Today was the first day that I did sessions all by myself. The past week and a half I've been leading most sessions but with my supervising therapist observing and keeping a close eye on the session. Today I did 3 (out of 4 clients on my caseload) sessions flying solo. I was expecting to be by myself on thursday, but oddly enough I felt prepared and ready. You look at the internship manual and the like and it says only 6 weeks of observations. Only 6 weeks! And you think that you will never be ready to take over sessions with only 6 weeks under your belt. I was concerned in that first week of orientation about having enough experience and being ready. Today I was definitely ready. It was nice that my supervising therapist was there, but the real therapeutic relationship doesn't really start to develop until you get into sessions alone. The extra set of eyes changes the dynamic. So it was good to really get started today. There were some awesome moments that show me that the clients are maybe starting to accept my presence there as the therapist. That was pretty exciting.
I read something today that just nailed music therapy on the head for me. I'm going to take some quotes and things from it and share it with you. I spent like 5 minutes reading from this book to my friend Lisa Rae today. She looked bored, but I couldn't help but express my excitement. The passages I read today just really explained what it is that I believe music can do for people. The words are from "Therapy in Music for Handicapped Children" written in 1971 by Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins. Yep- that Nordoff-Robbins. Nordoff-Robbins is the approach and model of therapy that I am learning to work in here. Anyhow, I was getting to the end of this book. Here's what it said:
"Our techniques and methods are designed to help develop their potential and to strengthen the positive functions of their psyches... This gives us the opportunity to bring children into purposeful activity and to heighten their awareness.
But as music is not an abstract activity for them, their experience of it is not confused; they can perceive music, learn it and remember it. Their egos can become freely active in musical experience and they can show inherent perceptiveness and intelligence in musical activities.
...Children who have had little chance in life to free and integrate their capacities, are given opportunities to develop and progress. Under these circumstances the children can act with decisiveness and pleasure; they can discover the experience of exercising alertness, thoughtfulness, self-control and responsibility" (134-136).
Basically this says that music therapy in this way is meant to develop the potentials and capacities of people (in this case, children) with disabilities. Music as therapy brings people to life in purposeful, intentional and meaningful activities. In music all parts of the person are integrated and working together to create new experiences and concepts of him/herself. In music they are alert and making decisions as to how they play and what they play--- that requires a certain level of thought, determination and coordination.
They go on to say:
"Singing is a direct expression of the ego living simultaneously in its emotional life, its mental life, and in its physical vocal apparatus. Singing is one of the most integrated and, at the same time, one of the most intimate and telling of our expressive acts" (137).
I just really love what this says.
Lastly, the entire last chapter of this book is about the musician therapist. I won't write a bunch on this, but I will quote two lines.
It talks about the different experiences of a musician.. but the musician therapist (even with other knowledge and experiences with music), finds that "music is revitalized for him, completely changed in purpose and realization."
"...the art of music as therapy will never cease to challenge him, never cease to require all his musical resources"
I love this field for that reason. It never gets old. It is constantly different and changing between clients and professional trends. Otherwise I would get bored. I could go on and on, but I won't. I am exhausted and need to get to bed early tonight.
Anyhow. Tomorrow means more sessions and inservices and things. Today was a great start to getting diving into this whole music therapy thing.
goodnight!
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