I am at the end of my undergraduate degree and I have found that the message Dorit Amir expresses in this article is crucial to being a successful student and music therapist. Being legally blind, I have felt overwhelmed, stressed over the intense academic load, and terrified of not being an effective music therapist. I feel that no matter what one’s situation or journey in life, such emotions can trap you and limit your influences in life.
The concept of self-nurture can be easily pushed aside when the demands of school and society seem never ending. I hear people commonly talk about feeling burned-out, tired, and inadequate. I believe we all can fall into these categories when we fail to realize that to give our best in anything, so we must take care of ourselves first.
One of my main fears in earning a music degree was that music would become my job or career instead of my passion and hobby. Because of this fear, I have always made sure that I listen to my music and play guitar so I don’t lose track of why I love music. My school assignments have also helped me by encouraging me to keep improvisation journals and meet with my peers to improvise together. However, this wasn’t enough for me. I still never felt totally recharged and excited about being a therapist. While Dorit Amir needed her own space and room to create music and express herself, I need to take the music I love and create it with others. It is the experience of live performance and being a part of something larger then myself that charges my soul. To achieve this, I joined a Christian band where I am the lead vocalist and now it has became my time to tune into what music does for me. We play everyone’s songs, including my own, in live performances every week and it gives me my joy and originality back.
Dorit stated, "I listened much more intently in a focused way to the music both inside and outside." Being apart of a group that makes beautiful music together allows me to listen to others and add my own creations to it. I felt challenged to grow musically inside and out, so when it comes together I feel fulfilled.
We all have our own reasons for why music plays a beautiful melody in our heart; thus, we all have our own ways of nurturing it. For some it is a simple song, space, instrument, or creating it together. Whatever the case may be, it is vital that every therapist find what it is that recharges him or her or fuels the flame for being a music therapist. If therapists get caught up in giving all the time and never taking the time to recharge, they will never fully be the best that they can be.
About Cindy Williams
Biography
Music therapy student, University of Louisville, USA.
I am at the end of my undergraduate degree and I have found that the message Dorit Amir expresses in this article is crucial to being a successful student and music therapist. Being legally blind, I have felt overwhelmed, stressed over the intense academic load, and terrified of not being an effective music therapist. I feel that no matter what one’s situation or journey in life, such emotions can trap you and limit your influences in life.
The concept of self-nurture can be easily pushed aside when the demands of school and society seem never ending. I hear people commonly talk about feeling burned-out, tired, and inadequate. I believe we all can fall into these categories when we fail to realize that to give our best in anything, so we must take care of ourselves first.
One of my main fears in earning a music degree was that music would become my job or career instead of my passion and hobby. Because of this fear, I have always made sure that I listen to my music and play guitar so I don’t lose track of why I love music. My school assignments have also helped me by encouraging me to keep improvisation journals and meet with my peers to improvise together. However, this wasn’t enough for me. I still never felt totally recharged and excited about being a therapist. While Dorit Amir needed her own space and room to create music and express herself, I need to take the music I love and create it with others. It is the experience of live performance and being a part of something larger then myself that charges my soul. To achieve this, I joined a Christian band where I am the lead vocalist and now it has became my time to tune into what music does for me. We play everyone’s songs, including my own, in live performances every week and it gives me my joy and originality back.
Dorit stated, "I listened much more intently in a focused way to the music both inside and outside." Being apart of a group that makes beautiful music together allows me to listen to others and add my own creations to it. I felt challenged to grow musically inside and out, so when it comes together I feel fulfilled.
We all have our own reasons for why music plays a beautiful melody in our heart; thus, we all have our own ways of nurturing it. For some it is a simple song, space, instrument, or creating it together. Whatever the case may be, it is vital that every therapist find what it is that recharges him or her or fuels the flame for being a music therapist. If therapists get caught up in giving all the time and never taking the time to recharge, they will never fully be the best that they can be.