Not Your Average Music Therapist

This episode is full of steps that you can take if there is no music therapy job near you. We are creative professionals, and we can creatively do something about that! Let’s walk together through some options and ideas for starting something new in your area. If you need an easy-to-read version of this episode, find one on my blog: kimbest.com

I love hearing guests talk about their paths in (and out of) the music therapy field. Kaillie shares with us what it felt like to be a music therapist and the process she went through to explore speech-language pathology. She talks about her relationship with music, how much she loves working as an SLP, and how she still uses music when appropriate for her clients’ developmental speech goals.

If you’re interested in speech-language pathology, find more info at www.asha.org

If you want to connect with Kaillie, email [email protected] and we’ll get you connected!

Music, production, and editing by Greg Best.

I just moved and have been taking in how different this new place is. The good, the bad, and everything in between… and the little things that I’m falling in love with. Sometimes it takes a change, a transition, to give us that fresh perspective we need to motivate our work and keep on going. We may need another person’s eyes to help us see the little things we’re missing. Having a new view can give you just the shift you need to enliven your work or life.

Music, production, and editing by Greg Best.

This may be a rant, but I think it’s a conversation worth having, even just for my own soul. I want to be happy where I am, with what I’m doing, right here and now without feeling the need to be more or do more. I want to stop chasing the idea that I always need to be “better” as a music therapist. It’s exhausting and makes me feel devalued where I am. So, I’m trying to tear down the idea that we will magically attain this idea of “better” and maybe what we have right now is all we need to be a great music therapist.

Music, production, and editing by Greg Best.

I remember feeling so lost as a new professional. I had no idea what to do, where to go, and what my options were in respect to getting a job. Employee, self-employed, hourly employee, contractor, sub-contractor. What's the difference? I break this all down to the best of my ability in this episode! If you have more to add to this conversation, leave a message under the post on this episode on Instagram @musictherapistpod.

Download the exclusive PDF of career options for music therapists: What Happens After College

Flowchart program mentioned in the episode: Lucidchart.com

Music, production, and editing by Greg Best.

This episode is rich with stories about what a music therapist may walk through in discovering themselves. In our conversation, we talk about trusting your gut, burnout, sustainable work, and so much more. Sarah is a social worker and music therapist currently working as a child and family therapist for a non-profit with children impacted by trauma and their caregivers. As an advocate for supervision, Sarah offers supervision for music therapists pro-bono on a limited basis, so jump on this if you’re looking for support! This was one of my favorite conversations to-date, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Music, production, and editing by Greg Best.

How the heck do you create and write goals for your professional and personal life? On this episode I share my thoughts around projects and the perfectionism I have to get through to be able to reach my goals. Let's take a much more intuitive approach to chasing our dreams and aspirations! I've also included some tips on picking the "due dates" for projects, as this has been the only way I have completed anything.

Referenced in this episode is another podcast that I co-host called Seasons of Resilience. 

Music, production, and editing by Greg Best.

I never knew how much I’d change as a music therapist. In this episode I talk about the growth I’ve walked through and the areas we grow in.

Music, production, and editing by Greg Best.

My very first guest is Mabel, who I’ve had the pleasure of becoming friends with online. She is a hospice music therapist who, at the airing of this episode, is in school for social work. This is her story of discovering music therapy, facing challenges, and pursuing another degree to enhance her work. She is from a little island but has continually chased big dreams. 

Find her on Instagram @limitlessharmonies

In the episode, Mabel mentions the Creative Therapy Umbrella podcast with Kate Shannon. These are the episodes Mabel refers to: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creative-therapy-umbrella/id1479921758

Find them on Instagram @creativetherapyumbrella

On the episode, we mention the very new podcast that Mabel and I just launched Seasons of Resilience. Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/seasons-of-resilience/id1541766095

Music, production, and editing by Greg Best.

When does a music therapist not need a pep talk?! Today I’m sharing a few tidbits about my internship and share some encouragement to you. As music therapists, we are brave.

Music, production, and editing by Greg Best.