I hope this post finds you all doing well and hangin’ in there! Kids are back to school (whatever that means..) and the weather is slowly beginning to change. Who is ready for fall!? I know I am! I love fall, the weather, the drinks, the soups, the football. But what really excites me about Fall is that it just means we are closer to Christmas!!! And I loooooove Christmas. I love giving, decorating, singing Christmas songs, eating and then eating some more! Watching millions of holiday movies. I. LOVE. IT. ALLLLL!
Anyways, now that I got that out of the way. Let’s chat about meaningful songs.
These are the songs that we hold so close to our heart because they remind us of a special someone, a special moment, a special time of year, a hard time in our life when all that got us through those days was that song or that album, or a really happy and exciting time of our life and that certain song brings us back to that day and that feeling. We all have them right!? I want to know what they are and why. I love hearing other people’s stories about their special songs. It might even be that you don’t listen to that song anymore because the feelings it brings back are so intense you just can’t do it.
I would like to share a story about a song that I hold very close to my heart. Somewhere Over the Rainbow. I love this song. I always have. From watching the Wizard of Oz when I was little with my Grandma and Grandpa to high school when I discovered Eva Cassidy’s rendition that absolutely slays. To singing this song after my Mom’s best friend passed away unexpectedly, then when my dear friend died after his battle with cancer and then recently at that same Grandpa’s side while he was passing and ultimately at his funeral.
This song brings about complex and polarizing feelings. I love this song because it brings me so much joy at times. I love the way to feels to sing, it almost warms up my entire body and makes my heart swell. But with that joy comes some sadness and feelings of loss. I often take small moments throughout the song and think about the ones who are no longer with me. I send them love and sing for their spirits. I don’t sing this song very often anymore. I love it when I do but it brings about such strong feelings, I find myself a bit exhausted after. However, when I do, I put my whole heart in it and it is so special.
Meaningful songs can bring about such complex feelings and I think it is interesting to explore these songs and the way the make us feel. I would love to hear from you about some of your stories and the songs that have impacted you throughout your life.
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.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Mattis nunc sed blandit libero volutpat sed. Sagittis id consectetur purus ut faucibus pulvinar elementum. Tristique risus nec feugiat in fermentum posuere urna nec. Faucibus in ornare quam viverra orci sagittis. Nulla porttitor massa id neque aliquam. Placerat in egestas erat imperdiet sed euismod nisi porta lorem. Adipiscing elit duis tristique sollicitudin nibh sit amet commodo nulla. Suscipit adipiscing bibendum est ultricies integer. Vel facilisis volutpat est velit egestas dui id ornare arcu. Risus ultricies tristique nulla aliquet enim tortor at auctor urna. Sed faucibus turpis in eu mi.
A scelerisque purus semper eget duis at tellus at urna. Purus in mollis nunc sed id semper. Egestas dui id ornare arcu odio ut sem nulla pharetra. Nisi lacus sed viverra tellus. Sagittis nisl rhoncus mattis rhoncus urna neque viverra justo nec. Libero justo laoreet sit amet cursus sit amet dictum sit. Gravida cum sociis natoque penatibus. Ac tortor vitae purus faucibus. Aliquet enim tortor at auctor urna nunc id. Felis imperdiet proin fermentum leo vel orci porta non pulvinar. Orci a scelerisque purus semper. Pretium vulputate sapien nec sagittis aliquam malesuada bibendum arcu vitae. Arcu cursus euismod quis viverra nibh cras pulvinar mattis. Pellentesque pulvinar pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus. Odio eu feugiat pretium nibh ipsum consequat nisl. Tempor orci eu lobortis elementum nibh tellus.
Urna condimentum mattis pellentesque id. Sed felis eget velit aliquet sagittis id consectetur purus. Sagittis vitae et leo duis ut. Eleifend quam adipiscing vitae proin sagittis nisl. Sed egestas egestas fringilla phasellus. Risus nullam eget felis eget nunc. Quisque id diam vel quam. Tellus orci ac auctor augue mauris augue neque gravida in. Feugiat nisl pretium fusce id. Diam sit amet nisl suscipit adipiscing bibendum est ultricies. In est ante in nibh mauris. At in tellus integer feugiat scelerisque varius morbi. Vel risus commodo viverra maecenas. Eget lorem dolor sed viverra ipsum nunc aliquet bibendum. Iaculis urna id volutpat lacus laoreet non curabitur gravida arcu. Vestibulum morbi blandit cursus risus at ultrices. Facilisis sed odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed adipiscing. Varius sit amet mattis vulputate enim. Pellentesque nec nam aliquam sem et tortor consequat id.
Congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus mauris a diam maecenas. Accumsan sit amet nulla facilisi morbi. Id eu nisl nunc mi ipsum faucibus vitae aliquet nec. Tellus pellentesque eu tincidunt tortor. Urna cursus eget nunc scelerisque viverra. Neque volutpat ac tincidunt vitae semper quis lectus nulla at. Semper feugiat nibh sed pulvinar proin gravida. Eget velit aliquet sagittis id consectetur purus. Odio tempor orci dapibus ultrices in iaculis. Nam at lectus urna duis. Enim praesent elementum facilisis leo. Bibendum enim facilisis gravida neque convallis a cras semper auctor. Vitae elementum curabitur vitae nunc sed velit dignissim. Vel fringilla est ullamcorper eget.
Mi ipsum faucibus vitae aliquet nec. Eget egestas purus viverra accumsan in nisl nisi scelerisque. In nulla posuere sollicitudin aliquam ultrices sagittis orci a scelerisque. Tortor vitae purus faucibus ornare suspendisse sed nisi lacus sed. Quis imperdiet massa tincidunt nunc pulvinar sapien et ligula ullamcorper. Facilisis magna etiam tempor orci eu lobortis elementum. Ac ut consequat semper viverra nam libero justo laoreet. Id velit ut tortor pretium viverra. Id semper risus in hendrerit gravida. At tellus at urna condimentum mattis pellentesque id nibh tortor. Porttitor lacus luctus accumsan tortor posuere ac. Commodo elit at imperdiet dui accumsan sit amet. Interdum consectetur libero id faucibus nisl tincidunt eget nullam. Bibendum ut tristique et egestas. Proin fermentum leo vel orci porta non pulvinar neque. Ullamcorper eget nulla facilisi etiam. Justo eget magna fermentum iaculis eu non. Ac turpis egestas maecenas pharetra convallis. Pellentesque elit eget gravida cum sociis natoque. Nulla at volutpat diam ut venenatis.
Alison Smiley 