Music Therapy + Guitar-Pickin’!

By Kat Fulton on May 14, 2012 in Kat's Musings

Hey hey! Glad you found me. Take a look around, and please join my free newsletter. So happy you're here. =)

First, if you’re a mom, then I hope you basked in all the glory of Mother’s Day yesterday! I had a good, long, sweet heart-to-heart phone conversation with my mom yesterday. We talked about plants, veggies, varments, and just a splash of politics. She’s the best =)

Now, on to the guitar! I got a question from Margie, a percussion major who is preparing for graduate school in music therapy – exciting! She’s wondering about picking (no pun intended) up guitar skills. Click play to hear my answer!

Also, you can catch me pickin’ away at 3:35. (That one took a couple of takes, I admit. Whew!)

Learning to play the guitar is a requirement for music therapists. I’m so glad I’ve learned how to play because it comes in handy ALL the time – at parties, campfires, at BBQs. I love that the guitar is so portable!

If you hang out with me on Facebook, then you might’ve seen this photo recently:

You’ll be relieved to hear that my boyfriend and I stopped in a music shop after Mother’s Day lunch, and I got a new guitar! I needed a “therapy” guitar… one that can be thrown around and jostled about. 99 bucks later, I’m a happy camper.

I’ve got a proper “performance” guitar at home, too. It’s got a pick up and great action. But I like to use a less formal guitar for day-to-day sessions.

Now, Margie and I are curious… How did YOU learn to play the guitar? What kinds of books, tools, and mentors did you have along the way?

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Get More Energy With This Simple Tip

By Kat Fulton on May 7, 2012 in Music & Wellness, Older Adults

Do you ever feel the midday-3 o’clock exhaustion kick in? Usually that’s too late for me to get a coffee without having the jitters all night. But still by midday, I have people to see, things to do, and adventures to experience before the day is over.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to a belly dancing show that started at midnight! I was exhausted the next day, but here’s how I regained my energy… thanks to my client for showing me how.

I lost myself in something bigger than myself. Click play to hear my story:

Click to tweet the quote!

I learn so much from my clients about life, love, death, money, relationships, family, and you name it. I have so much gratitude for spending time with the people who I respect so much.

By the way, this morning I just read Rachelle Norman’s post on what to do when your client says “I just want to die.” I hear this at least once a year, and it really helps to see what others do! Check her post here. I think it would be helpful no matter the age of people you serve.

Back to the question:

When was the last time you lost yourself to something bigger than yourself?

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Free CMTEs & Business Owners Opportunity

By Kat Fulton on May 2, 2012 in Business & Practice

Hello readers! It would be a disservice to you if I did NOT tell you about this online business school coming up. I was enrolled last summer, and I’ve got Forever Access, so I am thrilled to be taking it again.

I hear in a lot of forums and listservs about how music therapists wish they had gotten business training in school.

Well, here is your chance, and it’s a stellar opportunity! Scroll down to find out about the free CMTEs you will receive upon enrollment.

This program and ALL the classmates I met while taking the course have helped me succeed in . . .

Fulfilling deep needs within the music therapy community
Seeking out others who are fun, motivated business people who have their hearts in the right place
Honoring and respecting my clients in ways that I had never imagined before
Helping more people, providing crucial resources, and inspiring others … all from my Facebook page (Check the new tabs over there! Those are thanks to connections from this course. Yup.)
Creating a balance between my day-to-day team who serves San Diego and my online business serving YOU
Running the Online Zennn course which is a self-study right now with an active, healthy FB forum community of smart music therapists running their websites
Getting mad testimonials for Online Zennn
Running the gong contest and my birthday giveaway (Notice how I can extract testimonials from those too?)
Finding the. best. designers. ever.
Finding the best web developer to make my new sites look stellar
Finding another awesome web developer who is working on a behind the scenes freebie on this site that will make your mouth water when it launches
Learning all sorts of techie things from my awesome classmates and course contributors.

