Music Therapy Maven

[PsychToday] “Thank You Mister Speaker”: On Music and Social Behaviors

Kimberly — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:37:39 +0000

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Think music doesn’t matter in our lives? You would be hard-pressed to watch this 2 minute clip and not see how music can change the entire mood of a rather serious group of people…Read more

Mommy Monday: Rituals and the Caregiver-Child Bond

Kimberly — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:26:18 +0000

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A fellow graduate music therapy student recently defended her master’s thesis. The defense itself was amazing, but what was even more amazing was her research—a heuristic, grounded theory study that explored how community-based music groups support bonding and attachment in adoptive families. Her research is worth a blog series and more . . . but, alas, it is not my information to share

Given, though, that my primary research interest of emotion regulation development is heavily influenced by the attachment process, my friend and I have had a couple of interesting intellectual conversations. One in particular stands out, primarily because of how it resonated with me not only as a professional, but as a parent, too.

The concept relates to the attachment process between a caregiver and a child, which relies strongly on the bonding that occurs between those individuals. And according to my friend, the literature on bonding speaks to the importance of rituals in creating that bonded relationship.

Rituals. When I first heard this, it felt simultaneously strange and intuitive. Strange because I had considered rituals to be this structured and organized phenomenon that’s often tied to a larger community group (e.g. church). Yet it was intuitive and familiar, too. I thought of all the tiny, daily, familiar rituals my children and I have. Some occur within our household routines, especially those related to transitions to and from bedtime, school/work, and eating. Other rituals are regular, daily, loving verbal banters that occur between my children and me. All these rituals seem to work in part to define who we are as a family.

Then I thought of what I knew as a music therapist, especially in my work with children with a history of complex trauma. One importance aspect of their milieu experience is to have structure in their lives. These occur on house rituals, i.e. what you do when you wake up, go to breakfast, go to school, eat lunch, play after school, have dinner, and go to bed. Then there are the scheduling rituals, what you do on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, weekends. These rituals and this structure are important as the familiarity they create provides a safety net for these children to learn and heal.

In short, then, following my initial surprise, I see how rituals are a cornerstone of the bonding and attachment process. Have you experienced the same?

The Music Therapist as Composer?

Kimberly — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:00:05 +0000

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We had a guest lecturer attend a graduate seminar on music and emotions the other week. This guest was Dr. Jim Mobberley, who serves on the composition faculty at the UMKC Conservatory. Dr. Mobberley was there to share his thoughts on music and emotion and how that influences his compositions and compositional process.

He was an engaging person to listen to and his thoughts prompted interesting discussions in seminar. But what also got me thinking was the idea that there are several similarities between the music therapy process and the composition process. Here are some of the thoughts that were generated when I considered the phrase “music therapist as composer:”

We are continually in a compositional mode. We adapt our interventions and the music stimulus on-the-spot. Even when using pre-composed music, more often than not we changes some aspect of it. We, in a sense, “compose” the music stimulus and experience for our clients.
We are intentional with the choice of music and how it reflects our client’s skills, preferences, and needs just as a composer is intentional with his or her choice of the music characteristics used in a new work.
We both develop observation skills in order to adapt the music stimulus, the music therapist in the moment with a client and the composer as he or she is sharing a work-in-progress with others.

Although none of these thoughts are especially earth-shattering, I had never considered a direct comparison between these two professions. Other professions sure, but mostly in comparing music therapy to other therapies (e.g. occupational therapy, art therapy, mental health) or to other music healing professions.

I liked this comparison, though, because it was different for me, a new idea that generated reflection and pondering.

So what do you think? How is a music therapist like a composer? Are there other professions you would use to fill in the phrase “music therapist as…”? If so, I invite you to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.

Mommy Mondays: The Art of Being Present

Kimberly — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:37:54 +0000

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I found myself at the park with my children yesterday. It was one of those perfect spring days, my favorite jeans, t-shirt, and sandal weather. And on this perfect spring day at the park with my two perfect children . . . I found myself completely preoccupied with thoughts of work.

I first associated this with PhD-brain. After all, I had spent 5 hours that morning working on a paper, clicking “send” as my children were (literally) climbing in the car to head to the park. So I thought I was just having a hard time mentally shifting from school to my family.

But then I realized that, no, this wasn’t unique being a PhD student. In fact, I bet most if not all parents find themselves struggling to be present with their children. In my case, being back at school might simply enhance the effect for me.

