Annapolis Music Therapy

Goal-oriented and relationship-based music therapy services across the lifespan.

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Community Drumming at Argo Counseling: Acquiring Healing, Wisdom, and Relaxation

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On Saturday, February 8th, I attended a drum circle offered at Argo Counseling and Wellness. As a new intern, I was unsure what to expect, so I set up the drums and awaited the arrival of participants. To everyone’s surprise, the group ended up being composed entirely of women. While some arrived as friends, others walked into the room and saw no familiar faces. The women in this group were unique in beautiful ways. Crossing multiple generations, decades, and life statuses, one may wonder how a diverse group can put aside differences and work together. Honestly, there’s no way to explain how music creates this instant bond amongst complete strangers, but it does. There was a feeling of openness, honesty, acceptance and respect within the room, equally spread amongst the amazing ladies surrounding me.

When looking at drums, you can easily group them together based on their appearance. Drums with feet vs. drums without feet or any stand, drums with and without animal skin heads, drums with and without cracks or tears. Like each of the people in the room, the drums placed before us had unique histories. The warmth and love of our minds and hands made the group able to take these seemingly unrelated things – drums, strangers, and  auxiliary percussive items – and unify them in an effortless manner.

Throughout the drum circle, different women shared their life experiences and resolutions. Spanning from the coming year all the way out to the coming decade, some had measurable goals to accomplish and others simply wanted to find more peace and love within their life. Amanda, the lead music therapist during this drum circle, challenged the group members to come up with one word to summarize their resolutions. Of the range of words shared, the group improvised based on the words “Healing,” “Wisdom,” and “Relaxation.” The introduction of new instruments created unique layers and impressions for each keyword, but the silent communication amongst group members guided everyone to a different place. The unique experiences we were all feeling were due to a common sound, a shared space. Reflecting aloud on our feelings and takeaways after each small improvisation led to support and agreement from others, as well as inquiry and a desire for more knowledge. 

Beginning internship meant completely flipping my life around. In a time when I felt unsure and uneasy, these women helped rein me in and remind me that I am strong, capable, and smart enough to accomplish my life (or year-long) goals. For anyone looking for an accepting, welcoming and humbling experience where you can connect with others without fear of judgment, please consider joining us for our future drum circles at Argo Counseling and Wellness. These events are free, open to all, and an opportunity to have an amazing time with great people!

-Ritchie Young, Music Therapy Intern at Annapolis Music Therapy Services

Stay tuned for free registration details for our next FREE drum circle on April 18th centered on growth and change!

Sneak a peek inside our February drum circle below:

Community Drumming at Argo Counseling

We were so moved by the connection, empowerment, and community-building that happened at our recent drum circle at Argo Counseling. The power of music to bring strangers together is a beautiful thing to experience!Learn more about our music therapy programs at Argo: https://argocounselingandwellness.com/integrative-wellness-services/bodywork-2/

Posted by Annapolis Music Therapy on Tuesday, February 11, 2020

#MTAdvocacy Month, Part 2: What’s Your Advocacy Song?

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Hello everyone! My name is Zoe Levine, and I’m Annapolis Music Therapy’s new intern. It’s my turn to tackle the #MTAdvocacy challenge and decide what my music therapy advocacy anthem is. I honestly had a hard time picking, because there are so many things that go into advocacy. You could pick a song like “I’ve Got the Music In Me” by The Kiki Dee Band that’s upbeat and about how wonderful music is and its potential to completely affect a person, which is what I’m always trying to communicate when I advocate. Every time I excitedly start telling someone in a related health profession about cool new MT research or I talk to the person stuck next to me on the plane about all the amazing clients success stories I’ve seen, it always comes back to music’s power to create change.

However, I don’t think that encompasses the entire advocacy experience. Songs like “Fight Song” by Rachel Platton are also relevant. There are times when advocates are turned away and it can feel like you’re just a “tiny boat in an ocean.” The song talks about being in too deep and not caring if anyone else believes in you. It’s the semi-combative anthem a tired advocate sometimes needs.

