How are you?
It’s been awhile. September and October seemed to have melted away, the weeks have blurred together and I’ve experienced the most challenging time of my life being home with my children and keeping up with their virtual school. If you are a parent reading this, hang in there, I know you are in the trenches trying to maintain a “new normal”. We can get through this with support from one another.
The phrase, “You have to put on your own oxygen mask first before you can help others” comes to mind. Although I’m still doing some of my music therapy work virtually, I had to let go of what did not come into fruition as I hoped in September. My music therapy groups for kids and youth didn’t form. In the midst of that, I was trying to navigate virtual school with my kids. As a mom, I’ve had to navigate both my emotions surrounding the “safer at home” lifestyle and also my children’s emotional wellbeing. Honestly, it has felt overwhelming. So, I took a step back. This is the first blog post since September. I needed some time away, to take care of myself, reorganize my work flow, and to spend much more time with my family.
Recently, my husband and I realized that we had gotten away from having regular family dinners at the table with our two kids. They are 14 and 10 years old. During the pandemic and maybe a little before that, we got into the habit of watching TV while eating dinner. It looked like family time, but then we realized we were missing out on time to talk to one another. To make it more appealing to our kids, who were unsure of wanting to “go back to the table” to eat dinner, Mike, my husband, proposed we all play our favorite songs to listen and talk about during dinner. My 14 year old has been all over it! My 10 year old not so much, but still comes to the table to eat. Yet, what has happened is that sometimes the kids get to talking about their interests and we have actual conversations! Ha! The music sharing has been cool too. It’s challenged me to recall songs I’ve liked in the past and want to share with my family. My 14 year old can really find some new and interesting bands I didn’t even know about! For this time during social distancing, I have been grateful.
So, I am grateful for the time with my family. I’m also hopeful for the future. As I write this blog post, we don’t have a definitive view of what society is going to look like in the near future, when there will be a vaccine, and if there will be day we can go back to “the way it was” before COVID-19. I’m taking it one day at a time to know just my one next step back into my work as a music therapist. I’m hopeful that I can continue to write more blogs over the next month or so. My plan is to support you with songs and at home activities that the clients I serve can engage in.
I’ve made a few changes you might have noticed. In Harmony Music of Middle Tennessee is changing to In Harmony Music Therapy of Middle Tennessee. My focus as a Board Certified Music Therapist, is driving this change in title. You may have noticed the logo has been updated. I’m proud to announce that along with the Facebook Page you can now also follow me on Instagram @inharmonymusicmtn. Work is picking back up. Along with the Petereson’s for Parkinson’s Group I see on Zoom every Tuesday at 10:30 AM and the Individual teletherapy sessions, I’ve recently began to hold music therapy with one, in-person, socially distanced, memory care group for the next few months at a local skilled nursing care home. In January, I hope to continue to offer virtual classes and some limited in person therapy appointments at my therapy room on West End, Nashville. However, I’m also watching the COVID cases reported in Tennessee to make the best decisions possible for the safety of my students, clients, my family, and myself. I will stay connected with bi-monthly news letters and blog posts to keep you updated!
What does teletherapy look like? How can I help you or your loved one the best during this time? You can schedule a free Zoom session here to speak with me about how teletherapy works for music therapy. I’d love to talk with you! Click here to Schedule a Free Zoom Informational Session!
Be sure to follow In Harmony Music Therapy on Instagram and Facebook! What content would you like to see? Have you checked out my “Feel Good Friday” videos on social media? Each week I sing a song that you can sing along with me! In the interim, feel free to reach out to me and tell me how you and/or your child are doing at carrie@inharmonymusicmidtn.com
Thank you for your support and I am grateful for the work I have done with you and/or your child in the past and I’m hopeful to see you again in the future!
All the best,
Ms. Carrie
