Ep. 045 | Behind the Mic: Staff Reflections

Today, we share a special episode with all of the Music Project staff. Our conversation reflects on lessons learned this year and hopes for the coming year.

TRANSCRIPT

Erica: Welcome, friends! You’re listening to The Feeling is Musical — as presented by the Snohomish County Music Project. My name is Erica Lee, and heads up, today, we’re doing things a little bit differently. We’re having a whole conversation with everyone on staff. Please come join us.

[Podcast intro music plays]

Erica: Alright, welcome, everybody, to the podcast. Today’s an extra fun day because everybody that is on staff is here for the episode. So, we’re just gonna go around real quick our mythical round table - because we’re all on Zoom - so that you can recognize everybody’s voice. Um, and we’re just gonna do some like end of year reflections - um, we’ll see all what happens.

So, I will start. My name is Erica - my pronouns are she/her. I’m the associate director at the Music Project, also host of the Feeling is Musical. And I really love pumpkin carving - it was always a thing - my birthday is November 1st, so it was always a thing we got to do for my birthday that wasn’t like a costume party - or we got to go to the pumpkin patch. Um, Sam, why don’t you go next?

Sam: Hi, I’m Sam, pronouns are she/her. I’m a music therapist at the Music Project, and I love eating apple cider doughnuts during fall, and drinking chai, and just using it as an excuse for all the fall drinks and food. And yeah —

Erica: Yes.

Sam: Can I popcorn to somebody?

Erica: Popcorn!

Sam: Okay, I’m gonna popcorn to Cass.

Cassie: My name is Cassie or Cass, um I use they/them pronouns, um I’m a music therapist. And…fall activity? I get excited because it starts raining a lot and the trees are changing colors, and I just love to explore and be aware of that. Uh, popcorn Katy.

Katy: I’m Katy, she/her pronouns, and I’m a music therapist here at the Music Project. And I really like being able to say autumn [laughs] when it’s fall. And um, I’ve - ‘cause I’ve been working with kids for so long, and so one one of my favorite activities is looking up Vivaldi’s “Autumn” and dancing around with scarves - even at home [laughs] like doing it on the Zoom meetings with them. Popcorn Colby.

Colby: I am Colby, I use he/him pronouns. Uh I’m a music therapist here as well. Uh, and a fall activity I love is just like curling up with blankets and like hot coco or a chai tea latte, and watching a nice movie —

Erica: Yes —

Colby: Cozy up inside. Um, popcorn to Vee!

Vee: Hi, I’m Vee. I use they/them and I’m a music therapist. And I like - I like seeing the leaves change and uh just going on walks. We have a new puppy right now, so there’s been a lot of walking through the neighborhood these days. Um, popcorn Greta.

Erica: Greta’s a whole new cast member!

[Erica and Vee chuckle]

Greta (voiced by Yana): [voice resembling Cookie Monster] Hello! My name is Greta, I use/she/her/or dog uh because I am a dog. Um, I supervise the Feeling is Moo-sical. Um, favorite fall activity…Hmm… I like getting cozy. I like all the sniffs. I like eating kibble. These are just year round activities that happen to happen in the fall - or autumn. Yes. Um, popcorn Amy!

Amy: Hi, I’m Amy, she/her. I am a music therapist here at the Music Project. And a bunch of people already said seasonal drinks, so I’m gonna go with haunted houses. Um, I will see if Yana wants to go next.

Yana: I’m Yana, I prefer no pronouns, but they/them is also fine. Um I’m a music therapist, and I’ve been in the Pacific Northwest for 4 falls, and I’m still not used to uh it becoming fall and how uh lovely that is. Uh, I moved here from Hawaii, so um we have like warm and uh too hot seasons [chuckles] —

[Erica chuckles]

Yana: Um, I like - I like the fall and getting cozy. Um, and I popcorn to Vasheti.

Vasheti: Hi, I’m Vasheti. I am the executive director at the Music Project, and I use she/her pronouns. And I lived in Florida for 18 years, and so we did not have a fall really. And coming from the Pacific Northwest, it is my favorite season and something that I really missed. I absolutely love exploring in fall, going on hikes, seeing all of the colors changing - the colors are so vibrant. And so um I just really enjoy all the things that fall has to offer.

