Welcome!

Hey team! Welcome to my blog! 

I’m not yet sure what is to follow, but for now please find an assortment of my ramblings, including things I like, facts I find interesting, subjects I want to learn more about, and topics I already know and care about.

Let me begin by telling you a little more about me. Where to begin? I guess the beginning.

My name is Alison Smiley. I’m 31 years old, I live in Northern Colorado, and I am the owner of a private music therapy practice, Hearts in Harmony Music Therapy LLC.

I was born in Colorado and raised by two lovely humans. My mom is an educator; she’s now semi-retired, but she still inspires students and educators on a daily basis. My dad is a semi-retired lawyer; he is one of the hardest-working people I know and he taught me how far hard work can take you when you set your mind to it. I have an older sister whom I adore. She is so talented and works her fanny off as an amazing theater teacher and director.

From an early age I thought I would become 1 of 3 things. My first dream was to become a Broncos player. In elementary school, I was convinced that playing in the NFL would be the path for me… I obviously was only going to play for the Broncos—shame on you if you think I was going to be caught playing for any other team! Around the same time, my second dream emerged: I would have been equally happy becoming a famous singer, as I loved singing as much as if not more than football. My earliest and fondest memories of singing are all in the car: my mom and sister and I would belt at the top of our lungs to everything from Mariah Carey and Whitney Huston to Elton John and James Taylor.

My third dream sprung from constantly playing “teacher” or “school.” I would line up all my stuffed animals and set up my “overhead” projector—remember those?! My favorite subjects to teach included social studies and language arts. 

At some point between 3rd and 5th grade I also told my family my dream was to dye my hair black and ride a motorcycle! While that was a short-lived dream, it is one I am still fond of—even though motorcycles now terrify me. If only I were so cool… I did, however, dye my hair black on multiple occasions. 

Unfortunately, my athletic skills were not conducive to becoming the first female Broncos player, and neither being famous nor riding motorcycles were the paths for me. Still, everything worked out—I get to combine two things that I absolutely love: playing music and helping others. I became a music therapist! Team, let me tell you that it is AMAZING! Is it hard? Yes. Is it exhausting at times? Yes. Is it fulfilling? Absolutely. Do I love it? 100%.

My path to music therapy was full of the good and the bad. Joy and tears with lots and lots of moving around and meeting wonderful humans. I started really considering pursuing music in high school when I decided to quit soccer to join the Jazz Choir my sophomore year. I had no real training in music when I was younger so high school was often challenging. I had to learn everything by ear, I could not read music, and I had no background in music theory. AT. ALL. When it came time to start thinking about my future, I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to continue pursuing music. However, I knew I couldn’t learn by ear alone. I was going to have to play catch-up and play it fast.

I decided on a community college in Southwestern Iowa. SWCC is a jazz vocational school that offers an opportunity for people just like me to take a year learning the fundamentals of music. It. Was. Hard. But it was worth it. Not only did I develop a foundation of musical skills at SWCC that has carried me to where I am today, but I made lifelong friends and learned so much about myself and about the world. Yes, even in Iowa! I could talk about these 2 years of my life ad nauseum! Some of the highlights: I cut 5 inches off my hair because I had a bad day in Jazz Keys, didn’t shave my armpits for 4-5 months, tried being a vegetarian, dropped all of my classes at least 3 times (then added them back on immediately because the thought of quitting music was more disgusting than the thought of failure), inherited a cat (who is still with me today), and fell in love for the first time. 

Eventually, I applied to a school in Nova Scotia, Canada, to continue my vocal jazz studies and to figure out what in the heck I wanted to do with my skills. My cat, my Dad, and I loaded up the Corolla and drove all the way from Colorado to Nova Scotia. Yes, that is a very long time in the car with your Dad. Poor guy… Poor me!… Poor kitty! We made it though. Only a few tears were shed during an eventful border crossing (I’ll save that story for another time). 

Nova Scotia was amazing. While completing my Jazz Performance degree, I sang in multiple funk bands (some of the most fun performing I have ever had), I worked as a Fairytale Princess for a local children’s entertainment company, and I continued to grow, learn, make mistakes, and make even more music. It became clear that I didn’t really want to teach music, nor was performance going to be the life for me. I was left with a profession I had been interested in since high school…. music therapy.

Post-graduation, I took a year off to live in the Black Hills of Wyoming and work on applying for a graduate-level music therapy program. I worked as a server at a local restaurant and played lots of music with a friend at a local pub. I ultimately applied to the University of Minnesota and the University of Kansas. Fully expecting to choose the U of M, I surprised myself and my family by choosing to attend KU.

I learned so much at KU: I grew as an adult; I learned to play guitar, ukulele, and drums (although you will never ever see me play a drum kit, it is terrifying). I found I had an interest in research, which culminated in my thesis: A Systematic Review of Attachment-Based Interventions for Caregivers and Young Children Living in Poverty. I love my alma mater; it is a wonderful school for anyone interested in pursuing music therapy as a career. Have any questions? I got you.

I finished my course work in two years. When it was time for my internship, I decided to go back to Nova Scotia. I moved back with my cat, in the same Corolla, only my mom accompanied me this time… this trip had fewer tears. I spent an amazing year working for a private practice in NS. I learned so much working alongside accomplished music, physical, and speech therapists. However, I soon discovered that Nova Scotia was just too far away from my family. Towards the end of my internship, I really felt strong tugs on my heartstrings to move home and to be with my family.

I got my first job working at a private practice in the Denver Metro area. I worked in Denver for almost 2 years. I met the love of my life, adopted a rescue dog, and decided to move to Northern Colorado. Three years later, I am living in Northern Colorado with my own music therapy practice! I will use this blog to share things I have learned along the way, as well as fun music therapy crafts, visuals, and songs I have written or that I love. I look forward to sharing my passions with all of you and I can’t wait to see where it takes us! 

Until next time, team! Sending you all love, light, and healing sounds. 

XOXO,

Alison