Grieving with Autism

Today I learned that the father of a very special student passed away over the weekend.  This young man is incredibly intelligent and witty, but is limited in his ability to communicate due to autism.  He is very musical and, over the years I have worked with him, we have shared some very special moments.  I worked with this student today and I am convinced I saw the grief in his eyes.  We were in a group setting, so I chose to not openly address my observations, but I do believe that music therapy may play an important role in acknowledging and processing his loss.

This is a situation in which I do not have much experience.  Therefore, I ask you - my fellow music therapists, parents, and treatment team members - what methods have you found to be successful in helping an individual with autism to express, understand, and/or process grief?

I've Got the Gas-is-Ridiculously-Expensive Blues

 Since the assassination of Osama Bin Laden on May 2nd, our gas prices in mid-Michigan have steadily - and very thankfully - declined from their peak at $4.17 at the end of April.  Today, that trend was very drastically reversed, as we jumped from around $3.63-$3.70 per gallon to $4.19. Yes, gas jumped 50 cents in one day for no apparent reason.  What other industry can raise it's price 13.5% in one day without warning?  I know if service providers tried that they would not be in business for very long!



I snapped this picture back in April when I
thought/hoped prices had reached their peak.



When gas prices first hit $4.17 back in April, I used Twitter to ask other traveling music therapy colleagues how their businesses were coping with the high gas prices.  All the responses I received involved having to elicit a rate increase for out-of-town travel.  Alas, I too recently made the decision to adjust my mileage fees for this next contract cycle.

Another option I've been reflecting on a lot lately was inspired by a blog post by music therapist Kat Fulton called Using Skype for Music Therapy and Drum Circles: Is This The Future? Telecommuting is quickly becoming a norm in our society.  Could we, should we, provide therapy via Skype or another method of telecommunication?  On the plus side, this would help with travel concerns and help therapists access clients at a distance, but - on the down side - how would this alter interactions, the development of therapeutic relationships, and maintaining confidentiality?

Do you have other suggestions or methods for combating the rising costs of travel?  What are your thoughts on using telecommunication for therapy?  

Follow-up to "The Magical 'Moving Guitar'"



Today, for the first time, that same student stood independently from his/her chair in order to get to the tone chimes.  The teacher and I both did instant happy dances! 

Music therapy: using music as the means to accomplish non-musical goals. 

THIS is why I'm a music therapist.  Even though I don't have children of my own, I know the thrill and excitement of achieving 'firsts'.  Those 'firsts' seem even more exciting when they're delayed.  Or when an individual achieves something the "experts" said they never would.  Everyday I get to witness children, adolescents, and young adults exceeding expectations.  I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to use my musical gifts to elicit positive changes for others and to have the priviledge to work with such amazing people - students, staff, parents, administrators - everyday.  Thank you all for allowing me the honor to provide Creative Opportunities to Develop so many extraordinary Abilities!  

The Magical "Moving Guitar"

The magic of the "Moving Guitar" revealed itself yet again this week: I had another kiddo start walking during music therapy.

What is the "Moving Guitar?"  The "Moving Guitar" is a trick I discovered a few years back.  At the end of class, students have a turn to strum my guitar using the giant pick during the goodbye song.  I have many students that are very motivated by and look forward to playing the guitar.  I've found that if I hand the student the pick and then slowly back up on my rolling stool so that I am just out of reach, they will take a step or two to reach me and the guitar.  I utilize this technique when students are really close to walking independently, but just need that extra motivation to let go.

After months of coaxing a "step or two", on Tuesday those couple steps became eight.  And then another fourteen.  And then my student spent a good portion of the rest of the afternoon independently walking up and down the school hallway.  And me?  I've been on Cloud 9 ever since!

A Song Story for Earth Day

Literacy is a big focus in our schools right now, partly due to MiBLSi: Michigan's Integrated Behavior and Learning Support Initiative.  However, I have always enjoyed integrating literacy into my music therapy sessions and incorporate a number of "song stories" throughout the year.

Earthsong: Based on "Over in the
Endangered Meadow"

This week I have been using one of my favorite song stories: Earthsong by Sally Rogers, illustrated by Melissa Bay Mathis.  This book depicts Sally Roger's song Over in the Endangered Meadow, which is written to a traditional tune (music notation is included on the back cover) and introduces a number of animals which are, or have been, endangered.  It also includes additional factual information about each animal in a notes section at the back of the book.  I use the book and song as an introduction to discussing Earth Day, including why we celebrate Earth Day and what we can do to protect the Earth.  Both counting and rhyming are included in the book, so it can also be used to develop those academic skills.  Additionally, the pictures are colorful and vivid, which helps capture and maintain attention.

