Music Therapy Maven » education

Taking Time to Think

Kimberly — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:17:27 +0000

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I think that one of the biggest perks of being a PhD student is that I am being forced to think.

When is there time, otherwise? Between running a household, raising kids, having a business, seeing clients, documentation, learning new songs, going to the grocery store, checking social media streams, buying birthday gifts,….WHEW! Our thinking has moved into the territory of survival mode. We are thinking about what need to be done this day and in this moment so that we can get to the next day and the next moment.

It seems rare that we have the opportunity to sit and think. To reflect, to process, to let ideas swim and percolate.

The irony is that it’s not the “doing and doing more” times that move things forward, it’s these thinking and processing times. It’s giving yourself the time and the space that really lets your creative juices flow.

This is where I feel a large part of my academic work is right now. Just processing, thinking about, and integrating information from theory, practice, and experience. I have a germ of an idea that I began to develop in my last year in Colorado. Right now, this semester, I have the opportunity to further develop this idea and test it.

I am sure I will be writing more about this process as I continue on this journey. In the meantime, I am grateful for this opportunity to think.

What about you? When do you allow yourself the time and space to think? How does it help?

Why Therapists Need to Shut Up

Secrets to being a Successful Music Therapy Student

Kimberly — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 21:42:17 +0000

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I got a great question recently from Maven reader and music therapy student Caitlyn W. (@caitlynmarie123), who wrote:

I would love if you would write posts directed toward music therapy students. I know that as a college student, I love to hear other people’s stories of their college experience, how they balanced all the classes, internship tips and stories…Basic starting out facts BEFORE starting your own business.

Caitlyn’s question hit close to home because I, too, am about to become a student again! And even though this blog is more geared for the professional music therapist, perhaps it’s time for a little change of pace…

So, with that in mind–and thanks to the wisdom of many other music therapists–here are some top-notch secrets to help you great a successful student experience for yourself:

Save Your Class Notes

I forgot about this until music therapist Amy K. (@AmyMTBC) reminded me. She wrote: Save all your music therapy books, class notes, music, practicum folders–you never know where you’ll end up!

Amy’s right! Believe it or not, I still refer to my old class notes from graduate AND undergraduate school. So put a plan in place to process and file your class notes after each semester. You never know when they’ll come in handy.

Learn from All Your Classes

Most of you are probably going to receive a liberal arts-type of education that includes english, history, science, and math training. Don’t underestimate how useful and important those classes are, even if they’re not part of your core music therapy training. Apply yourself in all these classes.

Why? Because you never know when the knowledge will come in handy. I remember a story one of my mentors shared where she was able to understand and “crack” a client’s behavior based on information she remembered from a history class. Turns out she was right–and her esteem grew in the eyes of the doctors and other treatment teams members who were struggling for months with this problem.

Start Networking…Now

You can–and should–start networking as a student. How do you do this? The primary way is to get involved. Join and be active in your school’s music therapy association. Attend workshops and conferences. Even you you can’t make the national conference, attend a local, state, or regional event. There are many friends and colleagues I collaborate with today that I first connected with as a student. It’s never too early to start!

Learn from the Best

If at all possible, make sure you take a class with a really good teacher…even if the class is not within the scope of your training. Most college programs provide opportunities for you to take electives. Don’t fill them in with an “easy” class. Fill them in with a class taught by the best, most inspiring, most thought-provoking teacher on campus.

Be Diverse

This tip came from music therapist JoAnn J. (@JordanEM)…and many, many music therapists agreed with it! She wrote: Accept practicums with as many different populations as you can. It will help you find your niche.

She’s right! AMTA has designed your clinical training in a way that allows you to work with different ages, different sites, and different clinical populations. Even if you go in to music therapy “knowing” what population you want to specialize in, this is your time to branch out and try something new, different…and possibly scary. And who knows? Perhaps that will turn into your favorite one.

Stay with the Music

Rachelle N. (@RachelleNorman) wrote: Get as many varied music experiences in college as you can, then keep making music for yourself once you graduate.

Remember that you are a musician first. And, believe it or not, it can get harder and harder to stay involved and invested as a musician after you leave school. So don’t ignore the musical side of who you are…and plan to nurture that after you leave, too.

