Music Therapy

[Video] The “Right-Left” Song: An Intervention for Children

June 10, 2010

One of my readers, Jeremy, left a comment awhile back asking me to share a song/intervention he’d heard me describe before: the “Right-Left” song. Well, Jeremy…here it is!
I can’t take credit for writing the “Right-Left” song–a wonderful music therapist named Michelle Hardy wrote it. I heard her describe it in a workshop several years ago, [...]

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A Pre-Conference Update

April 8, 2010

The Midwestern Region of the American Music Therapy Association is hosting it’s conference this weekend–here in Fort Collins! I talked last week about why I like going to conference. This week,  a list of what I’m looking forward to the most this weekend:

Taking my first CMTE (an intensive, 5-hour continuing education training). The topic is [...]

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How to Be a Top-Notch Interviewee

March 4, 2010

One of my readers, Amy, contacted me last week and asked:
I wanted to send you a quick update on my internship application process! I have scheduled two interviews for mid-March, one in Denver and one in Boston. I thought you might be a great resource to ask for some general interview advice. Do you have [...]

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How To Make Music Therapy Sticky

February 2, 2010

I’m going to try something new. When people ask me “What is music therapy?”, I’ll say:
We use music to make your life better.
I’ve been reading a book called Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die (by Chip and Dan Heath). “Sticky ideas” are ones that last and that people remember. Fables and [...]

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Which is More Critical: Science-Based Treatment? Or Skilled Therapists?

January 26, 2010

Over the weekend, I listened to a very interesting debate on NPR Science Friday. The three guests were psychotherapists discussing whether there should be a scientific basis to clinical psychology.
I’ve summarized the three viewpoints below. I wanted to share this debate with you, because I think we have similar discussions in the music therapy field.
What [...]

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What Every Therapist Ought to Remember About the Holidays

December 1, 2009

This weekend we “put up Christmas” in the house. I love this time of year, with all the green, red, and gold, the lights, and the memories that come pouring back as I hang each little ornament. I felt happy, relaxed, and excited for the holidays!

Then yesterday, the first Monday after a wonderful Thanksgiving break, [...]

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3 Easy Tools To Help You Be A Research-Savvy Clinician

October 27, 2009

Last Saturday, I attended the annual Fall Forum hosted by the Colorado Association for Music Therapy (CAMT). The Fall Forum is primarily an educational event and CAMT invites different speakers to talk on topics related to music therapy.
One of the speakers this year was Dr. Blythe Lagasse, a professor at Colorado State University. I really [...]

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Why Therapists Need to Shut Up

October 20, 2009

One of the hardest skills to learn as a therapist is to shut up. Silence is hard. Silence makes us uncomfortable.
The other week, I was with a client, “Tony.” Tony is 10 years old and is a very angry child. He has a right to be angry–he grew up in a chaotic, abusive environment, was [...]

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What is Music Therapy? (The Video)

September 24, 2009

I feel like I’ve finally entered the 21st century. Millions have done it before me, but I have procrastinated, putting it off until I felt “ready.” But I finally bit the bullet and buckled down until it was done.
I just uploaded my first video to YouTube.
In this video I answer the question “what is music [...]

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