How it Started I have a habit of saying yes to music therapy related requests, even if I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve previously blogged about the effectiveness of “saying yes” as an advocacy strategy. Following my TEDx Talk publication in 2016, I received a lot of inquiries from various people and groups wanting to talk about music therapy related ideas and projects. In January 2019, I received an email entitled, “tech startup using music therapy.” I often receive emails with similarly ambiguous or fantastical subject lines and content, which stirs a thorough discussion between myself and ..read more

As I am spending time revamping and revitalizing MusicTherapyTime as a platform, I am very interested in learning more about what type(s) of content would be the most helpful to YOU. I have primarily used this website and blog over the past 7 years for my own agenda, but I’d love to learn more about what is the most helpful and relevant to the music therapy community. While I’m working on things, please feel free to fill out my 5-question survey. This information will be used to better cater and develop content and resources. As always, please feel free to reach out to me directly at erin@mus ..read more

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I haven’t been fully present on this platform over the last two years. As one Instagram follower lovingly put it a number of months ago, “Wow…it’s been awhile.” I’ve gone back and forth trying to pinpoint what exactly has been challenging about this particular space for me. Depending on the day, it’s a different answer. I’ve jokingly referred to this platform as a “dinosaur,” meaning that blogs were pretty extinct even back when I started this website over 7 years ago. I haven’t really strayed from the fact this blog serves more of a purpose for myself than ..read more

Part 2 of Collaboration in Medical Music Therapy One of the more recognizable aspects of music therapy is the ease in which it connects with rehab therapies. This is likely because rehab therapies exist in a number of settings outside of the inpatient, medical world and because music therapy can adapt rehab goals within music. For many music therapists, MT is a part of the rehab team because it is a natural fit. Music therapists consistently mold ourselves to fit existing healthcare teams and structures. We can do this because music therapy is adaptable. This adaptability gives us opportunity ..read more

One of the unexpected blessings from all that has occurred over the past year has been the amount of time to myself. I’m not talking about the time spent self-quarantining. I’m talking about the number of months I’ve been able to independently return to the roots of music therapy. There are always unexpected benefits to being forced to stop and reduce your load – even if that wouldn’t be your first choice in the moment. The primary responsibility that was suddenly removed from my workload a year ago was serving as an internship supervisor. Much of my day-to-day work for the last few years has ..read more

I used to journal often. I had beautiful penmanship and a writing strength that could withstand sitting at my desk for hours. I relished the nonjudgmental outlet of documenting my thoughts and feelings that later turned into time capsules where all memories could be relived. I haven’t really felt a desire to journal for the better part of the last decade. Some might argue that this space is a new journal, but I’ve otherwise felt no other draw to continue the act of daily journaling. But it’s a weird time. Our shared chronic and heightened stress across the globe has me much more tightly wound ..read more

A couple of years ago, I was approached by a film producer interested in documenting and telling short stories about wellness. His goal was to tell stories of wellness and integrative medicine from a variety of perspectives and music therapy had captured his interest. I spent a number of months working back and forth with him and his team, discussing music therapy and wellness from my perspective and what I thought was important to tell. In order to best communicate what I thought was most valuable to share, I began to write patient stories from memory. I found that it was easier to send snipp ..read more

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince In my last post, I wrote about our ever-changing need to redefine how we think about this concept of “being essential.” A month ago, I was grappling with the difficulties of making changes towards how I provided care to patients and families. I was grieving the loss of the normalcy of my job and wrestling with the various ethics of how to continue to provide care. I was challenging myself to think abou ..read more

The concept of being a healthcare worker is a strange one. When a crisis hits, most people run away, but a healthcare worker runs towards it. In unprecedented times like this, what it means to be a frontline person is evolving daily. A couple of weeks ago, just as COVID-19 was entering the U.S., I had decisions to make about my personal travel plans to Washington state. The anxiety I was feeling leading up to the trip was likened to what we Floridians feel the week leading up to a hurricane. I had not felt this level of anticipatory anxiety since Hurricane Irma. This type of anxiety is so spec ..read more

I had an opportunity recently to listen to to a talk by Ira Glass about his work in journalism and in telling stories. I’ve been a fan of “This American Life” for a number of years, especially during my time working in hospice care and needing something other than music to listen to during my car rides between clients. What I’ve always loved about the radio show was how multiple stories could be told within the hour, related to a theme despite how different the stories could be from one another. Ira Glass has been traveling the country over the last couple of years doing the same thing, telli ..read more