Enjoy the Journey

Being a student provides you with a unique opportunity to learn and grow as a professional and a person that likely won’t ever happen again. So, as best as you can, enjoy all parts of being a student. The learning, the social aspect, the opportunities…everything. Or, put another way my music therapist Michelle Erfurt (@michelleerfurt): Enjoy it while it lasts!

Final Thoughts

Sharon G.: Adapt, adapt, adapt!

Healing Sounds Music Therapy: learn to trust your intuition. And keep all your stuff.

Marie C.: Keep on going with music and don’t change course…….stay focused on music therapy and all its applications that will be expanding in the future!

Erin B: Jump in as early and as soon as possible. Be as fearless as possible.

—————————————————————————-

If you’d like to learn more, there are some great blogs outs there geared for (and often by) music therapy students and interns:

Diary of a Wimpy Music Therapy Student

Music Therapy Backpack

Music Therapy in Thailand

73 Things I Wish I’d Known as a New Therapist

Kimberly — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 17:34:54 +0000

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You’ve finally made it. You’re wearing that graduation cap and gown, have the diploma in one hand (or at least the diploma cover since the actual diploma won’t be shipped for another 6-8 weeks), and are taking your zillionth picture with elated family and friends. You’ve done all your coursework, you’ve finished your internship, and now…?

Now it’s time to get professional.

The transition from clinical intern to professional therapist can be a difficult one to navigate. Below are listed 100 tips to help the new therapist maneuver from student/intern to professional. I originally intended to create this list on my own, but decided last night about 9:00pm to ask my friends and readers on Facebook and Twitter to share their tips. The response was truly overwhelming and I think you’ll appreciate what they have to share below.

Some of these things I’ve done, some are things I wish I’d done, some are bits of wisdom from other professional therapists. All are intended to serve as nuggets of gold to keep in mind as you maneuver these new waters.

73 Things I Wish I’d Known as a New Therapist

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Join your professional association (for music therapists, that’s the American Music Therapy Association).
Invest in professional development (e.g. seminars, conferences, trainings, workshops).
Seek out a mentor.
Know yourself: who you are, your strengths, your areas for improvement, what you can do.
Keep learning about yourself: who you are, your strengths, your areas for improvement, what you can do.
Set aside time for play.
Exercise regularly.
Eat well. Drink lots of water.
Relish in your relationships with friends and family.
Take time off.
Criticize/complain in private. Praise in public.
Read (or listen to) professional books.
Read journal articles.
Understand your state registry/licensure requirements.
Understand your national certification requirements.
Take music lessons.
Attend at least one conference a year.
Join local business and/or professional organizations.
If possible, start recording your therapy sessions.
Create systems and procedures (e.g. for checking email, documentation, session planning, etc.)
Seek online colleagues and mentors.
Expect mistakes.
Learn from mistakes.
Stay current with local and state politics. They do affect you.
Remember that it’s about the clients.
Relish the opportunity to talk about what you do.
Take a break if you need to.
Develop good relationships with your professional peers and colleagues.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Reach for opportunities.
Dress professionally. Watch “What NOT To Wear” for some tips.
Keep learning. Be open to new populations, new approaches, new experiences.
Become a mentor. (Seriously. It’s the fast track for learning.)
Read about your continuing education requirements.
Start a folder to keep all continuing ed certificates and paperwork in one place.
Seek out peer supervision.
Spend time visualizing what you want to create for yourself.
Expect change–both short-term and long-term.
Speak up during team meetings.
Read the newsletters sent out by your associations/organizations.
Strive for personal balance.
Seek ways to nurture yourself in areas outside music.
Always have music that’s just for you that you don’t use in sessions.
Don’t be afraid to ask for supervision.
Trust yourself. You have more wisdom and knowledge than you know!
Remember to not make a client do, play, or create something you wouldn’t want to do yourself.
It’s okay to “wing it.” The unplanned can make for great improvisation…and sometimes the best sessions.
Show up. Be present.
Know what you need to do to de-compress.
Develop and continue to grow your “go-to” repertoire.
Change out your “go-to” pieces on a regular basis.
Realize that your job is as much to teach the parent/caregiver as it is to work with the client.
Remember: your 1 hour a week won’t create nearly as much change as teaching the parent/caregiver and having them practice 10 times a day!
If possible, find a job where you have a music therapist for a supervisor.
Own your success.
Don’t get stuck in the “what population am I going to work with” mode. You’re working with the person, not the “disability.”
Remember to take care of your body. Stretch. Exercise. Musicians can sustain injuries, too.
Warm-up your voice every morning.
Remember to make time for documentation. It’s a harsh reality
Network, network, network.
Always have business cards handy. Distribute them freely.
Strive to be a resource for people on music therapy.
Speak to every group that invites you, no matter how big or how small.
Remember that first impressions never die.
Take baby steps with the big picture in mind.
Remember the importance of monitoring your own needs.
Be aware of when you need to “fill the emotional/physical tank,” so to speak.
Talk to–and learn from–other professionals.
Listen to the parents/caregivers. They are the true experts.
Remember that every person has valuable input. Even you.
You know more than you think you do. Trust yourself.
Enjoy your passion. Enjoy the ride.

