TME Tuesday - Stereo Symbol Movement


Good morning, fellow therapists, and others interested in using music as a therapeutic modality! It's TME Tuesday, so I'm repeating a TME that's been on my website (www.musictherapyworks.com) for some time now.

This is an example of how I use my TME format to organize actual ideas into therapeutic interventions.

This TME doesn't necessarily use specific music, but the musical intervention can be improvised to encourage clients with any type of musical preference - the therapist has to do his/her job!

Enjoy - mj


Therapeutic Music Experience

Stereo Symbol Movement

Mary Jane Landaker, MME, MT-BC


Purpose: To increase independence in lifelong leisure skills; increase familiarity with common symbols for electronic media operation; symbol recognition; divided attention to task; sustained attention to nonverbal cues; social interaction



Source: Original idea. © April 26, 2010, by Mary Jane Landaker, MME, MT-BC



Materials: Stereo symbol cards (Play/pause, stop, fast-forward, rewind); music source; OPTIONAL: dot spots to coordinate movements



Environment: Large space for movement – no chairs needed or wanted for TME; central location for leader to sit where he/she can be seen by entire group



Music: Recommend that music be used as background figure – moderate to fast tempo with or without lyrics to assist clients in continuing to move as directed



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

  1. Start TME by reviewing symbols.
  2. C=Ask clients what the symbols are, and accept all appropriate answers (arrow and lines, triangles, play, stop, etc).
  3. R= reinforce all responses.
  4. A=Note which clients are familiar and which are not familiar with the symbols
  5. Direct clients to stand and spread out in the space.
  6. Turn on the music.
  7. Display the first symbol.
  8. C=explain the desired movement. Play/pause = moving/ dancing as wished; Stop = freeze in place; Fast-forward = move in forward manner; Rewind = move backwards
  9. C= remind clients to watch for changes in the symbol presented by the leader
  10. A= watch who can attend visually
  11. R= compliment clients who change when cued. Redirect clients who do not appear to be attending to visual stimulus
  12. Change symbols as desired, offering opportunities for client success and continued visual attention
  13. R= continue to reinforce clients for appropriate completion of cues
  14. R= choose client to take place of the therapist
  15. Repeat steps 7-14, continuing to reinforce group members for attention to task and appropriate interactions.
  16. Close the TME when clients start to show signs/symptoms of no interest, fatigue, or increased arousal



Therapeutic Function of Music: Music acts as motivator in this TME as it is an environmental stimulus to encourage continuous movement. By including music that has a moderate to fast tempo, the clients have the rhythmic impetus to move. However, the music may also act as a distraction for clients who have difficulties with attending to multiple forms of stimulation simultaneously. Clients with many difficulties may respond better to a sung stimulus paired with a visual stimulus rather than the use of music as a background figure.



Adaptations:

  • Decrease stimuli by removing background music and using a song that includes the directives displayed by the leader
  • Use targeted symbols to decrease number of desired responses – e.g., use only play/pause and stop symbols



Extensions:

  • Pair visual stimuli with auditory stimuli – e.g., play/pause sign with specific melodic figure, stop sign with different melodic figure. Play melodic figures randomly without regard to the visual stimulus to assess attention to stimulus form as well as to assess attention to task
  • Encourage clients to develop own movements for symbols. Keep movements somewhat aligned with what the electronic medium does when specific buttons are pushed.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dear AMTA

Dear American Music Therapy Association: I am debating long and hard about remaining in this relationship. I have been in this relationship since college, and this is not a decision that I am taking lightly or without great cost.  I am not happy with what you are bringing to this relationship. Now, I have been a selfish partner over the past several years - mainly because I am not feeling like we share a common mission anymore. It is easy for me to place the blame on you, but I know that this is not all on me. I have tried to be invested in communication and support and understanding, but everyone comes to a time where enough is enough. I am trying very hard to decide if the benefits that you provide to me are worth the feelings that I have about where I think you and I are going. I am not sure that our destination is the same anymore, and this makes me sad. To be completely honest, I am only in this relationship these days for the music therapy interns. I don't think that is a hea...
Read more

Songwriting Sunday: Repetition

Image
One of the things that I find to be helpful with my client population (children, adolescents, and young adults with dual diagnoses) is repetition of phrases, lyrics, and music. As a result of 30+ years of working with this population in various iterations, I have found that my clients respond the most to songs with three repeated phrases to prime their responses with a different phrase to communicate the important part of the experience. DISCLAIMER: This is not a definite way to write music for clinical interactions. This is what seems to work well with my particular group of human beings. Don't go to your supervisors and tell them that I told you that this is the ONLY way to write music - It is NOT! You have to find what works for your clients and for their clinical goals. Since my clients respond well to this type of song, I tend to write songs in this format more than any other. What I have found is that my clients remember these songs more than the ones that I do in different f...
Read more

Being An Internship Director: On Hiatus

Image
It has been long enough since I have had an intern that I am seriously feeling like I have little to say on the subject. At the same time, I am currently writing Chapter 5 of my general internship handbook, so I am able to write about being an intern and what types of things to think about during this important time in our professional development. It is a strange place to be in, and it is one that is a bit challenging for me. Right now, I have had three vacant internship positions since the beginning of the calendar year. I will have a vacant position next month and that will be an entire year of rejected offers. In the past nine months, I have offered positions to three applicants who have declined. It is interesting how people complain that there aren't enough internship programs, but programs like mine are empty. I guess there aren't enough internship programs that pay large stipends (which mine cannot) out there. I get it. It is interesting to me how we have moved from an ...
Read more