TME Tuesday: Repeat Post - How I Write TMEs

I believe that I have shared this before, but this seems like a good time to share it again. This is the format that I use when I am writing my therapeutic music experiences (TMEs). Parts of this came from my undergraduate education, parts developed during my internship, and the rest are the things that I've found to be helpful while sharing my TMEs with other therapists - interns, students, and professionals. This process and format has developed over the years and continues to change and morph into other ways to think about writing your TMEs to share them with others.

 Therapeutic Music Experience

Title

Name of Therapist

Purpose:       This is where you identify all of the therapeutic skills and elements that you will be addressing. (e. g., To increase eye contact; name recognition; peer identification; fine motor control; entrainment; impulse control) This needs to be a complete list.

Motor
Academic/Cognitive
Social/Communication
Emotional/Behavioral
Musical
Other

This chart is new and is a way for me to identify the domains that we work on during each TME. I am getting used to adding this into my new TME plans, but it is still a work in progress. I find that having things in table form make them easier for me to identify (gotta love being a visual learner), so I use tables for lots of different things.

Source:       This is where you cite the source of the application. You need to completely reproduce all information about the composer, the lyricist, and the person that first presented the application to you. Make an effort to find the original composers of all songs – look songs up on the internet for potential source material. If the application/song is your original work, then protect yourself by affixing a copyright symbol to the music that you compose. Include a date.

Materials:       List all of the things that you (or future therapists who are replicating this application) will need during the session. Do not forget accompanying instruments, specific song titles as well as music players, external speakers, wi-fi connectivity, electricity, etc.

Song/Chant/Words: Insert a picture of your music manuscript. If you cannot insert your manuscript, then add a hyperlink to the file so it is easily accessed by others. Also, if you cannot add your manuscript, include the lyrics and the chords to the song.

Procedure: R=Reinforcement opportunities; C=Redirection/Cue opportunities; A=assessment

1. This is the section where you perform a task analysis of the application.
2. You need to think through all of the steps that you will take, that the client will complete, and the possible responses that you will have as options.
3. Write them down.
4. Most procedures are very long.
5. Include times that you will provide reinforcements and times when you will provide redirections

Therapeutic Function of Music:       Describe why you would use music to accomplish the tasks/purposes identified at the start of the TME. What elements of the music itself assist you in completing the skill development of clients? What elements of the music have to remain constant in order to be effective in accomplishing the goals? What elements of music can change to accommodate the ways clients interact with you and with the music? Can this TME be used with different forms/musical pieces? If so, what are the criteria for choosing music for this TME?

Melody	Pitch	Rhythm	Dynamics	Harmony

Form	Tempo	Timbre	Style	Lyrics

Chart adapted from Hanson-Abromeit, D. (2010). A Closer Look at the Therapeutic Function of Music. Presentation at 2010 American Music Therapy Association National Conference: Cleveland, OH.

In the chart above, I write down specific information about each of the identified elements of music. For example, I will describe the melody - is it familiar? Scalar? Does it skip around? The pitch usually includes some information about tessitura and original presentation, but often includes a statement such as "can be varied to accommodate client preferences and needs." This statement reminds me that the client is still my focus, and it is part of my job to help my client engage. If my client cannot sing the song in the key of E but can sing it in the key of A, then shouldn't I play it in the key of A???

Adaptations:       What could you, as the therapist, do to make this TME work with different populations? If a client enters the session on his/her first day, what can you do to make sure that the client is successful? How do you need to change the TME so all of your clients are able to complete the tasks?

Extensions:       Imagine that the clients are able to complete all of the tasks that you have identified in this TME in two minutes, and you still have 30 minutes left of the session. How could you change the TME to provide more practice without boring the client? What is the next step in skill development? What would be a natural “next step” to the TME.

When I am writing my TMEs down, I find that thinking through all of these steps helps me really focus on what I want my clients to get out of the experience. These TMEs are always works in progress - they change as they are used with clients and thought through in more detail. I like working in digital form so that things can change quickly and pretty easily.

There you go.

This is how I organize my TMEs so that I can make up my session strategy plans really quickly, and this is the system that works for me.

Let me know what you think - what would you include?

Happy Tuesday.