I again want to thank all those who responded on Facebook and Twitter. This would not have been nearly as good a list without you!

Music Therapy in the Mainstream

I’d like to take a minute to share with you a book and a movie that has us music therapists giddy with excitement! On March 1st, Jodi Picoult (you may remember her as the author of My Sister’s Keeper) published a book called Sing You Home. The main character of her new book is a music therapist!

I’m currently on chapter 3 and, I must say, I’m quite impressed! If you’re interested in checking it out yourself, please follow the link on the lefthand sidebar (check out the book cover). There’s also an audio version available on Audible if you–like me–prefer the audio version (and, if I did this right, if you sign up for Audible by click the link below, you can get a free book. Why not make it Sing You Home?)

Try Audible Now and Get A Free Audiobook Download with a 14 Day Trial. Choose from over 85,000 Titles.

Finally, a movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last month called The Music Never Stopped. And…guess what?…one of the main characters is a music therapist! Screenings of the movie are showing in select cities and I believe they’re still accepting RSVPs. I’ll be checking it out in Kansas City next week and will be sure to share with you my thoughts!

Do You Make This Common (and Easy-To-Fix) Mistake?

Kimberly — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 19:20:30 +0000

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I readily admit that I was never very good about it. It’s one of those things that I “knew” I should do…but never got around to. I know it’s good for marketing and I know it’s good for professional growth…I just never made it a big priority like I should of.

What is “it”? Recording myself work.

I’m in the process of pulling together application materials for the PhD program I’m applying to. Part of the application process involves submitting video clips of my clinical and musical skills.

Luckily, I had kept video I took in 2006 for a training program. And luckily I had enough foresight to get the appropriate releases and record sessions before I moved last summer and had to let go of all my clients.

But it struck me while editing this footage how valuable recording yourself is. And how I really should have listened to that voice in my head–and the voices of friends and mentors–telling me I should be recording myself more often.

Here’s why:

A picture is really worth a thousand words. My husband tells me that he never really “got” music therapy until he watched a video of it “working.” He had heard the definitions, had stories and examples described to him…but when he finally watched a video and saw how rhythm dramatically improved the gait of a stroke patient, that’s when he had his “aha” moment. And that’s just one person–think of how video footage can impact and influence a roomful of people!
Opportunities for professional growth. As therapy students, we receive external feedback from our supervisors and professionals. As interns and young professionals, we learn to self-evaluate what worked and what didn’t work during a session. But watching a video of yourself working, no matter how scary, gives you more of the external type of feedback. You’re able to look at yourself more honestly and, yes, critically. Which is a good way to challenge your professional growth.
Re-usable content. Once you have that remarkable video footage, you can re-use it over and over and over again. At trainings. At conference presentations. At in-house workshops. At marketing events. On websites. Record and edit once, then re-use multiple times. What a great use of your time!
New technology makes it easy. These days, the technology needed to put together a video is relatively inexpensive, slick, and easy-to-use. I use a $120 Flip Video Camera (I talk more about it here), a $12 generic tripod, my Mac’s iMovie program, my Mac’s iDVD program to burn a DVD, and YouTube. And for you PC lovers, there are PC-friendly programs (although I cannot personally recommend this, Microsoft has a Movie Maker software program. Check it out here.). So all-in-all, there is no excuse for not having the right equipment to create your own video.

