I'm fresh from the 2016 American Music Therapy Conference, and I feel inspired, and musically refreshed.
This was my third year at national conference, and every year gets better, and better.
The weekend was amazing from start to finish, and it was a pleasure to travel with my friend and coworker, making the experience that much more meaningful. It is hard for me to put into words the scope of how much this year's conference really meant to me. So here are some personal highlights.
Before I had settled in, I serendipitously ran into colleagues and friends from university and internship I had not seen since last year at conference. I was not prepared to feel the overwhelming rush of "home" feelings when I saw them. I was elated. It was like Christmas morning, and I never wanted it to end. I hope everyone feels as much joy in seeing their former intern team and friends as I do because it is such a special feeling.
Then, I was thrilled to meet Jim Brickman, a pianist who's music I've listened to since childhood, and his music held such special meaning to me and my family. When I met him I wanted to tell him about how my sister introduced me to his music, and how I bought his songbooks and tried to learn his music growing up, and how I would sing "The Gift" all the time during the holidays, and about how his music provided comfort to my mother in her final months. But the words did not come. And that's okay. Because the music shared between the composer, and the listener conveyed it all.
And the amazingness didn't stop there.
One of my passions is advocacy, and while at conference I attended sessions dedicated to that. There, I was fortunate to meet with follow advocacy members across other states, share stories, and get advice regarding music therapy licensure. It was inspiring, motivating, and informative, but the most amazing thing about music therapy is that the field is full of caring, passionate people who truly love their work. I personally feel that music therapy seems to be more of a calling than a career, so advocating for colleagues, clients, patients, and students becomes a true labor of love.
The great thing about music is it brings people together. One memory (of many!) I will always treasure is attending Unplugged which is a jam session. Someone was going to sing "Crocodile Rock" but they were gone by the time their turn came up. There was an entire roomful of people from all different walks of life, various ages, and who hailed from different places in the world who wanted to sing this upbeat tune, and in less than 30 seconds a band appeared, and we rocked out.
The world outside may have been tumultuous, but at the conference center there was peace, love, and music.