I went through quite a few options for my #MTAdvocacy song, but I finally settled on “Conqueror” by Estelle. The song’s verses are subdued and sober and feature lyrics about making mistakes, having a vision that no one else sees, and people cutting you out of conversations. The verses are then balanced by a big, powerful chorus about standing up, being a conqueror, and not accepting defeat. Estelle’s song is all about accepting challenges and rallying to pursue your vision, which for me includes a world where everyone has access to music therapy.

Yours,

Zoe Levine

January is Music Therapy Social Media Advocacy Month.

AMT is participating by selecting and sharing songs that serve as advocacy anthems for our profession.

#MTadvocacy Month: What’s Your Advocacy Song?

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January is Music Therapy Social Media Advocacy Month, and this year we are selecting and sharing songs that could serve as an advocacy song for our profession. Before choosing my song, I wanted to consider the American Music Therapy Association’s definition of an advocate. In their words, “a successful advocate is someone with passion and commitment to an idea, who tells a convincing story expressing their beliefs and passion.” With this in mind, I selected the song “Sing” originally by My Chemical Romance as my advocacy song of choice.

I believe the song showcases a passion for singing out in any circumstance, despite any adversity that may stand in the way. Music therapists similarly need to speak out to anyone who will listen to further inform the world about our profession. While music therapy has been an established, credentialed profession for many decades, many people still have not heard of music therapy or the many benefits it can provide. Through advocacy efforts, music therapists can continue to educate their communities and increase accessibility to music therapy services.

The chorus of the song mentions singing for all (the boys, the girls, the Deaf, the blind, to name a few). As music therapists, we should “sing” for, and more importantly, sing with, those who may have difficulty standing up for themselves. We advocate not only for our profession, but for the rights of our clients. Another stand-out section of the song comes in the second verse, where the band sings, “You’ve got to make the choice if the music drowns you out. And raise your voice every single time they try and shut your mouth.” Music therapists have to carry on with our advocacy efforts even when other professions, legislation, or members of the community may try to silence our words. Music therapists must persevere to continually speak up for the importance and validity of our profession.

I think “Sing” encapsulates this overall sentiment of standing up for your beliefs quite well. “Sing” was also covered on the hit show Glee, which provides a pop-style arrangement that further popularized the song. My Chemical Romance gives the song an alternative rock feel, and the intensity of the emotion behind the lyrics really shines through. I encourage you to listen to the full song from the link below!

Yours,

Valerie Kamen, Senior Intern

Welcome, Zoe! AMT’s Newest College Intern

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AMT is thrilled to welcome Zoe Levine to the team as our newest college intern!  Zoe’s internship with Annapolis Music Therapy Services is anticipated to run from January 2018 through June 2018.

Zoe studied music therapy and world music at West Virginia University. She served on the 2017 executive board of the American Music Therapy Students (AMTAS) and was the recipient of the 2017 AMTAS Intern Scholarship. Zoe is also a licensed Zumba instructor and has traveled extensively learning about music and dance practices around the world. She is passionate about creating communities that serve people of all abilities and is extremely excited to continue learning at AMT!

Over the next 6 months, you’ll find Zoe working around town with our team of therapists, senior intern Valerie & The Musical Autist.

Sing & Sign: 5 Little Pumpkins

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This week, learn to sign one of AMT’s favorite Halloween songs: 5 Little Pumpkins! We love this song because it’s a great way to support early academic skills like counting to 5 and following directions, and can help introduce seasonal concepts to prepare your child for trick-or-treating on Halloween. Sing and sign along with this singable book, a free printable visual or use 5 real pumpkins!

Keep singing and signing,

Anissa & Kerry

Sing & Sign with ASL Anissa: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

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Hi!

My name is Anissa, and I’m AMT’s newest music therapy intern. I also make sign language song covers on Youtube (link to channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/atinitiny). This is the first in a new series to help kids and their parents learn some familiar songs in sign language! Learning sign language can promote and strengthen communication skills, language development and familial bonds as you sing and play together. This first video will teach you different ways to sign Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. 

Note: Pidgin Sign English (PSE) is an auxiliary language formed by using the signs and fingerspelling, but not the grammar, of American Sign Language (ASL) in the word order of English, often used in communication between deaf signers and speakers of English.

 

Keep signing, 

Anissa

Music Therapy Intern