If you–or your employer–are already in the habit of recording your work, great! You’re ahead of most of us!

But if not, my challenge to you is to start recording. Don’t make the same mistake I did.

Start with one session. Make sure you have the appropriate releases and the appropriate equipment. Then record. Watch and evaluate yourself. If you captured something remarkable, edit for potential marketing and training use.

And, of course, leave a comment below to let us know how it goes!

6 Ways to Help Your Social Media Career Soar

Kimberly — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:00:25 +0000

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Believe it or not, but I only ventured into the world of social media (which includes blogging, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.) in February 2009. That’s just 17 months ago.

It’s been quite a ride over the past year. All the people I’ve met (virtually and in person), all the information learned, and connections made–it’s invaluable.

So are you looking to make the leap? Maybe you already have a Facebook account, but are intrigued by Twitter. Or maybe you’ve always been meaning to set up a LinkedIn account, but haven’t made the leap year.

In the spirit of soaring (and to try to help you learn from my mistakes), here are 6 ways to help your social media career soar:

Keep your goal in mind. It helps to have a purpose for your online work. Are you wanting to connect with friends? Network and market your services? Simply share information? The tools you use (and how you use them) will vary depending on your goal. Always keep that in mind.
Be consistent. Consistency could mean posting once a month, once a week, once a day, or several times a day. There is not a magic number (and in fact it depends a lot on #4)–but decide on a pattern and stick to it.
Just dive in. The quickest way to learn is by diving in a trying it out. There are dozens of different social media and social bookkmarking sites out there. I’ve tried many–some I’ve stuck with (such as Twitter and blogging) and others have died off (Stumbleupon). I’ll continue to try new ones as they come out. Some I’ll incorporate into my social media strategy, most I won’t. But the important part is…dive in and try it out!
Consider your audience. It would not make sense for me to publish a new blog post a couple times a day. My audience–primarily music therapists and therapy students–are not connected to computers all day long. However, there are some professions where it makes sense to post more frequently, such as PR blogs. Always keep your audience in mind–because you’re doing it for them, right?
Be useful. People joke that Twitter is about sharing what you ate for lunch or when you went to the bathroom. Wrong! Most of my posts aren’t about me and what I’m doing. I try very hard to be relevant to my audience, either information-ally (e.g. links and articles) or educationally (e.g. photos, humor, videos).
Have fun. There is lots about social media that’s fun–making new friends, learning, sharing. If it stops being fun, it’s okay to stop. Enjoy what you do!

Speaking of making connections through social media…it’s through my Psychology Today blog that I’ve been invited to be one of the speakers at the first ever international creative arts therapies teleconference! Laura Dessauer (a.k.a. the Creativity Queen) is hosting this conference, which brings together 10 different speakers in the creative arts therapies. Some are more established and others “up and comers” (I think I fall in the latter category ;D).

I’ll be sharing more information over the next month, but if you’re interested in reading more NOW…click here.

Top 12 Reasons Why Music as Therapy Works

Kimberly — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:57:32 +0000

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UPDATE: The Posit Science article was posted! You can read it here.

I was recently invited to write an article for Posit Science, a company dedicated to brain fitness and interested in neuroscience. Although it’s not yet posted, I wanted to share it with you, as I’ve written out many of the “arguments” I use to support why music as therapy works.

My hope is that this helps you as you talk about and educate others on music therapy.You won’t always go through each of these reasons in detail, but maybe it’ll give you some ammunition!

Top 12 Brain-Based Reasons Why Music as Therapy Works

“Our bodies like rhythm and our brains like melody and harmony.” (Daniel Levitin)

There are over 5,000 board-certified music therapists in the United States. And there’s one question we get asked daily:

What is music therapy?

According to the American Music Therapy Association, “Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.”

Simply put, we use music to make your life better. Whether you need help socially, cognitively, physically, emotionally, or developmentally, music can help you get better…and music therapists trained on how to do that.