So that’s my current struggle—working to be present with my children. Not just when they need something (which seems to happen ALL THE TIME these days. My house is a constant chorus of Mommy, I’m thirsty…Mommy, I’m hungry…Mommy, I need…Mommy, I want… Mommy, she’s not playing with me…Mommy, he hit me…). I also don’t expect to be present with my children at every moment. Just more than I am right now.

In truth, I’m not quite sure how to do this (any tips, Reader?!), but hopefully recognizing and acknowledging the situation is a solid first step.

Highlights from GLR’s 2013 Music Therapy Conference

Kimberly — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 17:29:04 +0000

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Last week, I had the distinct pleasure of attending the 2013 music therapy conference for the Great Lakes Region (GLR) of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). The GLR includes music therapists from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan and is the second largest region population-wise in the US (the largest being the Mid-Atlantic region, or MAR).

This year’s conference was in the lovely city of Columbus, Ohio. We stayed in downtown Columbus at the Sheraton Capitol Square, right across the street from the state Capitol.

This conference was a fun experience for me in a number of different ways. One, it was my first non-Midwestern region conference as a professional music therapist. It was a great experience to connect with music therapists from another region and be exposed to some different ideas and approaches. Two, unlike most conferences I attend, I went with a singular focus—advocacy. Although I had to break away periodically to work on homework and my PhD research papers, it was refreshing to not have my attention too sharply divided.

What about the rest of the conference? With that in mind, here are some of the observations, learning experiences, and overall fond memories I have from GLR2013:

I don’t think I will ever tire from viewing capitol buildings from different states. Ohio state Capitol building is the first I’ve seen that doesn’t have a dome! At least one that you see on the outside (there is a dome on the inside). It also has one of the more beautiful historical and memorial displays I have seen.
It is so exciting to experience the excitement and feelings of empowerment professional and student music therapists feel after a successful Hill Day experience. Ohio’s Hill Day event was certainly no exception!
In my book, Ohio’s culinary experiences have always been great! I had the most incredible—and largest!—salad at a joint right next to the conference hotel for lunch one day. Then there was German Village (hellllo German sausage!), an incredible beet salad (right from the hotel bar), and a divine homemade sweet potato gnocchi at the Italian restaurant Due Amici. My taste buds were quite content.
It was surprisingly difficult to remove myself from conference activities to focus on my homework and writing. Here’s hoping there won’t be too many conferences where that needs to happen! As much as I like writing, I prefer the energy of conference more.
I learned that for the past 15 years, I have been mispronouncing the word “Likert.” The gentleman who developed the scale pronounced it with a short “i.” It’s like saying “lick her” very quickly while you drop the “h” and add a “t” at the end. Makes me wonder, though, if the mispronunciation is so common that it’s considered accurate now? Hmmm…
Live karaoke. It rocked. Enough said.

Mommy Mondays: The Benefit of Out-of-Town Travel

Kimberly — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:32:50 +0000

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I am in major preparations mode. Stocking up on food, cleaning the laundry, getting ahead on homework and school projects—I’m getting physically, mentally, and emotionally ready for a couple of out-of-town work trips this month.

I’m excited about it, though—I love to travel! Have since I was a kid. I love the routine of getting from the house to the airplane. I love my post-security and pre-boarding ritual that involves purchasing a large cup of coffee, buying the latest edition of Vogue magazine, and making sure I stop by the restroom one last time. I especially love traveling when I get to do so alone. I mean, I love my kids, but it is SO much easier to travel by yourself! There is no Vogue or coffee involved when there are active children to ~~run~~ watch after.

So it should come as no surprise that I am looking forward to my upcoming trips. But in the past couple of years I have found there is something better than the excitement I feel from traveling. Do you know what the best part is?

The absolute best part of leaving for a work trip is coming home to my children. Of hugging them, smelling them, cuddling with them, and listening to them explode about all the fun things they did and learned while I was gone.

So as much as I’m looking forward to connecting with friends this month, I’m also looking forward to using my travel to help me connect and bond with my kids in a different way.

[PsychToday] Musical Medicine and TB: A Q&A with author James Markert

Kimberly — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 20:53:30 +0000

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I’m a history buff and a music lover . . . so when I first heard about James Markert’s latest novel, A White Wind Blew, I jumped at the opportunity to interview the author! Set in the late 1920s in TB-ridden Louisville, Kentucky, A White Wind Blew follows Wolfgang Pike, a doctor-musician-almost priest, through his journey of healing and self-discovery. Below, the Markert elaborates on the “musical medicine” thread—music therapy was not a formal profession in the 1920s—woven throughout his story. Read more…

Book Review: A White Wind Blew

Kimberly — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:52:34 +0000

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Tuberculosis. Prohibition. Segregation. The Great War. The KKK. Faith. Musical medicine.