Erica: Yay! So, let’s get into the bulk of the conversation. So, to kick us off, um the question is: how have you grown this year?

Amy: I think, for me, what I’ve done is a lot of outreach in the past year, and like learning how to talk about music therapy and bring it to new places. And it’s been really exciting, um especially since things have changed due to COVID - to be able to work with people from different life backgrounds that I haven’t gotten to really work as much with before. So it’s been really cool to just grow and open myself up to new experiences.

Yana: Yeah, I appreciate that. Um, this - this COVID time has been uh really interesting - and finding the sometimes good/sometimes hard parts of it. Um, I have found that, just with a lot of things happening - just in - in general um, I’ve been really leaning into what - what music therapy is for me. And um finding how - how I fit into music therapy, and how music therapy fits into my personal paradigm - so that’s been cool.

Katy: Yeah, I’ve really liked the opportunity for creativity. Like um - because we can’t do things as normal, so what can we do, you know - now what can we do? And that’s what life kind of is about. And even though this is a really particularly hard challenge, um I feel like I’m getting through it. Because I’m getting creative.

And a lot about myself, honestly. I’ve grown in knowledge of myself, and like uh what I’m capable of, and also how easily I can break. Honestly, this year’s been really rough, and - but, you know - but, you know, getting through. And - and so that’s the other thing I’m learning. I’m still - I can still be strong.

Sam: When I think about growth in this last year, I think about how, with COVID and all the things that happened - like, Katy, you were talking about the creativity. Um, for me, it was looking at how can we maintain these relationships that we have in these very different ways. Um, and yeah, and keeping focused on the relationship in therapy - and therapy looking drastically different, depending on the day. It’s - it’s helped to really focus on the relationship.

And in my personal life, it’s helped me reach out to others. Especially since I was pregnant for half of quarantine - and so it really helped to uh - it helped me to uh reach out and to maintain my own relationships, as well as trying to maintain the relationships I had at work.

Vasheti: I think, as you all reflect on um how you all have evolved as music therapist, you know, my - I feel - leadership skills has - have evolved immensely as well. Because, you know, in leading a team through a crisis, such as we have had to navigate through this year, it’s - there’s been so many things that have been um uncharted waters. And so, um it’s been a real - it’s been a real unforeseen uh adventure for me. And, so the fact that we have done it successfully - and the fact that we are all - 1, happily still engaging in the - the wonderful, you know, practice that we offer the community —

Yana: Yeah —

Vasheti: And - and still, you know, still offering the - the individuals and the community this wonderful service, is just um - I think, not only does it says a lot - say a lot of the - the wonderful, you know, professionalism and the skills you all provide, but I feel like that - that says a lot about my growth as a leader as well, so yeah.

Erica: Absolutely. And… You have done um like so much during COVID. You don’t show up on the podcast hardly ever - like this is your first appearance, but everything that happens at the Music Project happens ‘cause Vasheti is kicking it. And we’re still all employed through the pandemic because Vasheti keeps doing what she’s doing.

And for me, that really speaks to the level of genuine community that exists at the Music Project. Um, and even during the pandemic, um, still - I still have found like real genuine community with everybody that is here. Um, and I think that’s allowed me to move forward this year, and continue to endure everything that’s happening - professionally and personally. Yeah, which kinda leads me into my second question is: what does the Music Project mean to you?

Vee: I definitely agree with what you were saying, Erica, about like it kinda - you know, this - this is a real community for me personally. And um, it goes beyond kind of co-workers that you just are around and then leave, you know? [chuckles] And um, I think, because it’s a place where we’re kind of envisioning who we want to be and constantly asking those questions, it’s this like space of possibilities. Like, in terms of work - how do we imagine music therapy/how do we try to enact music therapy in a way that is, you know, as aligned with our values as possible. And then, alongside that, it’s really hard to separate that from who we are personally, and being able to support and challenge each other personally too.

Colby: Yeah, echoing a lot of that. Um, the Music Project feels like home in a lot of ways for me - of like, all of my professional experience has been with Music Project, and it’s been so overwhelmingly positive, and like nurturing, and accepting. That like I really can’t imagine going somewhere else or working somewhere else unless like it had the exact same like vision and model that uh we have here. Um, and even hearing like other music therapists that, you know, I’ve been able to talk with - and some other like nonprofit workers in general - and their experiences, um, just like, there is such a special connection that everyone like on staff has here. As well as like the ideals that we share. Um, yeah, it just makes this place like [chuckles] such a communal thing that I feel so deeply connected to.