What’s more interesting, though, is why it works. When used properly, music can be an incredibly powerful treatment tool. And not just because it’s fun, relaxing, and motivating, but because music has a profound impact on our brains and our bodies.

So here are the top 12 brain-based reasons why music works in therapy:

Music is a core function in our brain. Our brain is primed early on to respond to and process music. Research has shown that day-old infants are able to detect differences in rhythmic patterns. Mothers across cultures and throughout time have used lullabies and rhythmic rocking to calm crying babies. From an evolutionary standpoint, music precedes language. We don’t yet know why, but our brains are wired to respond to music, even though it’s not “essential” for our survival.
Our bodies entrain to rhythm. Have you ever walked down the street, humming a song in your head, and noticed that your walking to the beat? That’s called entrainment. Our motor systems naturally entrain, or match, to a rhythmic beat. When a musical input enters our central nervous system via the auditory nerve, most of the input goes to the brain for processing. But some of it heads straight to motor nerves in our spinal cord. This allows our muscles to move to the rhythm without our having to think about it or “try.” It’s how we dance to music, tap our foot to a rhythm, and walk in time to a beat. This is also why music therapists can help a person who’s had a stroke re-learn how to walk and develop strength and endurance in their upper bodies.
We have physiologic responses to music. Every time your breathing quickens, your heart-rate increases, or you feel a shiver down your spine, that’s your body responding physiologically to music. Qualified music therapists can use this to help stimulate a person in a coma or use music to effectively help someone relax.
Children (even infants) respond readily to music. Any parent knows that it’s natural for a child to begin dancing and singing at an early age. My kids both started rocking to music before they turned one. And have you seen the YouTube video of the baby dancing to Beyonce? Children learn through music, art, and play, so it’s important (even necessary) to use those mediums when working with children in therapy.
Music taps into our emotions. Have you ever listened to a piece of music and smiled? Or felt sad? Whether from the music itself, or from our associations with the music, music taps into our emotional systems. Many people use this in a “therapeutic” way, listening to certain music that makes them feel a certain way. The ability for music to easily access our emotions is very beneficial for music therapists.
Music helps improve our attention skills. I was once working with a 4-year-old in the hospital. Her 10-month-old twin sisters were visiting, playing with Grandma on the bed. As soon as I started singing to the older sister, the twins stopped playing and stared at me, for a full 3 minutes. Even from an early age, music can grab and hold our attention. This allows music therapists to target attention and impulse control goals, both basic skills we need to function and succeed.
Music uses shared neural circuits as speech. This is almost a no-brainer (no pun intended), but listening to or singing music with lyrics uses shared neural circuits as listening to and expressing speech. Music therapists can use this ability to help a child learn to communicate or help someone who’s had a stroke re-learn how to talk again.
Music enhances learning. Do you remember how you learned your ABCs? Through a song! The inherent structure and emotional pull of music makes it an easy tool for teaching concepts, ideas, and information. Music is an effective mnemonic device and can “tag” information, not only making it easy to learn, but also easy to later recall.
Music taps into our memories. Have you ever been driving, heard a song on the radio, then immediately been taken to a certain place, a specific time in your life, or a particular person? Music is second only to smell for it’s ability to stimulate our memory in a very powerful way. Music therapists who work with older adults with dementia have countless stories of how music stimulates their clients to reminisce about their life.
Music is a social experience. Our ancestors bonded and passed on their stories and knowledge through song, stories, and dance. Even today, many of our music experiences are shared with a group, whether playing in band or an elementary music class, listening to jazz at a restaurant, or singing in church choir. Music makes it easy for music therapists to structure and facilitate a group process.
Music is predictable, structured, and organized–and our brain likes it! Music often has a predictable steady beat, organized phrases, and a structured form. If you think of most country/folk/pop/rock songs you know, they’re often organized with a verse-chorus structure. They’re organized in a way that we like and enjoy listening to over and over again. Even sound waves that make up a single tone or an entire chord are organized in mathematical ratios–and our brains really like this predictability and structure.
Music is non-invasive, safe and motivating. We can’t forget that most people really enjoy music. This is not the most important reason why music works in therapy, but it’s the icing on the cake.

