Use Your Words
Forgive me as I move into a bit of talk about spirituality here - I will try to keep it brief...
On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, I move into a different role than that of music therapist. In short, I am a church choir director. We have a Wednesday evening church service followed by choir practice. This past Wednesday, the pastor started talking about a letter sent to the early church in Colosse where the congregation was not able to communicate with each other. This bit of history started me thinking about the power of words...
One of the phrases that I use often is, "Use your words."
In my work with children and adolescents with developmental and psychiatric disorders, I am always attempting to encourage my clients to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and needs in a way that I can understand. My clients do not always use verbal words to communicate, but they all have "words." Sometimes their words are in the form of an object, sometimes a picture card, and sometimes sounds. One of my kids moves his mouth to indicate the answer, "Yes," when he wants something. Others clearly communicate their unhappiness by screaming or crying. Communication is a form of behavior, and ALL BEHAVIOR IS COMMUNICATION (emphasis intended).
It is important to be able to let others know what you want, need, or think. With the skill of communicating comes the opportunity to be an independent human being. I, as a music therapist, have to encourage each of my clients to find his or her unique voice, and, once we have found that voice, I have to listen to what each person communicates to me - even if I am not really pleased with what is being said.
Use your words sparingly.
How do you use your words when you are in the therapy session with clients? I am constantly challenging myself to use less words when I am interacting with others, especially when I am leading a music therapy session. I try to keep my speech to a minimum because I feel strongly that my clients respond better to music than to speech. There is no need for me to talk about something when I can show that same thing and get into musicking more quickly!
The use of words relies on a common pool of meaning. Everyone needs to know what every word means within a specific environment. My students who use sounds cannot communicate unless the receiver knows what each sound means within the context of the conversation.
It amazes me how two people can hear the same words and come away from a conversation with completely different messages.
Use your words carefully.
On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, I move into a different role than that of music therapist. In short, I am a church choir director. We have a Wednesday evening church service followed by choir practice. This past Wednesday, the pastor started talking about a letter sent to the early church in Colosse where the congregation was not able to communicate with each other. This bit of history started me thinking about the power of words...
One of the phrases that I use often is, "Use your words."
In my work with children and adolescents with developmental and psychiatric disorders, I am always attempting to encourage my clients to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and needs in a way that I can understand. My clients do not always use verbal words to communicate, but they all have "words." Sometimes their words are in the form of an object, sometimes a picture card, and sometimes sounds. One of my kids moves his mouth to indicate the answer, "Yes," when he wants something. Others clearly communicate their unhappiness by screaming or crying. Communication is a form of behavior, and ALL BEHAVIOR IS COMMUNICATION (emphasis intended).
It is important to be able to let others know what you want, need, or think. With the skill of communicating comes the opportunity to be an independent human being. I, as a music therapist, have to encourage each of my clients to find his or her unique voice, and, once we have found that voice, I have to listen to what each person communicates to me - even if I am not really pleased with what is being said.
Use your words sparingly.
How do you use your words when you are in the therapy session with clients? I am constantly challenging myself to use less words when I am interacting with others, especially when I am leading a music therapy session. I try to keep my speech to a minimum because I feel strongly that my clients respond better to music than to speech. There is no need for me to talk about something when I can show that same thing and get into musicking more quickly!
The use of words relies on a common pool of meaning. Everyone needs to know what every word means within a specific environment. My students who use sounds cannot communicate unless the receiver knows what each sound means within the context of the conversation.
It amazes me how two people can hear the same words and come away from a conversation with completely different messages.
Use your words carefully.
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