the power of 5

I'm really excited, friends-  Look what came in the mail yesterday!  My new certificate from the Certification Board of Music Therapists (CBMT).  Now I'm officially a board certified music therapist (MT-BC) for another 5 years....bring it on : )

Curious as to how a music therapist gains national certification?  Briefly...

When music therapy students finish their collegiate coursework, each participates in a clinical internship that generally lasts 6-9 months, with a total of 1200 hours of training completed. Following the successful end of an internship, the music therapist is eligible to take the board certification exam, administered by the CBMT...and successfully completing this grants the privelage of the MT-BC credentials for 5 years.  During this time, we MTs participate in various professional activities to accumulate a minimum of 100 hours of continuing music therapy education (CMTE) credits, if we intend to follow this method of being recertified after our 5 year cycle [this is the route I took, in case you're curious].  A music therapist may also opt to sucessflly re-take and pass the recertification exam during the 4th year of his/her cycle, in order to maintain MT-BC status.

Currently, there are over 5300 music therapists who retain the MT-BC credential.  Only those who have completed the requirements of the program and pass certification are able to use the title of board certified music therapist. If you are interested in music therapy services, you can search here to look for a certified therapist in your area.

me, Me, ME!

Who is ready for winter weather to be finished? Oh, that would be me! I don't mind winter, really...I actually enjoy it for a little while. But lately, we've had snow on top of snow on top of snow here in greater Cincinnati (and now for fun, some rain!), which means I've had lots of cancellations and am now on my second sinus infection. Yay!
Even with some missed work, it's still been a busy time for me. We are in the process of purchasing a new home, selling our current one, and our doggie- Tess- had 10 black lab puppies on the 11th!
I've tried, during time off, to record some songs...but amidst coughing and a less-than-remarkable singing voice, I decided to wait until I'm cleared up to tackle them. : ) So today, I want to share a family/children's artist with you, and his voice is definitely up to par! He's one of my favorites, and a song of his has been a constant request by one of my kiddos for the month or so. Here's the scoop:
Chicago-based Justin Roberts is a one of a kind, sometimes laugh-out-loud-to-his-lyrics, James Taylor-ish sounding singer/songwriter/performer. I was introduced to him while working with Midwest Music Therapy Services, and he's a staple in both my iPod and guitar repertiore. He tours the country with his band, the Not Ready for Naptime Players- cute, right?
The song I reeealy wanted to share with you- my kiddo Noah's current favorite- is "Tickle My Toes", but I can't find a video. You can listen to it on Lala or buy on iTunes, though. The video that I am sharing is for "Pop Fly;" a nice reminder that summer and all of the great things that come with it, will eventually be here! (isn't it awful when you're excited to see the sun on a YouTube video??)
A few of my other Justin Roberts' faves are "In the Car," "Hey Hippopotamus," and "Apple Tree." I hope you enjoy and hopefully I'll be back to sing for you next week!