We all need a little holiday music, don’t you agree? Please enjoy our holiday playlists (almost 2 hours long!!), available on both YouTube & Spotify.
Our nifty gifty certificates are also still available, if you are in need of a last-minute holiday gift for a loved one. You can also support our small business while also supporting a family in need. Purchase a gift certificate here.
Music Therapists Need Music Therapy Too: A Reflection
Written by Tamara Leszner-Rovet
Speaking from my experience, I have been laser focused over the past 2.5 years in supporting my students/clients (both that I work with directly and indirectly), their families, our team, and my own family through all the ebbs and flows of this pandemic.
I have been running on fumes. I have been in a constant state of exhaustion which has shown up in my physical and mental health. I have been feeling so “done,” burned out, and my motivation to practice self-care has gone by the wayside.
I have found that finally going back to “normal,” while it is absolutely wonderful in itself, has been even more exhausting (in some ways, more than the pandemic itself!). This has shown, yet again, how deeply this pandemic has affected everyone in various ways. It has been just joyful to see normalcy and people finally living again. Still, it has been extremely hard to readjust.
I had the privilege of listening to one of my long-time students as they prepared for our “End-of-the-Year Party and Recitals” a month ago. They will be off to university in the fall, and this was one of our last lessons together. After working with this student since they were a young child, this almost felt surreal.
As they did a practice performance run on this particular day, playing two pieces by two of my favourite composers, watching the sun hit the trees just right through their bay window, I felt my body relax for the first time in a long time. I was able to sit back, enjoy their music, and realize just how truly exhausted I have been.
As a music therapist and music teacher, often at the end of a long clinical day we want to do anything but listen to music after singing, performing, and listening to other people’s musical preferences all day long.
On this day, the student became the teacher. This amazing student gave back after all the years we have spent fostering a love of playing the piano, of music in general, and cultivating a passion that I know will continue far beyond our lessons together. I do not believe in that moment this student realized how much I needed what they gave me.
For a few minutes, all the stress I had been feeling just melted away. For a few minutes, the world was still and I felt a sense of calmness I had not experienced in a long while. For a few minutes, I experienced joy and a sense of hope.
And as I drove home with tears streaming down my face so grateful for this experience, I realized that every minute of hard work and laser focus has been worth it.
Those few minutes renewed my passion for the work I do and what the future holds. Now more than ever, music therapists need music therapy too.
Everyone deals and copes with stress differently.
While we previously explored a “Happy Playlist” to help promote positivity in our lives, most of us can agree that laughter is medicine. Humour draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Research shows that laughter strengthens your immune system, improves mood, relieves pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress.
While we aren’t making light of the events in the past year (and TPSMTS takes its’ health and safety procedures and protocols very seriously!), we can always try to find light in dark situations.
For a final laugh, and something that the TPSMTS teachers/therapists “perform” multiple times a day, we have a live performance of the Coronavirus Etude on the piano.
Fun fact: The composer who created this video and piece is a spouse of a music therapist!
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456
It’s easy to feel cooped up and frustrated during uncertain times. The absence of normalcy can cause a lack of motivation to get things done. Research shows that listening to music releases endorphins in the brain, which in turn reduces anxiety and stress.
YouTube Playlist Spotify Playlist
Other than listening to songs, we can also get creative and write our own! Song parodies are a great way to lighten up the mood. Songwriting may seem daunting at first, but you can always start simple. For example, by only switching out one word per line, the whole song can go a completely different direction. Deciding on an overall theme can also help with brainstorming new lyrics.
With many people moving onto online platforms, online jamming is also becoming popular! Strangers, friends, teachers, and students can play and sing together via video calls on platforms like Google Meet, Zoom, or Skype. More and more services have popped up in the last few months to help musicians connect with one another.
Resource:
Why Listening to Music Makes Us Feel Good
Written by Tamara Leszner-Rovet
As you have seen on the blog over the past few months, we have been discussing our transition to Telehealth (online) lessons/sessions. We have discussed in detail the benefits we have seen, and what we have learned using this new platform to ensure our students/clients maintain a sense of normalcy, routine, and their motivation and progress during this unpredictable time.
Toward the end of May, we were given the go-ahead to begin resuming in-person lessons/sessions with strict health and safety protocols in place, as set out by our regulating college and public health.
