A Note of Celebration

All music is folk music.  I ain't never heard a horse sing a song.  ~Louis Armstrong

This year marks a milestone for me towards which I have strained for several years.  On August 18, I will have worked at my main Music Therapy job for 20 years.  At one point, I had thought I would celebrate all month long by planning programs around "Milestones", and "Celebrations" or the" Like".  However, as it turns out, I will be on holiday for much of the month and my official working celebration will be cut short.  So I begin here on this post. 

Mine is the kind of job that few would consider "Bread and Butter".  When push comes to shove, and money is tight, mine is a job that could be cut because I don't provide 'hands-on care'. For this reason, I do not take my work for granted.  Every day that I am there, I am grateful for another day to ply my trade.  [I do feel a little like Wesley from "The Princess Bride", whose boss "The Dread Pirate Roberts" sends him to bed every night by saying  "Good night, Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning." because I am aware that there could come a day when I may not have a job].  

I feel so fortunate to have found a profession to utilize my skill set,  and which has provided me with so many opportunities to create music with people and for people of all walks of life.  I love my job, and I reap so many rewards from working with the clientele within my specialty.  

It is incontestable that music induces in us a sense of the infinite and the contemplation of the invisible.  ~Victor de LaPrade

I am also very glad to be part of an inter-disciplinary team who takes personal interest in the people among whom we work.  The staff joins in good-naturedly in the 'staff choir'.  They also keep an eye out for people who might enjoy the music sessions and are always willing to troubleshoot with me when I have concerns about someone's ability to join in.  The team atmosphere extends beyond the halls and into a social circle who enjoy spending time with each other away from the office.  We have celebrated many a milestone with colleagues, complete with songs and skits and other personal touches. 

Music is the art which is most nigh to tears and memory.  ~Oscar Wilde

One of the best things about my job is the unexpected 'give-backs' from the clientele - for instance when the session ends and I am packing up, and a crusty old soul who doesn't like to be engaged in the therapeutic process says farewell  and then "Hey, thanks for the music."; or someone responds to the music, by reaching out and taking my hands for a quick dance; or someone who has had no musical experience agrees to help out in the tone chime choir and becomes an active participant.  It gives me a warm feeling inside when someone who is in the deep recesses of dementia recognizes me and gives me a smile to confirm it.

When words leave off, music begins.  ~Heinrich Heine

One lady I worked with had been a pianist in the past, and she and I used to sit and play duets of old time songs.  I would pick out a song and start it and she would join in with the chording.   Another lady had family who came to one of our Christmas concerts.  They were completely taken in with how their mom focused on playing the tone chimes, and did so accurately,  even though she could no longer take part in conversation with her family members..

Of course there are the crazy days too, when interruptions of the session threaten to upset the (musical) apple cart.  It requires a great deal of flexibility.  Sometimes there is a lot of commotion that has nothing to do with the session - like fire drills; other days, other sources cause a ruckus.  One day, I was caught off guard when someone came up close to the piano and started "yodelling" (not really in tune either) while I played a favorite song from their childhood.  After a while, I couldn't remember what song I was playing.  And then there was a gentleman who agreed to sing a hymn at our Thanksgiving service.  I wasn't sure of his spiritual background, so I asked him "Do you have any problem singing hymns?"  "Hell, no." he replied.

I have been privy to some of the most touching stories of people's lives because music has ignited memories within them.  One lady wrote a beautiful love note to her husband during my "Art and Music" group.  I saved a copy of it in my files because I know that it was a reflection of earlier days with her husband of more than 60 years.  Every week, I have someone tell me a story about their lives that they remember because the music takes them there.  Stories of family, of life, of childhood, of loves gained and lost.  And every week, I am inspired to try and help people be the best they can be - in spite of seemingly insurmountable odds: Odds which take up a lot of energy, such as medical issues, or dealing with the hand dementia has dealt them. 

Its language is a language which the soul alone understands, but which the soul can never translate.  ~Arnold Bennett

Twenty years ago, I had a 2-year old and a 6-month old.  I was juggling child-care and a one-family vehicle.  It took me 45 minutes to drop everyone off before I could start towards work, which was another 30 minutes away. Now, I can make it to work in 24 minutes, and my drive is quiet - only me in the van.  So much has happened in these two decades,  and yet, when I look back (and forward) I know that I have been exactly where I was supposed to be.  My life has been enriched in ways I never could have imagined. This is worth celebrating.

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.  ~Victor Hugo