Entry 05

I was a Human Book 📖.. If interested then here’s the title (very plain without much artistic expression)

It was a great chance to celebrate the work we do as music therapists. Beautiful stories, valuable knowledge, meaningful experience was all shared by members of Association of Music Therapy (Singapore) @amts

What I will be writing about, is actually not so much about what I shared as a book. It’s what came to my thought after the event.

So as HUMAN BOOK - I had a chance to share stories to a music teacher, working professional who is considering a career switch to music therapy, a musician, a researcher, student, etc.

Many of ‘readers’ were interested in music therapy and curious about areas they can contribute to their community through the “therapeutic effect” of music.

And it mattered to me that their questions and curiosities are somewhat addressed through/ after today’s event. ‘Indeed, How can more people participate in MUSIC THERAPY in multiple places and multiple forms?’

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Short connecting with the participants made me reflect a bit and I’m sharing some of my personal thoughts.

Not everyone who is interested in music therapy would need to go through the rigorous training and become a certified music therapist. I believe that anyone can learn about music therapy to further enhance their own profession and passion in life❤️‍🔥

It’s just like how we can learn about health and medicine without having to be practice as doctors or nurses.

——

Here are some examples on how music therapy can benefit its surrounding fields such as education, healthcare, and arts. - and vice versa.

First, Spreading the awareness and knowledge of therapeutic impact of music/ music therapy- will allow people to recognise the value of music, science behind the music therapy and become more mindful about the creation / appreciation of music 🎶

Thankfully, there are more and more books, journals, research outcomes, stories around music therapy reported through multiple media. I still think it’s lacking, I still think that there can be more effort for the existing knowledge around music therapy to be shared to more audience.

Second, Music therapists can continue to gain inspiration and resources from the work of musicians and artists 👩‍🎨 and invite the musicians and artists for the to production of musical content or materials. The best way to share a value of music therapy is by inviting others to be part of it and I believe there will be so much room and fun potential to be explored around it.

Some of the core principles of music therapy can be also introduced to educators - to refresh their perspectives and approaches. Educators are the ones who continuously work with children and adults for their growth and development. Regardless of the subject matter, music is a great way to deliver a knowledge and internalise lessons in life.. Also teachers can use music effectively to ‘take care of’ the psychological and emotional side of the students they meet on daily basis.

Music therapists are the ones who understand the human behavior in music and can curate the use of music to spark the learning experiences.

Music therapy - as one of the modern field of applied science - has developed as a result of interdisciplinary collaboration thanks to multiple awesome people coming from various fields - in their belief in music. It was only possible through the shared belief in music for making this world a better place for ALL. 🌎

I am blessed to be in a position where I get to work as a music therapist as well as a vocal coach, and work with the singers and musicians as well as educators. clinicians, therapists.

Wearing multiple hats and finding ways to maintain the balance /deepen myself in each area is not easy....so I go slow 🐌

But the effort is so worthwhile beyond what words can describe.

And I truly appreciate the interest of the fellow educators and musicians in the journey that I am taking as a music therapist. Their support and interest, and acceptance of ideas - is what allows synergy to be created.

Also extremely grateful for being part of the community of people who are ever so loving, caring, creative, passionate 😊😊😍Music therapists in SG are truly awesome people.

If anyone is interested in understanding more / engaging more in music therapy / and would like to collaborate on this area, or want to exchange thoughts - please do let me know. :) where there’s a will, there will be a way.


JUST INCASE SOMEONE will be actually interested in WHAT WAS SHARED :)

Thanks to the tacky man’s help - I recorded one of my sessions, and had Chat GPT summarize it. It’s not the most accurate version of what I actually shared but, as most of seem to describe it well / I’m sharing for you to entertain the AI’s book summary 😊 Below was kind of the areas that I wanted to cover through the book session.

In summary, the speaker has experience as a music therapist and vocal coach. They describe a therapy session as an individual or group session lasting around half an hour to an hour, depending on the client's needs. Music therapy involves using music to elicit interactive behavior, social interaction, communication skills, and emotional expression. The therapist helps clients regulate their emotions through music, using dynamics and tempo. They also facilitate verbal interventions and provide emotional support through music without the need for explanation. The speaker's journey involved studying psychology and English education before pursuing music therapy. They discovered the power of music while teaching musical theater to diverse groups of children, including those with special needs. This led them to pursue a master's degree in music therapy, specializing in working with special needs populations. Additionally, the speaker became a vocal coach and realized that singing lessons offered insights into people's stories and helped build their self as an instrument.

The speaker's experiences highlight the therapeutic benefits of music and the power of music education in personal growth and development.

Thank you for taking time to read.

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