This transition was slow, first starting with “urgent” students/clients who for a variety of reasons, could not be seen on Telehealth (online) through this time. About a week later, we were able to begin transitioning all our students/clients who were comfortable back to in-person lessons/sessions.
Very quickly, we needed to pivot again and put clear contingency plans in place to ensure the safety of our teachers/therapists, students/clients, and their families. Here are some examples of the health and safety measures that are now a part of our “new normal”:
Whether we are seeing students/clients in the studio or in their home, the first thing we do is ensure they wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before and after each lesson/session. Our teachers/therapists do the same.
All our teachers/therapists are required to wear a mask during every lesson/session. We strongly encourage students/clients to wear masks as well, but in some circumstances this is not possible. If this is the case, our teachers/therapists wear face shields in addition to masks for everyone’s protection.
In each studio and in the bathroom, you will find a litany of cleaning supplies used before and after each lesson/session, as well as during lessons/sessions to make sure that any used instruments and/or supplies, frequently touched surfaces, etc. are cleaned and disinfected promptly.
If you are visiting the studio, you will see checklists around the entire space: entryway, stairwell, hallway, treble clef studio, bass clef studio, bathroom, and waiting room. There are checklists for all the possible items, surfaces, etc. that could be touched in each area, and students/clients and their families can see when everything was last cleaned.
Our studio is definitely quieter these days! We are allowing students/clients in one at a time (with some exception to siblings), typically with an accompanying adult waiting outside. We are starting to implement staggered start and end times as well. The waiting room is no longer a hub for coffee, snacks, toys, games, or a place to “hang out” while lessons/sessions are being conducted.
At all times, we respect the varying comfort levels of each student/client and their families. Telehealth (online) lessons/sessions continue to be available for families who prefer this platform, and/or for families to utilize until they are comfortable resuming in-person lessons/sessions.
Though this “new normal” has brought a lot of changes to how we run our day to day operations, there is no question that our teachers/therapists and students/clients alike have been so happy to start seeing each other in-person again!
As further restrictions begin to ease, we look forward to continue resuming in-person lessons/sessions with all our students/clients as the summer goes on, and into the new school year!
As always, we wish everyone continued health and safety amidst these extraordinary times!
Though the beginning of our 2019-2020 school year started off strong, 2020 has already been quite the year and it’s already June.
Back in March, maybe you were thinking, “It’s only March and this is how the year is going?!” To be honest, a part of me was in disbelief as well. The year 2020 will be known for many reasons, one of which here at TPSMTS, will be the year that we had changes we never would have anticipated!
Our music therapy sessions and music lessons have thrived for 13 years as in-person, in-studio or in-home sessions/lessons and for the first time ever, and now offered on a regular basis, we moved to Telehealth (online). If you have not heard of Telehealth yet, it is “the provision of healthcare remotely by means of telecommunications technology” (SOURCE).
In March, we immediately shifted all of our lessons/sessions to Telehealth. If you want to read more about that experience, you can read our previous blogs HERE and HERE.
Tamara’s Piano Studio and Music Therapy Services (TPSMTS) has now been conducting Telehealth/Online lessons and sessions amidst these extraordinary times for 8 weeks now.
Our teachers and therapists have learned many new skills and dedicated time to furthering our techniques through this process!
There have been many students/clients that we initially thought moving to Telehealth lessons/sessions would be difficult for. Despite our initial reservations, we have found that students/clients we thought may struggle have been doing quite well! We have found that some of our students/clients are actually focusing better with Telehealth lessons/sessions!
Written by Gabriella Serruya
During these extraordinary times, many businesses and services have unfortunately been halted or cancelled. This affects our daily routines, but not as much as it does for the children we work with.
Many services have moved to an online or virtual platform to continue providing services, and TPSMTS has done this as well. While Telehealth lessons/sessions will not have the same impact and effect as in-person lessons/sessions, they still have many benefits.
During this uncertainty in most parts of our lives, the thing that TPSMTS been able to keep consistent is our music lessons/sessions through Telehealth (online) lessons/sessions.
Telehealth lessons/sessions are provided through a video chat application that allows for real-time interaction and (virtual) ‘face-to-face’ communication. Through the use of a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant platform, services can be provided in a safe, fun, and consistent manner.