If you enjoyed this article and are interested in learning more, I’d recommend the following books and websites: This is Your Brain on Music (Levitin), The Cognitive Neuroscience of Music (Peretz & Zatorre), Rhythm, Music, and the Brain (Thaut), The American Music Therapy Association, and The Dana Foundation.

5…No! 6 Bits of Mish-Mash and Nuggets

Kimberly — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:10:53 +0000

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Today’s article is a bit of a mish-mash of different topics. I tried to find a common thread between them…but no luck. And I didn’t want to focus on one particular area because I thought you’d be interested in all of them! (You are, aren’t you?)

So here are 5 bits of mish-mash and nuggets, in no particular order:

1) Music Therapy Helps Toddlers with Cochlear Implants

This article appeared awhile ago, but it’s worth sharing again! Last month, Israeli researchers reported that music therapy could help toddlers with cochlear implants learn how to talk. The rehabilitation progress for these children is typically slow, but music helps to teach them nonverbal communication and increase their spontaneous communication. To read more, click here.

2) Readers Comment on the 80-20 Rule

Last Thursday, I asked you if you knew the 80-20 rule..and many did! I had only heard about it from a business and time management perspective, but it turns out this rule is applicable in many situations:

Ginny uses it when providing feedback to music therapy students–80% of it’s positive and 20% constructive.
Aria learned about it in her food services class–20% of her customers will contribute to 80% of her sales, so her marketing should be geared dtowards that 20%.
Brian pointed out that 80-20 is roughly the female-male ratio in the music therapy profession (although Valerie wondered whether it was closer to 99-1!).

3) Neuroscientist: Cutting Music Education Is a Mistake

I love this story. Over the weekend, a neuroscientist from Northwestern University argued that music training has a profound impact on child development and should be a vital component of every K-12 school program.

Dr. Nina Kraus cited her own (and other’s) research supporting that music education can help typically-developing and children with disabilities more accurately encode speech. In other words, music training helps children with and without disabilities to understand and process the words and sounds they hear. To read the entire article, click here.

If you read the Music Therapy Maven, you probably agree with Dr. Kraus already. But isn’t it nice to have that support?

4) Music Therapy Helps Stroke Victims

Many of you have seen this already. If you’re a fan of Neurosong on Facebook, you’ve seen it. If you’re on the music therapy listserv, you’ve seen it. Or if your mother saw it, thought of you, and sent it to you, you’ve seen it (Mine did. Thanks, Mom!)

The article espouses the benefits of a specific intervention called Melodic Intonation Therapy (or MIT) that helps people with expressive aphasia re-learn how to talk again. (Expressive aphasia means a person struggles to express language, or use words and sentences).

The reason MIT works is that singing uses both common and unique neural pathways as speaking. Therefore, if a patient can’t talk, we use singing to teach functional words and phrases. Through singing, we are re-wiring their brain to re-learn how to talk.

The technique was developed by a speech therapist in the 1970s (in an article by Sparks and Decks, I believe) and is also taught if you take the Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) Training Institute.

You should also know that, even though the only person quoted in the article is a neurology professor, a board-certified music therapist trained in NMT provided the MIT treatments.

To read the article, click here.

5) Watch Music Therapy in Action

I recently heard Janice Harris interview Andrew Knight, a music therapy professor at the University of North Dakota, on her radio program. Since Andrew is a friend of mine, I went to check out the UND music therapy site…and was blown away!

The coolest part, I thought, was the “Multimedia” section on the left-hand sidebar. Not only does Andrew have videos and podcasts about the UND music therapy program, he has compiled 14 different videos that all show music therapy in action. Watch them all here.

(And for a bit of shameless self-promotion–the last video is of one of my clinicians, Aileen Ravalo Voyles, and our current intern, Lindsay Marsh, working with one of our clients:D)

P.S. I did a little work on my blog over the weekend, mostly on the right-hand sidebar. What do you think? Is it easy to navigate and use? If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about this or any topic related to music therapy, please contact me.

