7 Thoughts of an Advocacy “In-between-er”

A few weeks ago, I shared an advocacy video for my profession’s social media advocacy month. My goal was twofold: 1. to illustrate how a music therapist might use music as a vehicle to present information, and 2. to state that by persisting as a team, combined with individual work, music therapists can help push forward as our profession grows.
Today, I wanted to elaborate on some points that I’ve found helpful when it comes to advocacy:
I wouldn’t consider myself an advocacy “ace”; however, I wouldn’t say I’m quite an amateur advocate, either. I feel comfortable and fairly confident at my current position in the middle- able to share what I’ve learned this far and appreciative of what I can absorb from others. Whether you’re an ace, amateur, or an in-between-er, I welcome you to explore my thoughts about what I’ve personally found to work.  These can easily apply to non-music therapists.


1. No discrimination. Just like the uniqueness of humanity, advocacy and being an advocate comes in all shapes and sizes.  I feel as though this is a point that's been shared throughout our advocacy project...yay- we're on the same page!  Whatever your comfort level, there’s a way for you be involved. If you’re not a fan of public speaking or you’d rather be the one in front and in charge, you can tailor your involvement to fit your preferences. Consider working within a team setting versus individually. You can gain insights, experience, and have a built-in support system!
2. Be and do. “Advocate” is both a noun and a verb. Be an advocate. Advocate for your passion, whatever it may be. My professional passion is utilizing the power of music to help others achieve important, meaningful skills in their lives. I have begun to think of advocacy as an obligation, rather than simply something I’m “able” to do. We as music therapists possess knowledge that others without our training don’t have. And from therapist to therapist we differ. It almost feels like an injustice not to share our smarts!
3. Stray outside of your profession. I’ve been told by mentors- music therapists and non-music therapists- that it’s easiest to start public speaking when you’re presenting to those who aren’t of the same career. This gives you a great opportunity of spreading your message without anxiety of being scrutinized by fellow therapists/ doctors/ educators/ builders/ bakers, etc. The first presentation I gave was to related service professionals (physical therapists, early intervention therapists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists). Some were familiar with my line of work, but many had never been introduced to the topic. It was a great way to advocate, educate, and share- with an only slightly elevated heart rate. I was the expert!
4. Be social. Social media has given us lots of (free) ways to connect, while being states, countries, or continents apart. Through Linked-In, I met a speech-language pathologist from Florida. In her 11 years of practicing, she had never met a music therapist in her area. She was intrigued by my job, and asked me to write an article about it for her blog. Advocacy. Done. And it was started by just clicking “accept” on a virtual invitation. Likewise, there are in-person opportunities to connect with a wide variety of professionals in your community: your local chamber of commerce or business networking groups (BNI is one such organization.) On the flip side…
5. Birds of a feather flock together. While it’s important to educate those who aren’t music therapy majors, keeping up with the latest happenings in the world of music therapy, meeting new colleagues, and collaborating will only help us help each other.
6. In the famous words of the Nike brand- “just do it.” Like any new seemingly daunting task, it will get, if even minisculely so, easier as you become more used to and practice the idea. Looking back to beginning my collegiate career, (in my pre-MT major days, at a 35,000+ Big 10 university), I thought “How in the world am I going to meet new people in this environment?” Turns out, I just did it. I began to initiate conversations, introduce myself, and never looked back. To this day, this experience takes credit for my ability to be comfortable in new social settings. Now, as a small-business owner, it’s completely up to me to advocate for and well-represent my company and my profession, and I feel comfortable doing so. I do this when I: engage in public speaking, attend a resource fair, host shadowing opportunities for high school and college students who are interested in music therapy, begin a new music therapy program, write a blog post that someone may happen to “happen upon”…and so continues the many ways! Take a deep breath and jump in…there will always be someone around to assist you, if need be.
7. Carpe articulum. Seize the moment. Music therapists are, generally, used to elaborating on their job descriptions when asked “So- what do you do?” Use this opportunity to advocate and educate. Think about the many scenarios when this may unfold. Create a succinct speech that you can recite or share an anecdote that will share information to those without the knowledge- and who can in turn walk away with an introduction to music therapy.

When I shared the “a-d-v-o-c-a-t-e” video two weeks ago, I was nervous. It was my first musical offering on the Web when I was both heard and seen. But I did it. Maybe someone was introduced to the subject of music therapy that day- who knows?
It’s been great to read and listen to all of the contributions from my fellow therapists during the past few weeks. I know this project has lit a fire for me to consistently keep up with advocacy efforts, and I suspect that our profession will continue to make headway and burn brightly, too.

a tip on tuesday: get thee to the library!

I love the library- always have, but (very unfortunately) my trips have dwindled as I've gotten older. My youngest brother and I are definitely the "readers" in my family (thanks to Mom!); we can both sit down and devour a 500-page book within a day (...a nice warm, breezy, sunshine-y summer day...how wonderful does that sound?! hurry up, weather!)
Shortly before my husband and I moved to northern Kentucky, the county library built a new, beautiful main building. When we became Boone County residents, I made sure that I had my library card. And besides the wonderfulness of checking out books, the latest and greatest perk is being able to download 3 FREE SONGS per WEEK, just for having a library account (that's 156 songs per year!). From my understanding, this is supported by tax dollars paid by residents of the county. The program is called Freegal, brought to you as a contract between Sony and a company called Library Ideas. It gives users access to tons of music in the Sony Music Catalog. You can browse by artist, song, or genre, and songs can be played on mp3 devices- yep, good with iTunes! As an avid song-purchaser, through iTunes whenever possible, and downloads there generally costing $1.29, just think:

purchasing 156 songs x $1.29 each= $201.24 spent (or saved!)
Now, not all artists or songs are available, as I learned when I began last week, but nonetheless- what a great resource! So for those of you in Boone County- get thee to the library if you don't already have a card (if you do, just head here); if you're not in my neck of the woods, ask your local library if they offer this program.
Happy reading--- and listening!

one last note:
I realize that some may not agree with this type of program available at an institution where lending is the key principle. You may want to read this, or do more research online. Thoughts?

Tips and Tricks

I have been fortunate to have received great instruction from professors and colleagues. So I thought that today, I'd pass on some of that knowledge to you! I'll share two very short "songs" with you; and I say "songs" with quotations, because they aren't quite songs. Mini-songs, maybe. Song-etts? Whatever you want to call them, they are short melodies that are used for teaching purposes, and mostly used at some sort of transition or when an instruction is given.
First is the tune of "Happy and You Know It;" easy for students and staff alike to sing and remember. I use it most often during group instrument play. When the time has come to stop play (and the next tune comes in handy here!), students may be instructed to place their instruments on the floor. This gives a concrete statement that the instrument is finished, and keeps the environment a little more quiet and controlled while I either ask a student to collect instruments from peers or each student to individually put his/her instrument away. It's a great part of the routine now, and students sing along if they are able!
Next, you'll hear a countdown that I use DAILY and typically often througout the day. I learned this 'trick' if you will, during my internship with the wonderful therapists at Midwest Music Therapy Services. When an activity is coming to an end, prepare a student to stop by using this simple descending scale. Whether it is playing with instruments, participating in a dancing activity, or singing a song, I have seen such great success that students use it independently! (which is what music therapists strive for: create musical interventions that help an individual transfer a concept to daily life).
I hope that you may find use for these tips, either at home or school. If you experiment with either, I'd love to hear feedback about it, as well as any tricks you'd like to share!


INSTRUMENTS ON THE FLOOR




5-4-3-2-1 COUNTDOWN