I'm Heading to GLR - and I'm Bringing Something New With Me!
Next week I'll be in Kalamazoo for the 2026 Great Lakes Region Music Therapy Conference, March 11–14 - and I am feeling excited!
This year is a little different for me. I'm volunteering for the first time as the PR and Social Media Chair for the conference. I've attended the GLR conference on and off over the years and know it takes a village to create this event. Now I’m understanding even more how much energy goes into the conference behind the scenes. I'm really looking forward to meeting in person the music therapists behind the email addresses and social media images. Also, to see some MT's who I haven't connected with in years.
Something else that is exciting… This year I'm also bringing something I've been quietly creating for months: The First Contract Playbook for Music Therapists.
This is the guide I wish had existed when I started Harmony Garden nearly twenty years ago. It covers everything from identifying the right facilities and pricing your services, to negotiating contract terms that protect you and building the kind of facility relationships that keep contracts renewing year after year. Eight chapters. 20 years of experience and business building. It's all there - and these eight chapters are just the beginning…
I'll have a draft copy with me at the conference and I cannot wait to talk about it with the people who need it most - students about to enter the field, early-career MTs figuring out private practice, and seasoned therapists who are possibly in need of a new perspective and ready to start building something amazing.
And I won't be there alone. Nearly the entire Harmony Garden team will be joining me this year - and we have a booth!
This is Harmony Garden's 20th year, and getting to celebrate that milestone at GLR, surrounded by our music therapy community, with the team of music therapists who show up every single week and make this practice what it is - I honestly couldn't be more proud. Come find us at the booth, meet the team, and celebrate 20 years of Harmony Garden with us!
But honestly? Beyond the playbook, the booth, and the volunteering - I'm just excited to be in a room full of music therapists again. There's something that happens when we all get together that I can't fully explain. But, if you know, you know! I always come home refreshed, reconnected, and reminded of why I chose this work. I'm looking forward to seeing old friends, meeting new ones, and soaking up every bit of the conference excitement energy.
