If you’ve been following me for a while, then you know that I want you to be well, feel good, and make music.
My gift to YOU.
In addition, I would like for you to be insanely successful and happy in life. So, while you go about roaming the earth spreading the good word of making music and feeling so so goooooooood…
I want to give you something that will help you, your community, your loved ones, and your clients ring in the 2012 New Year with some excellent music-makin’ ju-ju. Watch the video here for some details on the gong.
I have partnered up with West Music in bringing a GONG to you! One lucky winner will receive a gong for the holidays. You must be careful to complete the THREE steps below to be eligible…
1. Enter your name and email here. I’ll need to have a good way to reach you if you win:
Now hit ‘Enter.’
2. Leave your response in a comment below.
The comment must be 100 words or less and include the following:
- What do you do, and where do you do it?
- What’s the biggest challenge you are facing right now?
- How can the gong help you achieve some success? Tell us what you’ll create with the gong—in your work, and in the world—when you ring in 2012 through your big challenge.
3. SOCIAL MEDIA EXTRA JUICE: Do you really really really wanna win? Boost up your chances by spreading #GongLove all over Facebook and Twitter!
**For Facebook, you must tag Sound Health Music. Like it so you can tag it. =)
**For Twitter, you must use the hashtag #GongLove.
(That way we can track your points!)
Copy and paste these to get the Gong train movin, groovin and rockin around the online Christmas tree!
Tweet this now: Tweet this now: Tweet this now: Share it all over Facebook and Twitter to earn extra points in the contest. Three shares on each Facebook and Twitter PER DAY are the max for extra points. The deadline is Friday night at MIDNIGHT (12/16). We’ll announce the winner the following Tuesday, Dec 20. The Official contest rules follow: By the way… West Music is so awesome that they are offering free ground shipping on orders before December 17th and free upgraded shipping (ground to expedited) on orders before December 21st. Click here to read details. Can you say “West is the Best?!” AND, if you happen to be a music therapist, you’d be interested in West’s music therapy instruments. Fo sho! Now leave a comment below to win the Gong!
I’m determined to win this brand new shiny gong from @KatFulton and @WestMusic! http://bit.ly/GongLove #GongLove
I’m ready to ring in the New Year with some #GongLove from @KatFulton and @WestMusic! http://bit.ly/GongLove
All I want for Christmas is some #GongLove from @KatFulton and @WestMusic http://bit.ly/GongLove
This year is a year to shake things up in the sensory and creative world. It’s been a journey to get through unexpected events of 2011 for everyone. I work through my own challenges best by injecting novelty and activity in the day.
I can see using the gong in my practice to have each client make a positive statement about themselves or a goal they’re working on and seal it in their amygdala w/ a ring of the gong as we start the new year. Or, one of my favorites for attention, using it for the “crash” in the theme of Haydn’s Surprise Sympnony. Also, for TIMP extension/stretching work for better ROM.
Thanks for the clever contest idea! You’re always ahead of the game. Love your ideas for keeping MT lively and fresh.
Thanks for your entry here Jan! Oooo – the crash in the Surprise Symphony- Love it! Excellent ideas for using the gong in your practice. Thanks for sharing -
Gong? Chuck Barris jokes aside, I love your idea of resetting your mojo with a good vibratory shake-up. It works! Attuning to your own vibe, a positive vibe that aligns the inner
you with the outer world to integrate mind-body-spirit magic, is awesome!
Thanks Kat!
Thanks Greg – Chuck Barris was before my time! No idea who he is. =)
Wow, a gong has been on my wishlist! I can see a ton of use for a gong in my work and personal life. I can see this being a wonderful tool for those times I speak with teens & college students about music therapy, in marking beginnings and endings of my assisted living sessions, as a part of my drum circle shares with seniors, as a great reward for the toddlers in my sessions.
In my personal life, I can see the ton of ideas you shared being part of the fun of visiting the Jordans.I can see using it to clear my space before yoga and meditation sessions. I can also see sharing this at church for special services like All Saints day when we remember those who have died.
Wow, I best stop. Thanks for getting the gong love going!
I am a student at Western Illinois University.
I am looking for internships and trying to finish my last two semesters on a high note.