UPDATE:

6) Video Interview with Dr. Barbara Reuer and Dr. Patel

Here’s a wonderful interview with Dr. Reuer, a music therapist in San Diego (and my former internship supervisor!), and Dr. Patel, world-renowned music neuroscientist. They talk about music, it’s effect on the brain, and how it can be applied clinically. It’s long (30 min.) and wonderful. Enjoy!

How To Make Music Therapy Sticky

Kimberly — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:24:30 +0000

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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 proverbs are great examples: Strike while the iron is hot. Pretty is as pretty does. The tortoise and the hare. The boy who cried wolf. These are all sticky ideas that have lasted years and across many cultures.

There are certain attributes and qualities sticky ideas have. The Heath brothers analyzed hundreds of them and described how we can make an idea stick in people’s minds.

I’m not finished, yet, but have been thinking about one of their main points–that we need to find the core message in what we communicate. The main, fundamental, core message.

I’ve heard this before–when you describe something, keep it simple, keep it concrete. That’s hard for me to do when I’m trying to describe music therapy. How do you address the nuances and complexities of what happens in a session? Much less how it’s different when working with a child with autism versus and patient in rehab. And to top it all off–I’m passionate about what I do! I love sharing it with others and really want them to understand it.

Hence my dilemma. I thought about it this weekend, though–about all the different populations we work with, the non-music goals we address, the various setting where we work–and really tried to get at the heart of what we do. The core message.

And I came up with this: We use music to make your life better.

Think about it. No matter the non-musical goal, our ultimate purpose is to make that person’s quality of life better. We help a stroke patient re-learn how to walk and talk again so they can lead as productive a life a possible. We help a child with autism learn how to talk so they can express their needs and tell a parent “I love you.” We help a hospitalized patient decrease their pain and anxiety so they fell better and can heal more quickly.

When we really get to the core of what we are doing, I believe we are trying to make life better…through music.

If you are interested in reading Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, click on the title. Or, if you’re like me and prefer to listen to audiobooks, I recommend (and LOVE) .

The Neurodevelopment Song (Video)

Kimberly — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:06:08 +0000

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You asked for it and here it is–”The Neurodevelopment Song.”

Why did I write a song about neurodevelopment? Mostly because I’m a big nerd…but also because I’m trying to improve my songwriting chops. And the only way to do that is to actually write songs.

I first performed this during my presentation at the American Music Therapy Association conference in San Diego last month. I’ve revised and edited a bit since then, but the basic idea is still here.

This song touches on the main concepts of neurodevelopment: nature/nurture, use-dependent development, hierarchical & predictable development, superhighways, etc.

I hope you enjoy it!

P.S. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts–would you like to see more of these types of songs on this blog? If so (or if need), leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!

CHORUS:

Right to left, back to front
That’s how the brain develops
Right to left, back to front
It’s neurodevelopment

Verse 1:

Genes bring a predisposition
Environment adds a contribution
To shape how our brain’s built
Cause it grows in a use-dependent way
Experiences have a major say
In determining the adult.
Verse 2:

The back of the brain’s pretty much formed
By the time that we are born
The medulla, pons, and midbrain
Allow us to breathe, help hearts beat
It dictates sleep, we really need
This part called the brainstem.

Verse 3:

The brainstem’s primitive, it’s first to grow
Development keeps on in a hierarchical flow
Through deep structures ending with the frontal lobe
Brain mature til we’re in our 40s
Different ages provide opportunities
For critical skills to develop

Verse 4:

Critical periods are windows of time
Certain parts of our brain are ready and primed
For certain stimuli to develop
Skills like vision, language and trust come to mind
If windows aren’t use you will get behind
Cause your brain didn’t get it

Verse 5:

A baby’s brain is a third of our size
With billions of neurons some will have to die
They’re pruned so we can make room
For connections to form, superhighways called
Fasciculi on which we rely
These pathways let our brain communicate.

71 Things Everyone Ought to Know About the Brain (Part 2)

Kimberly — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:02 +0000

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This post is the second in a two-part series of ideas, facts, and resources all about the brain. They are based on a workshop I attended last weekend called “Linking Neuroscience to Clinical Practice.” The fabulous speaker was Dr. Martha Burns.

The first article, published on Tuesday, listed the first 35 points.

