discover the very familiar songs that both I and the residents know. Thing is, there is so much music – songs that go back to the turn of the 20th century and right through, well, to the present – We have a ton of material to work with – so we can put aside some of the over-played/sung songs, and dig up a heap of other songs that we might not have touched in a few years – but they can be ’embraced anew’ – like good old friends we – and the clients – maybe have all but forgotten about, but can say, “Oh, yes, I remember that one” and associations and reminiscing can take place with those songs, too!!!!
I just don’t stop having fun with music!!!! I often sit at my piano to work out or just enjoy a song that I hadn’t presented to any of my groups – and it’s enriching!!! (My main accompanying instrument in my work is the guitar, so it’s kind of neat to hear the different timbre, voicings, and physical approach to another ‘secondary instrument’ – and it’s great to also use the piano – if available – during part of a session – to give the clients that ‘different’ take on a song they might know.)
Anyway, I could go on and on, but, yes, we need to make music part of our recreation life – concerts, jam sessions, composing – all that helps remind us why we wanted music – in the first place – to be the center of our career lives, and that we need to keep it around the other parts of our lives – it’s fun and it supports and upholds our optimal well-being, too!!!!
You’re so good Edy, and I always enjoy reading your comments – Thanks for sharing YOUR experience, as I’m sure it applies to many many others! Awesome –
Self Care in keeping a clear creative process is akin to keeping your human relationships fresh, your marriage renewed – that is exactly the case, Ami. Each of us travels the journey, takes on new challenges including self-exploration with our own music. Take time to write, play w friends [even music therapists!], and writing out a new chart for some existing music. I loved re-introducing myself to the mountain and hammered dulcimer and can’t wait to get to old-time music fests; then I added Swiss traditional music, accompanying the Eurgli [diatonic accordian] and wind instruments and playing a festival or two [actually had a great ‘teacher’ who wrote out fresh charts in 2 keys. All this is exciting, yes, but not without its own sets of stressors including ‘the boys [ladies] in the band’
I add a good dose of prayer, stir frequently, drink deeply!
Love this Tom! “add a good dose of prayer, stir frequently…” So clever. Thanks for your response here =)