In class, we worked on self care last year. It has become an important aspect of my life because we often forget to take care of ourselves. I feel that a gong could help start self care rituals. I also worked with a client this semester that needed relaxation in his daily schedule. I used the ocean drum and thundertube to create an ambience. Gong would have taken it to the next level for him.
Hi, Kat! Wow – what a great giveaway! I’m working primarily with kids with autism (a few adult groups thrown in there too) in the Houston, TX area, and I know that the gong would be a fantastic addition to my practice. I’m a classical percussionist by trade, so I’ve heard some acoustically pleasing gongs in my life as well as some… well… jarring-sounding gongs, and from listening to your video I can tell that the one from West is definitely the former!
I’m at a stage in my practice where I’m learning more and more each week about what I can do with the instruments I have and how I can use them to bring about healthy, positive growth in my clients. I think the gong would be tremendously useful for reinforcing affirmations with my adult groups, a great way to mark beginnings and endings of sessions (particularly in groups), and as a reinforcement for working/playing hard in sessions for my kiddos! I’ve stood next to a gong many a time in the back of a concert band so I know it’s a very sensory instrument (feel the vibrations!), and I know I could put that to good use.
Not sure if this is 100 words or less, but… here it is!
What do you do, and where do you do it? I am a music therapist working in Austin, Texas. I can use this shiny, lovely gong in my sessions either in client homes, or the clinics in which I work.
What’s the biggest challenge you are facing right now? Financial challenges are always a huge concern for me, as I’m still paying off school loans and my husband will be in grad school for the next year and a half. Music therapists have a challenge in that instruments can add up, so I have to really watch what I spend and budget, budget, budget!
Tell us what you’ll create with the gong—in your work, and in the world—when you ring in 2012 through your big challenge. : I have SO many ideas for this….I can’t wait to see if I’ll get to put them in action! I will use it not only with my clients (what an awesome reinforcer it would be for my kids who successfully complete a goal or task asked of them…I can only imagine the joy on their faces), but I will also use it for my personal life – meditation practices or just looking for that moment of peace.
Thanks, Kat!
What I do, and where:
I’m a special education music teacher, and almost finished my post graduate course work for music therapy certification eligibility at Shenandoah University. I run a program called Musical Autist Academy, where I give “adaptive music lessons for children with disabilities.”
We are located between between Baltimore and Annapolis, Maryland. Since May of this year we have hosted Sensory-Friendly Concerts, where children with autism have the opportunity to hear local jazz and classical musicians perform (in an environment they can tolerate, i.e. sensory accommodations) as well as for my students to experience performing for themselves, by being “opening acts”.
Biggest challenge:
Beginning the lengthy process of getting 501c3 non-profit status. It is also quite a challenge to accommodate common autistic behaviors during the SF Concerts, while holding fast to the vision that these are performances which are headlined by top caliber jazz and classical artists. Our motto: Equal Rights to the Fine Arts.
Overcoming challenges and ringing in 2012 with a cool gong:
Because I adapt performance opportunities to the abilities of my students, I have students who benefit from small roles in SF Concerts. This could include being a “gong player”. A gong hit would be a perfect way to transition between “listening” and “interactive” portions of the concerts!
I am certain I could put a gong to good use!
Thanks Kat for all you do!
Oh gosh sorry I think that was well over 100 words!
I’m a holistic branding strategist and intuitive designer… my biggest challenge is integrating my spiritual journey into my work – bringing more healing and psychic energy into interactions with clients. When I ring in 2012 with my new gong (courtesy the amazing Kat Fulton)… I’ll be opening space for more soulful connections with my clients, more enjoyment from my work, and best yet, creating an energetic space to create ART!
Hello Hello!
I’m a sophomore music therapy student at Georgia College & State University. The biggest challenge I’m facing is having patience. After going to the national conference in Atlanta, I found new motivation for music therapy and I just wanted to learn everything and do everything as soon as possible. But I realize that there’s a process to become the best therapist you can possibly be. I have to learn everything and soak it in at the proper time. I think the gong could help me slow it down and remind me to live and learn in the moment. I could also probably use it for my future sessions.
