Hello there! I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving!
My Thanksgiving was filled to the brim with family time, pie, and turkey… so much turkey! Besides the overwhelming amount of food I also got to spend the entire week answering the ever-present question… “so what exactly is music therapy?” Everyone from my in-laws, to my great aunt and even my grandmother were asking me this recurring question.
As music therapists, students, and interns I think we eventually figure out how to answer that question based upon who were speaking to whether that’s straight to the point for our older relatives who are hard of hearing, to explaining the clinically based efficacy of music therapy to the doctor of the family, who honestly wants to know.
This week it became clearer to me how important advocacy is as a music therapist everywhere you go because we are a small profession. After I have explained what I do simply as “working to achieve non-musical goals with and through music” again and again and again over the years, my family has begun to remember it and repeat it when asked themselves.
Even now, after only five years much of my family have already become advocates for music therapy which makes me incredibly proud. That goes to show family is not only within your reach to advocate to, but when its all said and done, are usually the ones in your corner.
