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Written by: Mikayla Hill
Domestic violence is a topic that has been receiving more and more attention throughout the past 10 years. As it came out of the shadows and was discussed openly there have been many avenues that people have used to raise awareness, knowledge, and advocate for domestic violence survivors. Music and song writing has been one of those avenues. Domestic violence can be found in many genres like country, rock, pop, and rap, dating all the way back to the early 1900’s. One example is a pop song ‘Love the Way You Lie’ by Eminem and Rihanna. The song emphasizes the cycle of domestic violence with lyrics “cuz when its going good, it’s going great. But when it’s bad, it’s awful”. Rock artist Alice Cooper wrote about a woman in an abusive relationship in his ballad “Only Women Bleed”. In his lyrics, he sings “he lies right at you, now you hate this game. He slaps you once in a while and you live and love in pain”. The pop band Green Day, wrote the song “Pulling Teeth” about an abusive relationship where the woman is the abuser. While this is less common, in real life and in songs, there are situations where the husband is the victim of domestic abuse; violence is not limited to one gender. These are only a few examples. If you take the time and do the research, you will see songs about or referencing, domestic violence throughout the decades. There are several pros and cons to listening to these songs. They consistently remind you that domestic violence is a harsh reality in this world. They raise awareness that this is a larger social issue than we’d like to believe. As awareness, knowledge, and advocacy for domestic violence survivors grows there will be an increase in services, specifically directed to and for survivors. However, if we are not careful, we can become desensitized to the painful reality of domestic violence and the need for survivor services, by accepting and listening to these songs without thinking about their meanings and implications. When we continue to let discussions happen without taking a stand with survivors, we enter into the dangerous territory of apathy. We as consumers, must do a better job of fighting against the attitude of indifference towards domestic violence. Songs that push the message of domestic violence are here for a reason. Whether they push for acceptance of domestic violence or a societal revolution it still reminds us that we have a job of listening, hearing, and advocating against violence and services that help domestic violence survivors.
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 Mikayla's Blog Post:
Hello Everyone! My name is Mikayla Hill. I’m a new face at Small Steps Music! I am a college student at Gordon State College, and I am interning with Small Steps Music this semester. You may see me around the practice observing music therapy sessions and music lessons, completing work in the office, and shadowing Mrs. Natalie and Ms. Michaela! I am looking forward to learning and accomplishing new things throughout this experience. I am 21 years old and I love Jesus, music, and spending time with friends! I am a member of Crestview Baptist Church in Griffin, Ga and I serve in the worship band by playing piano and singing. I also can play the acoustic guitar, bass, and a little bit of the violin. My favorite instrument to play is the piano because my love for music formed fourteen years ago during my early piano lessons. Now I can play the piano to serve in church, use it to express and regulate emotions, and teach others to play it as well. Currently I live with my family and two dogs. In the picture above I am the one all the way to the right wearing the black vest. My parents, Thomas and Tricia, are on the left. Josh, the middle sibling, is in the middle wearing the white shirt and to his right is my youngest brother J.T. If you could not tell from the picture, we are all Auburn fans! We love going to Auburn football games together and going on vacation to the beach! I graduated from high school in May 2017 and enrolled in Gordon State the following fall semester. I am now a senior at Gordon and will graduate in December 2020 with my B.S. in Human Services. Human Services is a multidisciplinary profession that integrates psychology, sociology, government, and administration. This type of education prepares students to work with individuals and communities to improve the delivery of social services and to assist individuals and families in functioning as effectively as possible. In other words: Human Services is dedicated to people helping people. Some examples of Human Services careers are government and private social services agencies, vocational rehabilitation centers, substance abuse centers, counseling and therapy, foster and adoption, and residential facilities treating the elderly and intellectually challenged. Throughout the past year I have looked at career opportunities for myself that combine my love for music and passion for helping others. Naturally, I started researching music therapy and became extremely interested in it. With this internship I am wanting to gain knowledge, experience, and a love for music therapy and all it’s components. My plan after graduation is to obtain my music therapy equivalency degree and become a Board-Certified Music Therapist. But until then I will enjoy my time at Small Steps Music with everyone! I hope to see you around! ______________________________________________________________________ Areanna's Blog Post: Small Steps Music, a place where students can learn, laugh, grow and develop many skills, and truly learn how to become better musicians! Through my time at Small Steps Music, I have learned so much. To say the least, I have grown into a better learner and musician myself. After studying under the wonderful Natalie Generally and Michaela Shockcor, I got the push I truly needed to truly work hard to become the best Music Therapist I can be. When observing these wonderful therapists, I was able to experience students learning piano pieces, guitar, improving speech or communication skills, and so much more. Little do people know, before I started interning at Small Steps Music, I knew nothing about the guitar. The moment I mentioned that, both Natalie and Michaela worked with me on those skills. However, there were different targets each time I came in. For example, this week was guitar, and the next week we would be sure to talk about things to know for graduate school, or being able to observe a student so, you can write up the best plan. I’ve enjoyed my time there more than ever, and I truly look forward to learning more about a variety of techniques when working with students. I can’t wait to improve on my guitar skills, as well as preparing for graduate school and the challenges that I may face while finishing my program.
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