Hi Kat……….I continue to smile and be amazed by all the wonderful things that you put out into the universe………..I participated in the Boomwackers Party a couple of months ago and I have enjoyed following your blog.
I currently work for the Berkley School district (outside of Detroit) and provide music therapy services to students with Autism at the preschool level, elementary and high school. My service delivery at the elementary level was added this year and I have so enjoyed getting to know my new students. They are so full of energy and can’t wait to express their choices for songs and music experiences when they come into the treatment room….I think I could see the use of the “gong” in their future to help them relax a bit and learn to take turns! I also have a private practice in my home and I can imagine many uses for the gong there as well.
Biggest Challenge: Right now my biggest challenge is balancing all the things I am trying to do. Between work in the public schools, and my private practice and I just launched a new Facebook Page called Songs To Grow On where I have introduced a new musical interactive songbook called “My House.” Sometimes I have the tendency to work so hard that I don’t take the necessary time out for myself to relax and rejuvenate….maybe hearing about this opportunity to acquire a “gong” will get me moving in that direction of better self-care.
What I will create with the Gong? I would love to utilize the gong to establish some rituals for my students and private practice clients……….I love the idea of having each student ring the gong as they come into music therapy…………I love to compose and I could definitely envision myself writing a new closing song that features the gong in a specific sequence of melodies and rhythms. Thank-you for the opportunity to even think about this…………I have many instruments and I have never even given much thought to acquiring a gong………how awesome to have this come into my awareness……..
Happy Holidays to you Kat……….and my best wishes for a sweet and peaceful New Year.
Hi Kat,
You have knocked my socks off! But I didn’t pee my pants (not sorry about that!)
I am a music therapist in Metro Phoenix, AZ area and have just started my private practice. I have a new contract starting in Feb and will be doing after-school drum groups for middle-school and high school kids and wellness groups for adults. Thankfully I have drums and rhythm instruments but alas no gong – and I have always wanted one.
During grad school I took a class on Javanese Gamalon – I loved playing the big gong. After a long stressful day the vibrations and tones were so soothing. I would love to be able to share that feeling with others and help them reach a better level of wellness.
BTW Greg commented about Chuck Barris – he had a show called “The Gong Show” if your act was awful you got gonged…I am sure you can find it on you-tube!
I’m an MT-BC working in a facility that is mostly long-term care. I’m in “Recreation”, not doing much MT, though I do lead one session a day.
My challenge is to convince the new administration and corporate of the benefits that a full-time MT would bring to the facility.
A gong would be a great way to clear space in sessions I have! We’re usually out in the open, so it could help focus attention. In my personal life, I’ve begun a meditation practice. The gong would be helpful at the start and end of my ritual.
Thanks!
Bonnie here from the Groovy Garfoose…you know what would make my studio the GROOVIEST in all the land, Kat?!? A shiny, sensory-friendly gong! I know the vibrations and unique sound would capture several of my client’s attention and participation by strenghtening impulse control and musical anticipation through waiting. This is such a struggle for so many kiddos I work with who have Autism and this AWESOME giveaway would certainly help them attain success where they need it most and make me a very, happy MT! Thanks so much for promoting wellness around the world with the help of West Music, Kat! A blessed and happy 2012 to YOU!
As an Expressive Arts Therapist and Educator, I would love a gong to use in my classes when I teach Music Therapy. I would use that lovely gong in all the ways that Kat suggested in her video. I would also incorporate the gong into my other classes like dance movement and drama therapy. The gong would be a wonderful addition to my course in Transformational Arts where we focus on ritual and meditation to access the deeper and transcendent parts of our psyche. I love the idea of incorporating a gong into my practice with all people and practices I work with. Thank you Kat for this wonderful gift.
Greetings Kat! This is Danae, a fellow board certified.
This 2011 year,
I’ve traversed I fear,
The United States far and wide!
I began as a new graduate in the Carolina states.
Not long came to pass,
Spent a year, went by fast,
In Seattle for a career to (patiently) wait.
Recently returned to NC when I discovered this contest!
Using gong for instrument play, transitions,
Greetings, stress relief – be it my mission,
Giving myself, colleagues & clients only the best!