Sam: I’m just gonna say it’s a work family. That’s what it means to me.

Colby: I just - I wanted to kinda add onto that too. Like um, it’s also stil really respectful of like um any professional boundaries we want to keep up.

Katy: Yeah. I mean, I’ve been in business um since I was young - ‘cause I grew up in it. And so I’ve always known that there’s this boundary between like your personal life and your business life. But here, you know, I can just be myself. And, you know, I can see how being myself can also help in my career, right. So, when you feel free to explore who you are, you can grow in in more- um in all directions.

Vasheti: That’s beautiful, and that’s exactly the type of um - that’s exactly what we want to encourage.

Erica: Yeah. So, as we wrap up 2020 and we’re looking - the classic - like, it’s new years time so we gotta look forward now. Um, what is one lesson you’ll take with you into 2021?

Vee: Honestly, what Katy said about like um growing through experiences of breaking in the first question like really resonated with me. There’s been a lot of like loss, you know, on a really large scale um this year, and I’ve also had just a lot of loss um and crisis in my life personally this year. Um, and so I feel like, you know, this whole year has been a lesson of like us sort of being pushed into the water and seeing if we can swim —

Vasheti: Mmm —

Vee: With like several different things.

Vasheti: Mmhmm.

Vee: And like, um, you know, this moment right now looks so different than how we would have imagined it a year ago. And yet, there’s been space that’s been created for so many things to grow that we also didn’t anticipate either.

Amy: For me, I would say that one of the lessons I would take with me is to not be afraid of getting out of my comfort zone a little bit more, and to push myself into new things - even though they’re a little bit challenging at first. And also, just to not be so caught up in the daily work of everything, and the grind of - of all the logistics that you don’t enjoy with being with your clients. And appreciate them, because that’s a really special type of relationship you have with music therapy clients and that they have with you. And there’s a lot of great ways that they can surprise you - and things that you can learn from them.

Yana: I really appreciate that, Amy. Um, something that I’ve been able to put words to this year, and that I will definitely take into next year, is um just uh playfulness and wonder being a part of like who I am, and who I am uh when I share space with um whoever I’m sharing space with. And um, just embracing that more and like all of the possibilities that that leaves space for. SO…

Erica: I think, like a lot of people - this is very relatable - that they feel some level of imposter syndrome at times in their job. And I am really coming into um a level of confidence over my capability. And so I can - I can move forward in continuing to practice that like self-assuredness - that I am qualified to do what I do, and like trained enough to do what I do. And also stand okay in like it’s okay to not know what I’m doing.

Colby: Uh, a lesson that I think I’ll really take with me is how much everything and everyone is connected. There’s a tv show called Avatar the Last Airbender - you might have heard of it. Um, but it - something that they talk about a couple of times is that the biggest allusion of this world is the allusion of separation. Everything is interconnected, um and like more and more this year has like really revealed that. And I wanna like really internalize and hold that for the rest of my life moving forward into 2021 specifically.

Katy: Just like, for me, like just maintain your balance. Just have that be on the forefront like, you know, yes, make sure all your work is done, but now also go take care of yourself.

Vasheti: Right.

Katy: Just, yeah - just figuring out how to best take care of yourself through all this. ‘Cause it’s - uh, it’s - it’s - this isn’t over yet.

Vasheti: So one of the things that I wanted to bring up was uh we do a visioning session. We, sometimes at our conference room, will draw things on our white board that we would like to see happen. And so, in looking - last week, because, you know, we’ve not really been full time in the office for probably this last 6 or 7 months - and I just happened to come across the vision board. And there were quite a few things, surprisingly, that all had - had either surprisingly come to fruition, or were. - were coming true.

And so, I - um I think as we look towards the future, uh, you know, when we - whether subconsciously - set intentions towards things, um, you know, they - they happen. And so, I think it’s important for us to - to put it out there and to make those plans. And so I think when we have those moments to - to give some intentional thought towards the future, whether it seems completely like there’s no way that it could ever be a realistic thing, I am here to tell you that, looking at that vision board - those things on there that seemed like they would never happen - today, through COVID, are coming true.

