Safety Dance

Until this internship (and I bet this is the same for other MT majors), I had not been in a situation where I needed to worry about a pt's. safety. The closest to that was with the babies in the NICU, but the only thing I had to do was not drop them. Not too hard.

Here... it's a lot different.

In our textbooks, there is a little bit about kids with lots of lines and tubes, but what happens when you are working with a 2 year old who wants to run around & twists those cords all around himself or presses buttons on his IV pole? We talk about impulse control in a verbal sense all the time (saying the first thing that pops into your head, no filter, etc.), but what happens when that impulse control translates to a 16 year old (who absolutely towers over you in the height department), who walks with someone holding onto his gait belt because of balance problems, decides to stand up and walk to the CD player with no warning whatsoever. I'll tell you what happens: this intern jumps up like someone lit a fire under her.

Situations like these call for some "creative positioning". For the first friend I mentioned, sometimes distracting him while throwing a blanket over the pole works. Out of sight=out of mind. For my other friend, I had to stay pretty close to him at all times so that I could jump up and grab that gait belt, and there were a lot of verbal reminders to this kid to get him to remember to say something before he stands up.

Now both of these kiddos had one-on-one supervision at all times so that they didn't hurt themselves, but that can be a lot to handle for just one person! I can assure you that my reflexes have never been sharper. Above all, when working with someone where safety can be an issue, proximity is KEY to keeping those kids from inadvertently hurting themselves. These issues are just another thing that my brain is learning to make room for in addition to the Music Therapy portion of the session. Like, if you are playing the guitar and singing and dancing with your little friend, how are you going to move it out of the way quickly enough if your pt. decides to pull out his PICC line?

Just some food for thought on this lovely Monday.

The Best Purchase Ever

This post is all about one of my most treasured possessions and best purchases outside of my instruments! It's my "Musician's Notebook". 

I got this from Barnes & Noble about 2 years ago. This lovely little journal where I write down all the little songs I make up for my Music Therapy sessions. There are 40 pages that look like this:

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There is a place for the title, a staff for the melody, 3 lines for words in multiple verses, guitar chords, guitar tab, and piano accompaniment. I don't use the last two things very much, but they are an option if you want to! Also, at the back of this book there are about 6 lined pages where I write the words to all of my "piggy-backed" songs.

At the bottom of every other page, there is a music quote by some of the most prolific musicians and songwriters of our time, talking a bit about their process or beliefs. These are some of my favorites:

~"Those first five or six songs I wrote, I was just taking notes at a rock concert that was going on inside my head. And once I had written the songs, I had to sing them."- Jim Morrison

~"A great song is more than just words and music. It's like a thumb pressing against the pulse of living that relates a simple truth about a very complicated process."- Jimmy Buffett

~"I don't want audiences to feel a specific thing- I just want audiences to feel."- Paul Simon

~"I wish it would last forever, but as long as I am able to sit with a guitar on me lap, not even to sing to people but just sing to myself, then I'll be alright."- Noel Gallagher

I love this notebook. It is pretty thin, so you can take it anywhere, and it is PERFECT for all of my Music Therapy friends. I am pretty close to filling mine, and I will definitely be getting another one! Also, it cost $5.95. That's it. Less than 6 bucks and you have a notebook that is designed to hold a bunch of short little songs and compositions! And it's on recycled paper. Write music and save the earth? This is a no brainer, people.

"My music will go on forever. Maybe it's a fool to say that, but when me know me facts me can say me facts. My music go on forever."- Bob Marley

the Middle

Hello Friends! Now I am on my third rotation, yes third, and I am working with a lot of little ones and babies. "Hi, friend!" is how I start a lot of my sessions.

As of over a week ago, I am halfway through with my internship! It is absolutely crazy to think that I have been living and working in Kansas City for over 3 months. In honor of reaching my midway point, I thought it would be fun to come up with a list of things all future interns should do or have BEFORE they start. Some of these I had, some I didn't. Here it goes:

1.  Practice guitar regularly, and for more than 15 minutes at a time: I feel like everyone says that, but it's true. Especially when doing procedural support, I play a ton of guitar. It's important to build up those callouses on your fingers so they don't feel like they are going to fall off by lunchtime!
2. Have lots of layers: Super important when you are working anywhere that has multiple units, different classrooms, etc.
3. Have comfortable, sturdy, washable work pants: So far I have been drooled on (a lot) and had IV fluid leak onto me, so washable and not super expensive/nice pants are ideal! Having to get those suckers dry cleaned would have been no fun.
4. Comfortable shoes or insoles.
5. An open mind about everything, especially music. No matter where you are in your internship, you are going to have to know a number of different genres! I have had kids request everything from Justin Bieber to Johnny Cash. And Patsy Cline.
6. A big, fat notebook: You need a place to write down songs, tasks, interventions, ideas, etc that you might come up with off the top of your head, and things you will learn from your supervisors or other interns.
7. A journal or some way to record the awesome moments you are going to have in your internship
8. A way to de-stress. Sometimes your day is not going to be perfect and bright and shiny, and being a music therapist full time is way different than only having one or two practicums a week. It is important to have something to do to unwind that is positive. Or make a book of things that make you happy, like positive quotes, memories, and Music Therapy moments!

I know, they are pretty much what you hear from everyone, but they are important things to have. I wonder if my other intern friends have any tips they would like to add...

Happy preparing!!