I see the biggest challenge ahead to learn, advocate & teach.
The difference longing to make,
Clearly will take,
Personal goals quite far to reach!
The gift of a gong, not just for song, many ideas I wish to delve.
From hospital to home,
Wherever this MT-BC may roam,
May it help to ring in 2012!
Went over my 100 word limit. But it was fun! Thanks for the opportunity!
I provide music therapy services with early childhood in a school-like setting as well as in individual homes. In addition to MT services, I facilitate drum circles and rhythm events for organizations throughout Central Illinois.
Biggest Challenge: Stress. I have several projects going on and rarely find time to just be. I love the idea of addon a musical element to my day that is solely for “clearing the air”.
Gong Success: the gong will no doubt provide a sense of peace in our home and in an otherwise stressful time. a clear beginning and end. 2012 will be a year of change and cleansing. At work, the gong will be used to enhance group morale. The gong will be used to offer positive reinforcement. Make a good choice, play the gong. Meet a goal, play the gong.
Aside from kissing my husband, the gong will be the first sound and act of the new year.
And Kat Rocks
what an amazing giveaway! We are in the midst of a move and there have been so many times we have wanted to strike a gong to clear the stress! Right now I am caring for two littles full time and working very part time- but I just started co-facilitating yoga-drum sessions, and a gong would be awesome! Not to mention the fact it would hang in our new foyer for all to ring. Did I go over the word limit??
I’m a music therapist in Kansas City, mostly working with elders. I’m also a mom to an active almost-toddler. My biggest challenges are balancing all of my career and family roles and dealing with finances so that my husband and I can be fully present for each other and our daughter when we’re at home. The gong is such a powerful instrument for transitions. It could be an awesome way to frame (some) sessions and to help me shift among my various roles. I would also love to see my little one toddle across the room to strike the gong!
Let’s see… right now I am a music therapist in south Georgia and I work with adults with DD. However, I am in the process of moving to my hometown near Atlanta and beginning to work privately with preschoolers-adolescents.
My biggest challenge right now is the transition from A to B as well as the transition from working with adults to working with kiddos. Big changes… GOOD changes.
And… the gong would be a great thing to win because I am in the process of purchasing my own instruments for private practice. Who knew instruments could be so pricey? I’ve only been a Board-Certified MT for about a year now, so I’m still a newbie to it all.
So wonderful to have met you at conference!
Thanks for all you for the field of music therapy.
You’re a beast.
(and I mean that in the best way…)
I am a music therapist at Connecticut Music Therapy Services, in Connecticut of course
I work with older adults, children and adults on the spectrum or with DD, as well as children with mental health issues.
The biggest challenge I face right now is trying to prepare my car for this winter-hope it won’t be as bad as last year
The gong will help me expose the my clients to a new sound. I work with a handful of very fragile individuals who can use all the sensory stimulation they can get! Additionally, one of my after-school community based groups LOVES when I share various instruments from around the world. Lastly, it would be a great tool to use for my own personal DIY recordings
.
Great Gongs,Kat! You have so many deserving people entering this contest, I really shouldn’t be here…as I have some beautiful gongs myself. I don’t have one as beautiful as this one though ( I don’t know a facilitator who has enough instruments )
I am a Facilitator in Vancouver BC Canada working with people from birth to 103 doing Outside of the Box Music Making. I would use this gong in the wonderful ways you have suggested and also for a Yoga Nidra/ Guided Visualization with the Cancer patients I play with at the BC Cancer Lodge.
Again…many thanks for your ideas, spirit and amazingness!!!
I am a music therapist, adapted music teacher, and owner of CODA Music Therapy Services, LLC (based in Lansing, MI). I primarily contract within special education and run an inclusive early childhood music & movement program.
A challenge I face is keeping my adolescents excited about ‘music class.’ New instruments are ALWAYS exciting, but our budgets just keep getting smaller and smaller. Not only would a gong be cool for the older kids, but I know my AI kiddos would love the deep sensory of the vibrations and my SXI students would be more motivated to reeeeeeeeeeach.
Post 100-word entry – Added bonus: the theme of my August 2012 wedding reception is ‘Tropical Zen.’ How cool would it be to kick off the party with a gong?!?