These are many of the themes interwoven in James Markert’s latest novel, A White Wind Blew. Set in the late 1920s in TB-ridden Louisville, Kentucky, A White Wind Blew follows Wolfgang Pike, a doctor-musician-almost priest, through his journey of healing and self-discovery. Markert is a talented storyteller. He brought his characters to life and his novel was difficult to set down—a solid indication of an entertaining story.

As a music therapist, what primarily piqued my interest was the “musical medicine” storyline. Although the roots of music therapy as a formal profession in the US did not start until the mid-1940s, the idea of using music for “healing” was first documented in the late 1700s. In the span of those 150 years, there is documentation of music being used in hospital, mental health, and special education-types of settings. To my knowledge, this may be the first fictional portrayal of what that might have looked like and the effect music—or in Dr. Pike’s case, “musical medicine”—had on patients.

What is striking about Markert’s portrayal of musical medicine is how he touches on the diverse ways music can have an effect on us. Without giving the story away, Dr. Pike’s musical medicine has physical, emotional, and social effects on the TB patients and staff at the hospital, Waverly Hills. In addition, the reader gets a sense of the resistance some feel towards a treatment that does not fall in line, in their eyes, with traditional Western medicine. This resistance is something many music therapists continue to feel today.

In conclusion, I recommend reading A White Wind Blew so that you, too, can be carried away by a story of how music changed people and a community through the words of an entertaining storyteller.

Mommy Mondays: The Dark Side of Being a Working, PhD-seeking Mommy

Kimberly — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 21:03:36 +0000

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One of the top questions I get is “how do I do it all?”

I can see how, from an outside perspective, it seems like I do “do it all.” A job I love, working on a PhD, a great family, a blogging career. It may even seem like I do it easily. I feel a large part of my having the flexibility to do what I do comes from having a strong and healthy family, as well as an incredible support network of family and friends.

But it takes it’s toll. And for me, that often comes in the form of getting sick. Historically, this sickness has been in the form of the common cold. I work, work, work, and work, then catch a cold, my body’s way of telling me to slow down. So I rest for a day or two, then am fine and back at it.

However, I’ve noticed a change in this pattern recently. My sicknesses are coming much more often, and they are more, shall we say, diverse. Consider that in the past 3 months, I have:

had a stye
lost my voice
had strep throat
had the flu…which I’m currently fighting as I write this post.

I know this means something needs to change. Fortunately I know that some things will change when the school semester ends in 7 weeks. Although I’ll still be busy over the summer, but my time won’t be as fragmented with no coursework or GTA responsibilities. Knowing that helps.

But I am also a believer that you need to listen to your body and my body is telling me that what I’m doing now isn’t working. So I’ll be doing some self-reflection to try and identify what I need to change to keep myself healthy.

But for now, after a few days rest, I’ll be up and at it with my writing, reading, teaching, emailing, and everything else involved in my working, PhD seeking, mommy life that I love.

Mommy Mondays: Pondering the Yins and Yangs of Parental Imaginings

Kimberly — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:51:46 +0000

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It’s only Wednesday and I have already experienced extremes in the continuum of emotions related to being a parent.

On Monday, I had a lovely conversation with a fellow music therapist who recently watched her 20-something daughter perform in a professionally-produced play. This was the yang—the excitement and wonder of envisioning the possibilities for my children and what they can become.

On Tuesday, I watched the movie Traffic. Watching teenagers experimenting and getting addicted to drugs . . . well, that was the yin, the scariness of the choices my children will have to make and hoping that I am laying a strong-enough foundation for them to make responsible ones.

But these yins and yangs aren’t even the interesting part! I think this is a pretty typical experience for most parents. No, the interesting part to me was that I wasn’t even envisioning the possibilities for my children until recently.

It’s really only been in the past year that I find myself seriously thinking about who my children might and could become. This may be in part due to the fact that we are out of the toddler phase. Up until then, it was all about what’s needed in the moment or for that day. Naps, feedings, diapering, potty-training, bathes . . . it was like being in the moment was more necessary during this period and this reality didn’t leave much room for imagining the future.

The other factor may be that my children are starting to exhibit their own interests, personalities, and talents. It’s not really that they’re starting to exhibit them . . . many of these have been showing for a couple of years. It’s more that as they gain more independence, these interests, personalities, and talents are becoming more pronounced. It’s getting easier to imagine what these little people might be like as big people.

So what are your thoughts? Do you or have you had some of these experiences and ponderings as well?