Cassie: Yeah. And something I think very fondly of is like our very first board that happened very spontaneously, with staff just leaving little like dreams on the board. And then that evolving into a situation where we’d be sitting in a meeting, like, “put it on the board!”

[Vasheti chuckles]

Cassie: Like let’s make it happen, too, because [chuckling] some of our things had already been happening. And I mean, like there are some staff on this Zoom call right now that had been on the vision board —

Vasheti: Right —

Cassie: Like, we had new music project home on the vision board, and we have a new home. Like just a lot of beautiful things that like have been realized for us.

Vasheti: Mmhmm.

Erica: Yeah. So in wrapping up this conversation, um my final question is: what do you hope for 2021?

Vasheti: I hope that we serve 5000 individuals, and that we are 100% funded, and that we save the world. [Laughs] It’s a tall order, I know, but —

Sam: That’s hard to follow —

Katy: How do we put that on the vision board?

[Katy, Sam, Erica, and Vasheti laugh]

Sam: Draw a globe.

Yana: I mean, Zoom has a white board feature, just, you know —

Vasheti: [Laughs] I know, we’re gonna have to uh - we’re gonna have to create our vision board through Zoom now.

Sam: With all of the things that have happened this year, I hope that people don’t forget, and don’t revert to a version of normal —

Vasheti: Mmhmm —

Sam: But these things that have been happening keep going. Such as more accessibility to services that people have been asking for for years.

Vasheti: Definitely. Definitely, Sam.

Yana: Yeah —

Vasheti: I think one of the things that we have - you know, one of the really beautiful things that have - that has come out of COVID is the telehealth services. And that has been something that we have been um really a goal of ours for music therapy, even prior to COVID. So the fact that this was, you know, one of the blessings in disguise - because it really fast tracked the telehealth for us. And that has um really opened up accessibility um significantly for - for our clients. It is not ideal to do music therapy through telehealth - I think everybody can agree to that. But, when you look at the accessibility, and who we are able to reach, um it is a really good trade off, I think. And it’s still something that we’re really um looking forward to continuing and hope - and maintaining - definitely long term - and forever.

Amy: On that accessibility note, I think that’s kinda something that we all want as we are more developing ourselves in the community. Um, and one example of that is that the therapists have been working together to learn more Spanish so that we can increase our outreach and our services for people who wouldn’t normally have access to it because of language barriers. And so I think that’s one thing I hope, specifically for our future, is - is being able to connect more with people who speak different languages than we do. But also just in general, to make what we do available to everybody, and to really reach out and become more of a part of our community.

Cassie: I think what - Sam, you were saying, is just really continuing to resonate with me. And just thinking about these hopes that I have - I - I think a lot of us, in different ways, have increased our awareness of a lot of things during this time. Um and I think I just hope, for all of us, that we continue to build on that - and continue to build and support some change that’s needed - and some of which has been needed for a long time, right? Yeah [chuckles] that’s - that’s a lot. Like, that’s 2021 and beyond. [Laughs] But I just - there’s a hope for - that people - people continue to practice that awareness, even as we - whenever we start to come out of this pandemic. Um, that - that we just continue finding our way to - to practicing that awareness, and seeing what we can do in our own lives, and how we can um, yeah, support change in a lot of systems that maybe have not made it easy to.

Erica: Yeah. Just wanna thank you all for hanging out and doing this today. It is really not often we all just sit and have a conversation for an hour without a very specific agenda in mind. And I appreciate all of you.

If you’d like to know more about the Music Project, please visit our website at S as in Sam C as in Cat Music Project dot org (scmusicproject.org). On our website, you can find transcripts for every podcast episode. We encourage you to connect with us on social media @SCMusicProject on all social media platforms. Never miss notifications for new episodes and other projects. In fact, this next week, you do not want to miss the episode. It’s gonna be so fun - so special - I cannot wait for you to hear it.

A second big thank you shout out to all of my work family at the Music Project. I have so much love and appreciation for each one of you. Thank you, listeners, for listening. And we will talk to you next time.

[Podcast outro music plays.]