Ahhhhhh sooooo… the GONG of Kat!
The gift of its soulFULL resonance
To the weeeeeeeeeee ones I teach movement & music
the Gong gifts a shift in countenance
the magical encounter, the WONDER of SOUND!
For the young people I tend
from broken families, some no home at all
the GONG gifts the Sound of ONENESS,
Sacred ritual & Community
For the Women I guide into their depths
the Gong marks the entry
the sacred potency of the journey
And to my own divine heart,
the Gong stirs my
Wild Craitura daily into my reality.
Oh the Gong of KAT RINGS OUT
its LIFE for MANY & Allllllllllll
love you, Kat, and your great GIANT GONG HEART!
xoxo
Aloha! TaKeTiNa, a rhythm-based meditative group process, guides us in developing our natural potential for embodying rhythm and music. As the only certified teacher in Hawai‘i, I’ve offered circles nationwide for thirteen years.
Helping participants strip away the world’s noise and reach the essential heartbeat that connects us all is my challenge.
The gong serves as a door to that reflective place. In silence, we draw the rhythm we have experienced over three hours more deeply inside. The gong gently signals the end of this respite: It’s time to bring what we have experienced back to this world and share.
I would absolutely LOVE to win this gong! I currently have a private practice in Austin, TX and am totally starting over. Getting this gong would be a wonderful addition to my practice. I am currently working towards opening my own clinic and having a Gong in that space would be just what I would need to keep the space peaceful, energized, calm, motivating, whatever we need in the moment. Of course I would also travel with the gong to my outside groups. They would love an opportunity to play the gong!
Gong Love is just what Joyful Noise Music Therapy, Inc needs!
Stephanie Shehan, MT-BC
Ancient Chinese gong makers and metallurgists believed the vibrations of the gong to transcend planes of existence. Thus allowing a sort of exchange of energy and information..
Your gong is a beautiful gesture of communication.. good luck to all..!
What do you do, and where do you do it? Music Therapy private practice in Dallas TX
What’s the biggest challenge you are facing right now? Getting Married and Moving!
How can the gong help you achieve some success? I don’t really need to win the gong. I just wanted to support Kat!!
Hi! My name is Michelle and I am a music therapist at a day program for adults with developmental disabilities as well as a hospice program. With hospice I travel from home to home or facility to facility to visit individual patients. Losing my patients when they pass is a challege. I think the sound of a gong for a patient on hospice could be very healing. Anything I can do to enrich the last days of their live is so precious to me. With my adults with developmental disabilities I am often working on sensory integration as well as self expression. A gong would be such a new and exciting sound for them. I find it rather difficult to facilitate group activities with them because of all the individual attention they require. I think a gong would be a great instrument to gather around! Thanks for your time!
<3 Michelle
I work with people with developmental disabilities from age 12 to 40. I can imagine how my clients respond when they hear the powerful sound. I grew up outside of the states where gong is a traditional instrument. I don’t know exactly what I will do with this gong but definely with combination of western and eastern. It’s going to be fun with some improv. Gong is used for special moment. The highlight of a music piece.
The biggest challenge to me is learning. Too much to learn to be a good music therapist. To much to learn to be a independent woman in her first year of 30s. But I believe I can overcome. Y ^_^ Y
Hi Kat! Great contest. I don’t really need another percussion instrument at this point in my life (ask my wife Jen) so I’m not entering the contest. BUT I did think of an idea where I could use it in my practice. OK it goes like this…The clients can get up and do whatever they want. When a group member can’t take it anymore they get up and smash on the gong and we all laugh…Oh wait maybe that’s not such a great idea for a therapy group and besides, it’s been done before… yes with that comment I declare my age. Thanks for offering this opportunity. What a fun idea!
-Mike
I currently supervise a Creative Arts Program which serves children and adolescents ages 2 to 25. Many of the individuals served are diagnosed with ASD and/or other developmental disabilities. In addition to my supervisory role, I also serve as the music educator/music therapist in a private academic school with a special education component. We are all vibrating beings within an energy body. In my experience, the gong’s vibrations can serve to create a deep state of relaxation thus releasing a thought flow in our minds. The gong’s vibrations can also stimulate movment and serve as a cue for teaching self-regulation. What a versatile instrument! This wonderful instrument would be a wonderful addition to our resources and help to promote further healing and therapy for all the individuals whom I serve.