What ways do you utilize music with literacy?  Do you have any favorite song stories or Earth Day interventions?   

A Day at the HOME Office!

Really? A day at the HOME office?!? Considering I have been on the GO lately, it has been a long time since I've been able to say that! This week is spring break for both schools I currently service, so I actually have some time to catch up on all the other projects I have going on right now. These are also the projects which have kept me from having time to post much lately.  These include...

Graduate school: I am taking a class on music curriculum through Michigan State.  For both my music therapy certification and my teaching certification, I must participate in continuing education.  This class will complete the number of graduate credits I need to be able to re-new my MI Provisional Teaching Certification.  It also counts towards the 100 CMTE - that's Continuing Music Therapy Education - credits I need to re-new my MT-BC at the end of this year.  This week I will be working on a methodology paper focusing on Dalcroze Eurhythmics and my final project, which is designing a curriculum for a music class of my choosing.  My curriculum project is targeted at secondary adapted general music.

GLR Conference: I attended the 2011 Great Lakes Region of AMTA conference in Wisconsin at the end of March.  It was a great conference and I hope to post some pictures on Facebook during this week.  Additionally, I am the program chair for the 2012 GLR conference - which will be held in Grand Rapids next April - so I am starting to get matters in order for that project.

MMT: I am the newsletter editor for Michigan Music Therapists.  I spent quite a bit of time reworking the newsletter for this spring's edition.  I am glad to have that project accomplished and plan to share some of the articles in a series on here.

Administrative Affairs: There are so many administrative issues that go into running a business.  This week I need to have everything in order to get my taxes done.  This is a project that I do not enjoy and tend to procrastinate each year, but, alas, it can only be pushed aside for so long!  Additionally, CODA MTS will be a vendor in a couple upcoming events, so I need to make sure we have all the appropriate marketing materials prepared and ready to go.

Renovating: As many of you know, I also have a passion for real estate and my partner and I are in the home stretch of finishing up our most recent project.  There will definitely be some tiling going on this week!

Who else is on spring break this week? How are you spending your extra time? I hope it is warmer than 40 degrees where you are! (Brrrr, Michigan!)

How CODA MTS Came to Be

This post was inspired by music therapist & blogger, Rachel Rambach's post I Graduated...Now What?  In her post, she tells how she handled transitioning from her internship into a professional position by utilizing networking.  She also wrote, "Music therapists sometimes have to create their own jobs."  This was the case for me, so I thought it would be worthwhile to share the story of how CODA Music Therapy Services, LLC came to be.

I completed my music therapy internship at the UIC Medical Center at the end of September 2006.  I had certifications in both music therapy and music education, but - ideally - I wanted to return to my loved ones in Michigan and there were no suitable positions to be had.  So, I headed home, worked as a substitute teacher, and began sending out letters and e-mails to area Intermediate School Districts (ISDs) introducing myself, explaining music therapy, and proposing the implementation of music therapy services and/or adapted music education within their district.

Some districts replied that they already had music, some replied that they were not interested at this time, but, in December 2006, I got a reply from Ingham ISD wanting more information.  I arranged a meeting with the principal at Heartwood School, Marcia O'Brien.  She explained that they had been approached about music therapy in the past, but the special education directors had always turned it aside.  However, when my e-mail showed up, she was given the 'go ahead' to get more information.

In January 2007, I heard back from Marcia and found that her boss approved adding music therapy to the budget for the next school year (2007-08).  A month later - Valentine's Day, to be exact - I got a phone call from Marcia saying that they had received a parent request to have music therapy added to her child's IEP (IEP = Individualized Education Plan) and they would like to have me provide these services.

In March 2007, I started off providing 1/2 hour of music therapy two times per week for one student as a "temporary employee".  By the summer, I was offered a contracted position for the 2007-08 school year to service all thirteen (now fifteen!) classrooms with a combined music therapy and adapted music education program.  Success!

I worked closely with both Marcia and a human resources representative to develop my first contract.  The school was very concerned that my position meet the IRS criteria for a contracted position.  We determined that it would be most appropriate for me to establish my own company and for the school to contract with the company.

In July 2007, CODA Music Therapy Services, LLC became official.  For personal liability protection and my intentions to expand, I decided an LLC would suit my situation better than a sole proprietorship.  In the three and a half years since, our contract with Ingham ISD has grown, we have expanded to include contracts with other schools, contracts with hospitals, private pay clients, and - just this January - an inclusive early childhood music & movement program.  This is an exciting time for CODA MTS, as we look forward to the coming year and continue to expand our services throughout Michigan. 

CODA Music Therapy Services, LLC: Providing Creative Opportunities for Developing Abilities since 2007.