71 Fun Facts About the Brain (part 2)

36. Humans pay attention to what they’re good at and what they’re motivated to do. That’s why so many struggle in therapy and why therapists often feel like cheerleaders.

37. Agnosia = a modality-specific (e.g. sight, sound, touch) disorder of recognition

38. Functional, outcome-based therapy involves focusing on: 1) safety, 2) independence, 3) quality of life, and 4) client/family involvement in planning goals and strategies for success

39. Episodic memory is closely tied to our sense of self. It’s how we describe ourselves and it’s one of the first things to go in dementia.

40. The average sentence length (for spoken English) is 7 words, 14 syllables. The average ASL sentence is 5 words.

41. The hippocampus does not store memories. It’s simply the recorder and the searcher. It records memories (which are stored somewhere else based on context) and searches for memories we’re trying to recall.

42. Exercising the hippocampus will help keep you young. Do the crossword puzzle. Take tests.

43. The amygdala is the emotional center of the brain. It’s Latin for “almond” because the structure itself is shaped like one.

44. The amygdala supercharges our hippocampus. That’s why we remember so vividly where we were on 9/11–but probably don’t remember what we had for breakfast last Thursday.

45. Thanks to the amygdala, making therapy more emotional will make therapy more effective.

46. Once you know something and know it well, you don’t need the hippocampus anymore.

47. Biologically-primitive structures (e.g. those in the limbic system) are not as plastic as newer structures (e.g. the cortex).

48. It takes 4 minutes of exposure to information (via exposure, rehearsal, and practice) for it to make it through the night.

49. People with autism have a disturbance in inhibition. Everything gets activated. They can’t get rid of irrelevant information.

50. Therapists have the most powerful effect on the human brain. We are sculpting and re-wiring brains.

51. An efficient brain needs to pay attention to and save information that’s important. It also needs to ignore irrelevant information.

52. Brains are designed to survive and procreate.

53. The frontal lobe help our brain prioritize information and tasks.

54. As you age, it’s all about the life story. If you work in geriatrics, help them reconstruct their autobiography using music, pictures, or words.

55. Work with TBI? The CDC has free information for you, your clients, and their families. It’s called “Heads Up: Brain Injury in your practice” and you can check it out here.

56. TBI almost always affects the frontal lobe and the cerebellum.

57. To date, fMRIs are the most useful imaging technology available. There are 2 exceptions: PET scans can help diagnose early dementia and EEGs are great for diagnosing seizures.

58. Get enough sleep. Sleep is a big factor in decreasing aging (and healing) issues.

59. Curry may be one of the best anti-aging “medicines” out there.

60. The foods and spices listed in this article are ones that have been scientifically proven to positively impact our brains.

61. One big predictor of cognitive decline? How complex our writing was when we were younger.

62. We can only expect insurance companies to pay therapists for diagnosing problems and coming up with techniques and strategies to address those problems. We cannot expect them to pay us for practicing with our clients.

63. The more severe a child with autism is on the spectrum, the more he or she is interested in non-speech sounds.

64. Children who are poor readers have problems in at least 2 of these speech areas: phonology (Wernicke’s area), memory (frontal lobe) or rate/fluency (Broca’s area).

65. Children who grow up in a home where at least 1 parent is on welfare are exposed to 13 million words by the time they are 4. Those in a working class family, 26 million words by age 4. And children whose parents are professionals are exposed to 45 million words by the time they are 4.

66. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for working memory. Doing tasks that target working memory skills may help a child’s brain mature more quickly.

67. The brain training software available at Posit Science is neuroscience-based and neuroscience-tested. It can be used to help you work on your working memory skills.

68. Humans may have evolved a prefrontal lobe to help us solve big problems (like how to survive the Ice Age).

69. The anterior cingulate cortex acts as a lie detector. It’s activated when people lie, even psychopaths.

70. Humans have a tendency to go back to what we learned first. If we learned something one way, we lack flexibility to change that. That’s why it’s so hard to eliminate prejudices and biases.

71. The prefrontal cortex recedes and/or degrades during aging. Force someone to do new things to help keep this from happening.

Now I told you there were 71 things to know, but I stand corrected. Thank you @heathvercher for pointing out #72:

72. Brains love CHOCOLATE!