Nice job Kat…this is super creative!!!!
I am a music therapist and I contract all over the state of Massachusetts working with adults and children with neurological and physical disabilities.
The biggest challenge I’m facing right now is promoting music therapy as a related field that requires substantial work over a period of time. That it is not necessarily “entertainment” all of the time that is “for hire”.
Interning years ago I got to work with several gongs and absolutely loved the sound and dynamics that it brought to the sessions.
I would love to create meditative spaces during my music based relaxation groups and use the gong to show others (who are willing) where pain resonates in the body.
Hey, if I don’t win, this is inspiring as all get up and I’ve absolutely loved filling this in!!!
p.s. You should come up here and go to yoga-gong night at the local yoga facility!!
I cannot say how much I love your energy and enthusiasm. It’s INFECTIOUS!
I currently provide in-home individual and group music therapy services for children with developmental delays. I also recently started an interactive music enjoyment and appreciation group at a local charter school. My hope is to eventually have a space of my own in which clients come to me, but as of now I’m a road warrior
Probably one of my biggest challenges is finding more clients. I have a decent client load right now, but I would love to expand and grow. With the way the economy is, families can’t necessarily afford to pay for extra expenses, including music therapy. But I still am floored at how many families continue with music therapy, often finding other places to cut in order to keep services. I’m going to keep plugging away at it, and with the extra time I have, that gives me a chance to learn new songs, make new flash cards, visual aids and work on my website that has fallen to the wayside (I’m still keeping up on the Online Zen posts though!)
I feel that the gong would be one of those “WHOA” instruments with my young clients. I would use like to use it in group settings to facilitate transitions, as well as just allow the children to rock out on it. I would use to address motor skills as well within my sessions. As it was noted in an earlier comment, when you are in private practice, purchasing instruments can be expensive. Outside of my business, I am a couponing, freebie, BOGO, and frugal type of gal, so when I heard about this opportunity I had to jump in!
Thanks for all that you do Kat!
Kat, I LOVE your energy! I am a music therapist & drum circle facilitator working with elders with Alzheimer’s Disease. I would love to see the energy that the gong would bring into the sessions. In addition, I have 7 year old twins and we often need some energy re-balancing in our crazy house! :b
I’m an MT pioneering a brand new private practice in Portland, OR! Woot!
I’ve been eyeing a few gongs for a while……(that sentence is a bit weird! hah!) and was thrilled when I saw your contest! Gongs are one of those instruments that really add that extra something in a session – whether it’s celebrating the end of a successful exercise, or creating an extra scary thunderstorm, gongs are just one of those special effects instruments that I would LOVE to own!!!
Problem: I’m still a bit broke! So shiny, fun, new instruments are on hold! But this contest may change my luck!! Fingers crossed!!
Hello! I’m a first year music therapist working in the great Rochester area with children and adults with various developmental disabilities!
The biggest challenge(s) I’m facing right now is finding the balance within myself. In the future I plan on learning more about personal wellness and becoming certified in Reiki!
So how would I use the gong? Well of course during my upcoming wellness adventures, but also during my music therapy sessions. I would be able to utilize this instrument with many of my clients during movement, relaxation or instrument playing interventions! My clients always love when I bring in a new instrument and spice up our selection!
Hi Kat, I’m a culinary nutritionist and nourishment counselor. I am based in the Washington, DC area but I do much of my work online with clients all over the world. I show people how to nourish themselves from the inside out. My greatest challenge is running my business on the east coast while trying to bring some light and love (and better care) into my elderly father’s life. I would donate the gong to his care facility and ask the staff to use it call the residents to dinner so that they would be eating “together” instead of trickling in and eating all alone at their respective tables. I think the sound of that gong would bring healing to the residents and maybe even the overworked, underpaid staff.
Thank you for all that you do to bring light and love and music to the people you touch.
