As a life-long musicophile and having always surrounded myself with those who identify as such, my relationship with music stretches way beyond the therapy session. It reaches every corner of my life and soundtracks the earliest of my memories. But, I have recently been exploring ideas around creativity and "creation" and wondering why "my music" has never gained a concrete form. My husband (a very talented composer, performer and music&health practitioner) and I enjoy watching documentaries about musicians. Often, these contain passionate reference about musical inspirations, obsessions over predecessors; John Lennon, Bryan Wilson, Dylan, Hendrix, Bowie, whoever. Whilst watching, I experience something akin to jealousy or a lamentation of a missed opportunity. Indeed, we can't all go live in 60's Haight-Ashbury, co-habit with a bunch of creatives and discover our sound (well, it's probably for the best, if you intend to live past 27), but still I kick myself; my passion for music is unrelenting, so where is my music? Preventing me from falling into a self-deprecation spiral, is the awareness that as practitioners, who use music in health and therapy contexts, the honing of our craft is not necessarily linked to the mastery of our instrument or the ability to write beautiful songs, but is relational, communicative and sensitive. But my question remains, where is our music? We still have influences and inspirations, though whether my childhood obsession with Led Zeppelin has found its way into my clinical work, remains to be seen. Like many, music has been a transcendent force throughout my life and the flame of my passion was ignited, by listening to a diverse library of genres. In a similar manner to how a composer, song writer or instrumentalist finds their inspiration, I think as Music Practitioners we are still guided by the way we engage with music. For me, having never really settled on one particular band, genre or style, it has always been clear to me that the underlying (or over-arching) emotive content of music is paramount. That's why I can have the same chills, or soaring elation from listening to Shostakovich as I do with Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, Dilla or Bon Iver. So, I am starting to acknowledge that my music is present in my work, in a more holistic sense. My choice of chords or silence, the cadence of my voice or the extent to which I mirror the sounds of my clients; these are constant musical opportunities. Though less direct and a little obscure, I think this is where my music and my creativity is found, not in what I play, but when, how and why.
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AuthorHeather Roberts. Writing the occasional blog when the feeling takes me. Archives
September 2018
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