From Our Music Therapy Intern…
In the house I grew up in, those messy projects filled with pieces, parts, scraps, glitter, and glue were called “Farts and Craps”.
We did not appreciate the art of handmade crafts and we did not have the patience to delicately use our fine motor skills to complete a seemingly meaningless task. We avoided beginning crafts for fear of the iminent clean-up. We prefered to keep our hands clean and the tables stain-free.
Needless to say, I was forced to face this fear this past week as I was tasked with coming up with the craft for our Tuesday Day Program. At first, I sighed to myself and shuddered at the thought. Then, I set to work scrolling through Pinterest. After what felt like eons of browsing time, I had to get up and walk away. Leaving my father and my husband at the table (who had somehow managed to grow interest in my search for the perfect craft) I stormed into the kitchen. I pulled something, anything, from the fridge and ate my anger away. I gave myself some time to breathe and assess the situation.
Okay, Hannah. This is a craft we’re dealing with here. The old “Farts and Craps” strike again. Breathe. Let’s put this into perspective:
- Do you have a reliable source of options for research? Yes, thanks to Pinterest and Google.
- Do you have enough time to plan? Yes, it’s not till Tuesday.
- Will you personally offend any of your clients by your choice in craft? I can’t imagine how, but possibly?…No, let’s go with no.
- Will this craft be life-changing, revolutionary, or something that changes the course of history? Most likely, no.
- Is it life threatening? Maybe. Depends on how much glitter is involved.
- Is this supposed to be fun, enjoyable, and lighthearted? Ultimately, yes.
With a new mindset and motivation, I sat back down at my computer. Some time later I had two crafts planned; one as the main, and one as a backup in case the first one was a bust. I prepared the materials and brought them nervously into the room on Tuesday afternoon, awaiting judgement and discouragement. Instead, to my surprise, I was greeted with curiosity and eagerness!
This week I learned that “Farts and Craps” can in fact be “Arts and Crafts”. The adults in our Tuesday Day Program have changed my view on this forever. Their smiles, laughter, and conversation as they completed the craft brought me newfound joy and excitement for decorating the world around us. I am grateful for the many ways I have been challenged throughout the internship, even through facilitating and designing craft.
Thanks to this challenge, I think that our treatment room door has never looked better.
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Hannah Avery is our very first Music Therapy Intern here at Harmony Garden Music Therapy Services.
Stay tuned for her blog posts as she goes (and grows) through her music therapy internship.
