I always love having the opportunity to present on my favorite topic in the world – music therapy. I could talk about it all day long.

To share stories about the progress I have seen in the children I work with is one of the most amazing things.

That is why I am so thrilled that Claire Gentry (one of our music therapists) and I will be presenting at Pinecrest Community Center on Monday March 4th. We are offering two presentation times for the convenience of parents and other attendees: 10am and 6:30pm.

This presentation will cover how music therapy can benefit individuals of ALL ages – from children to older adults. You’ll learn about the goal areas we address in music therapy and how we use specific, research-based techniques to target those goals.

Don’t come to this presentation expecting to sit down quietly the whole time! You will be singing and taking part in live demonstrations of music therapy interventions. This is my favorite way to explain music therapy – to have you participate!

You will also have the opportunity to see video of group and individual music therapy sessions (used with consent).

ACTION TIME ~ Click here to download the flyer: Music Therapy Presentation. Please share it with your friends and family, at your child’s school, and with anyone else who would be interested in learning about the benefits of music therapy!

Claire and I look forward to seeing you there!

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Last Friday, I had the privilege of presenting at University of Miami’s music therapy forum.

I have presented there a few times, and this time the topic was Private Practice and Social Media: The Business of Music Therapy.

Every time I present it is exciting and also….very surreal! I remember not-so-long ago I was the student sitting in the audience, wide-eyed and taking in as much as I could from the presenters.

When I present now, I always end each presentation with some recommendations for the students – things I wish I had known when I was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed student. Here are some of the suggestions I’ve shared…

1. Save everything related to music therapy. Save everything related to music therapy. SAVE EVERYTHING related to music therapy!

Do I need to say it again? Save all your class notes, music therapy books, practicum session plans, and practicum music!

Case in point: I misplaced my Intro to Music Therapy binder (including class notes, quizzes, tests, and assignments). Little did I know that eight years later I would be teaching that class as part of my TA requirements. Oops.

2. Organize everything. I am already planning an upcoming video/blog on how I organize my music therapy materials.

Here are the basics: I have a folder for each “population/setting” (color-coded, of course). So, I have a folder for Music Therapy with Children, a folder for Music Therapy with Teens, a folder for Music Therapy in the Hospital Setting, a folder for NMT materials, etc, etc. In each folder goes all the ideas, articles, practicum session plans, forum presentation notes, and resources that are related to that topic. This has helped me out TREMENDOUSLY because all this information used to be lumped together in one very large storage bin. Now if I have a contract with a nursing home or hospital for example, I can pull out that folder and all my materials and ideas are inside. :)

3. Examine your focus. For me, one of the biggest differences between being an undergraduate student and a graduate student was my area of focus. As an undergrad I was very grade-focused. I would study/practice/research to get an A at all costs. However, as a grad student I became more profession-focused. I studied/practiced/researched to become a better therapist for my clients.

So if you are a student, I would encourage you to think about…what is your focus on?

4. Develop your musical skills! I am SO lucky that I have a wonderful group of Miami Music Therapists. We get together to jam and perform at Open Mic Night pretty regularly. Not only is jamming fun, but we have the opportunity to learn new repertoire and practice harmonizing; we can practice arranging song material; and it encourages us to play our non-primary (or maybe non-preferred!) instrument. I believe when we were are better musicians, we become better therapists. So get out your guitar (learn some groovy new guitar strums here), dust off your ukulele, or start tickling the ivories!

I hope some of these tips and suggestions have been helpful! MTs out there…what have I left out? What things do you wish YOU had known when you were a student?

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Yesterday I had the privilege of presenting to the staff members of UCP Miami. I always love sharing information on music therapy (my favorite topic in the world!), but admittedly, I was very nervous. The audience was made up of various professionals: teachers, assistants, therapists, and administrators. The topic of my presentation was “How Music Therapy Supports the Academic Curriculum and Other Therapies at UCP.” Here were the goals of my presentation:

– To educate the staff on how music therapy supports the academic curriculum

– To educate the staff on how music therapy supports speech, occupational, and physical therapy

– To educate the staff on why music is an effective medium for therapy. (Click HERE to see the list from my website!)

This presentation brought up some thoughts about how we as music therapists can present with PIZAZZ! From various presentations I have given at University of Miami and throughout the community, here are some ideas I’ve come  up with:

– Know your audience…and interact with them! Knowing your audience is extremely important – tailor your presentation to the specific group or organization you are presenting to. Also, ask questions throughout the presentation to assess their knowledge and keep them engaged.

– Use live musical examples. Instead of just talking about an intervention, why not have your audience members to actually take part in it? This is also a great way to showcase your musical skills and how you engage clients during therapy.

– Show engaging pictures and videos (with permission, of course!) What better way to explain music therapy than to show it in action!

– Make your handouts brief, but informative. You don’t want people staring at your handout for the entire presentation, you want them looking at you! Give them just enough information (in bullet points, for example) without overloading them.

–  Make your powerpoint fun and interesting! I have SO much fun with powerpoint – maybe a little too much fun! There are so many creative things you can add to make your slides pop: use pictures, animations, graphs, charts; anything to get away from simply text, text, text.

– Let your personality shine through! Above all, be sure to let your audience know how passionate you are about your job. You can have amazing clinical or musical skills, but it is that passion that makes a company want to hire you, that helps a client accomplish a challenging goal, and that makes you a successful music therapist.

What ideas do have YOU on how to present with PIZAZZ?

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