I could go on and on, but let me get to the point~

How hard will you have to work? If you know me, then you know I am an efficiency maniac and I’m obsessed with productivity. I work hard, but I play hard, too. So, I’m not saying that you’ll be able to sit back, relax, and chill out through the course. No, you need to designate a project to work on for the duration of the course, then get it done in the course. Whether it’s your entire business or a specific smaller project. You’ll need to get ready to get serious (in a fun, playful way).

What if I’ve been in business for a long time? What if I’m new? Whether you are a seasoned business professional or a beginner, if you’d like to see your business grow, then this course is great for you. I cannot even describe to you how invaluable the connections have been for me from this course. There are so many people in this course who are incredibly successful with their businesses, it’s mad-inspiring. And they are all making it through this “new world” of web-based business communication like a bunch of champs.

The course kicked my business into high-gear fast because I was able to take action on all the directives as they came throughout the 8-weeks and 6-modules.

If you are ready to kick your business into high-gear, then I truly believe this course will help you get there with SOLID support along the way. I want everyone around me, including YOU as you read this post to be incredibly successful in life and business.

That’s why I’m recommending B-School.

Best part of this? Natalie Mullis and I are collaborating to offer you some free CMTEs if you sign up through our links. Keep reading . . .

Here’s the deal for enrolling in the course: We get a commission if you purchase the course through our special links when enrollment opens on May 11. We will give you the bonuses listed below if you click through our links. BUT you absolutely *have* to make sure you click on our link IMMEDIATELY before your purchase. You can use the links listed here OR on Nat’s website. It’s all the same.

If you purchase through our special enrollment links May 11 or thereafter, then we will give you these FREE bonuses:

Enrollment in Online Zennn self study (15 CMTEs), which means you get Forever-Access, and you will be enrolled for the LIVE course in 2013. (Current Zennn Masters will receive a refund for their previous purchase + CMTEs whether they paid for them or not last time.) Join our growing community of music therapists claiming their online territory and working the web!
Full-access to my new Online Business – Best Practices for Music Therapists beta-version course (3 CMTEs)
Getting Local With Natalie- 30 minute brain picking session on how you can up your local business!

?ref=KatF
and you’ll get the bonuses.

The image below is Marie’s humor and personality, but don’t be fooled. While her course is loads of fun, it is also step-by-step, deep, extremely thorough, and just plain smart & savvy for online business. She has really raised the bar online.

I truly, deeply believe in this training program. Visit Marie Forleo’s regular site to determine whether it’s a good fit for you or not. She has an addictive youtube channel, and a fun personality. If you’re anything like me, then you’ll love her from the get-go.

That covers it from my end! Now as Marie would say: Put your big girl panties on, and

Go sign up.

Let me know if you have any questions at all. Leave a comment below or contact me.

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WARNING: When Playing The Claves, Take Heed…

By Kat Fulton on April 30, 2012 in Drumming

I’m pretty much back from vacation, but still in the vacation-zone. I think I’ll be riding this wave for a while. =) Anyways…

Today, I wanted to show you something very important to know when playing the claves. It’s a super simple technique-fix that you can do in a snap. Then you can tell your clients about it, too.

I sing a little ditty for you around 1 minute. Click play to check it out . . .

Do you ever use the claves? Maybe you have more tips for us on claves? I’d love to hear about your clever clave creations!

PS The next newsletter I send out will have exclusive money-saving information inside. If you run a business, you do NOT want to miss out on it. Sign up for the newsletter here.

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Are You Thinking About Selling A Product?

By Kat Fulton on April 23, 2012 in Business & Practice

Putting a product out on the market can be one of the most rewarding, fulfilling, and exciting experiences as a business owner. One of the most important things I’ve learned is that in order to produce the highest value product, you’ve got to keep the customer’s best interests in mind throughout the entire product development process, even before the start and after the finish.

If you have grand ideas for a product you’d like to put out there into the world, NOW is the time to go for it. I have to say a bit pridefully that music therapists have top-notch expertise to share with the world. AND people in the world *want* to consume your expertise. The world needs your expertise.

Click play to watch my simple 4-step process to jump-start your product idea and spark the fire under your product development . . .