What's This?
So, I just reviewed some comments about writing goals and objectives where a professor stated that she teaches her students to write objectives without referencing music. This concept really confuses me. If we do not reference music, what makes music therapy objectives uniquely music therapy objectives?
When I attended the same school, we were told that music was a requirement for writing objectives. I feel the same way to this day. How can we justify music therapy services if we are not demonstrating the unique nature of music as a therapeutic medium?
Here is the objective in question...
When cued by song lyrics, the client will play the instrument 2 out of 5 trials for 3 consecutive sessions with no more than 2 sung prompts.
Now, what I am not sure about is, do I remove all references to music or musical equipment or both??
Again, why would I want to remove all of those references? One of the fundamental issues in music therapy in special education services is the question of necessity. Therapists have to ask themselves, "Is this service educationally necessary?" If skills can be gained in any other environment, then justifying music therapy treatment is often difficult. School districts are not often open to spending money on music therapy if a speech therapist can address the goal as effectively as the music therapist. So, if the music therapist is not demonstrating the use of music in his or her objective writing, then how does he/she show that music therapy is educationally necessary?
Aaargh! I really wish that professors would talk to practitioners about the realities of doing therapy rather than following trends that others dictate. I am sure that this change in writing was spurred on by some obscure article about what music therapists SHOULD be doing rather than what actually has to happen in the real world to justify services.
When I attended the same school, we were told that music was a requirement for writing objectives. I feel the same way to this day. How can we justify music therapy services if we are not demonstrating the unique nature of music as a therapeutic medium?
Here is the objective in question...
When cued by song lyrics, the client will play the instrument 2 out of 5 trials for 3 consecutive sessions with no more than 2 sung prompts.
Now, what I am not sure about is, do I remove all references to music or musical equipment or both??
Again, why would I want to remove all of those references? One of the fundamental issues in music therapy in special education services is the question of necessity. Therapists have to ask themselves, "Is this service educationally necessary?" If skills can be gained in any other environment, then justifying music therapy treatment is often difficult. School districts are not often open to spending money on music therapy if a speech therapist can address the goal as effectively as the music therapist. So, if the music therapist is not demonstrating the use of music in his or her objective writing, then how does he/she show that music therapy is educationally necessary?
Aaargh! I really wish that professors would talk to practitioners about the realities of doing therapy rather than following trends that others dictate. I am sure that this change in writing was spurred on by some obscure article about what music therapists SHOULD be doing rather than what actually has to happen in the real world to justify services.
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