What a great idea! I’d like to see the Gong used in our Taketina class. Our teacher Deborah Masterson uses different instruments in class, and the gong would be an excellent addition. I’d like to win this for her, and have the whole class benefit.
Hi Kat!
I’m a music therapist in Jackson, MI! I own Harmony Garden Music Therapy Services. I have an onsite music therapy clinic and also travel around the mid-Michigan area providing music therapy services in classrooms, and community settings.
I LOVE to use improvisation techniques and musical arrangements in music therapy. There have been MANY times in the last 5 years where I have wanted to use a gong, but could never afford to purchase it for my clinic. I always substitute for a cymbal or splash in these occasions. However, there is NOTHING like the sound of a gong to center an experience/group, grab the attention of clients, or to add to the true experience of a musical arrangement. I would LOVE to use a gong in my sessions and it would have a special place in my clinic to be stored properly. I service individuals of all ages and abilities – birth through end of life care. I can think of hundreds of ways to use this one item in all avenues of service and would be excited to offer that in 2012.
Thanks so much for this opportunity! You are so creative and inspiring in the MT blog world. Merry Christmas!!!
What do you do, and where do you do it?
~I’m a music therapist living in Los Angeles.
What’s the biggest challenge you are facing right now?
~Figuring out the best way to advance my career and my private practice.
How can the gong help you achieve some success? Tell us what you’ll create with the gong—in your work, and in the world—when you ring in 2012 through your big challenge.
I would like to use the gong for personal growth. I feel that if I were to be the lucky winner, this instrument would be a reminder of the blessings I have, and the encouragement I receive from other music therapists via social networking. It can be challenging start a private practice, and I feel that receiving will be a reminder to me to stay positive, motivated, and centered on success.
Also, I would look forward to using the gong within music therapy session once I have spent the time, effort and energy towards advancing my skills and expertise.
I believe in the healing and transformative qualities of using chimes, bells, and gongs for grounding healthy feeling states. I would love to have an instrument to help me stay emotionally balanced and feeling groovy.
Hello! My name is Jamie and I am a HealthRHYTHMS trained facilitator. I work at UC Irvine at the Student Health Center for my day job. I have been working to bring group empowerment drumming to the students at UCI. I have volunteered for 4 years during the Take Back the Night Marches organizing drummers to attend and drum for the march and do a performance each year. (It is an awarenss campaign on campuses to educate students about sexual assault and domestic violence). UC Irvne is the only campus we know of with drummers each year.
Last year I wrote a proposal to CARE (Campus Assault Resources and Education Center) that has been approved by the Director. I will be facilitating 4 sessions for the Women’s Peer Educators (Right to kNOw) and 4 sessions with the Mens Peer Educators (CHAMPS) and one combined session of men and women in February 2012. My goal is to build on this relationship and bring the drumming to all students accessing services through CARE.
Biggest Challenge: Working with my current supervisor and directors of the clinic to understand the importance of the group empowerment drumming so that they allow me to continue this program. I also asked for some funds for instruments but have been denied any financial assistance this year.
GONG SUCCESS! I would love to have the wonderful GONG to open and close each session with the students and then have the GONG join us each year at the TAKE BACK THE NIGHT MARCH bursting through the darkness as we march and chant!
Why would anyone want a gong? Because it is awesome! Truly the people who have written have marvelous ideas and reasons. There are infinite ideas and reasons.
My work is varied. Every day is new and I wear multiple hats as a freelance storyteller, music, dance and drama teacher. Imagine ringing in the Chinese New Year and then telling a dragon story of transformation!
I work Saturday mornings at a Literacy Center and can imagine how the energy of the room will shift into one of calm, focused energy as the families shift to anticipate “Holly time”. Opening and closing rituals and drum circles will be clearly defined as the delicious sound waves caress each person present.
My reiki and yoga practices will be strengthened with the additional healing vibrations of the gong.
It is hard to imagine any situation that can’t benefit from the gong. The pure sound is both inviting and authoritative. It is calming and energizing. This is a great tool to bring people together but also can be as powerful for an individual. My goal is simply to see more joy radiate into the world. Any way we can open hearts is to be encouraged. Imagine a gong inside a circle. Imagine circles radiating and expanding. Imagine a smiling world. .