I Give Up...
My last group session yesterday was a mess.
It was such a mess that I gave up. I gave the only two kids who were sitting without screaming the iPod, a headphone splitter, and two sets of headphones. They sat, enveloped in their musical choices, while everyone around them engaged in full-blown tantrums, screaming, throwing themselves into drums, the walls, and each other. It was a mess.
There was no way I could compete.
The sheer volume in the room alone was ridiculous. Now, these students are students who have some impulse control, functional communication, and who have a bit more control of their actions and reactions to things than some of my kids who are more involved with their diagnoses. Again, it was a mess!
The only thing that went well with the session was that I managed to calm almost every client before they left the music therapy room.
We didn't do much music at all. But, when I looked around the room, I figured that any type of music would just add to the melee and the chaos. So, I put the guitar down, scrapped my session plans (which would have been lots of fun), and focused on one kid at a time.
We survived.
There are many possible reasons why this particular class of students had a massive meltdown at this time, but anything I would state here would be just plain old speculation, so why bother trying to figure it all out? Suffice it to say that it was a mess, but we survived.
I am hoping that today, the last day of group therapy sessions for the week, will be significantly better than yesterday afternoon! When I need to, I will make music. When I need to, I will put the music down and follow my clients' needs and indications.
Winter Break is coming.
It was such a mess that I gave up. I gave the only two kids who were sitting without screaming the iPod, a headphone splitter, and two sets of headphones. They sat, enveloped in their musical choices, while everyone around them engaged in full-blown tantrums, screaming, throwing themselves into drums, the walls, and each other. It was a mess.
There was no way I could compete.
The sheer volume in the room alone was ridiculous. Now, these students are students who have some impulse control, functional communication, and who have a bit more control of their actions and reactions to things than some of my kids who are more involved with their diagnoses. Again, it was a mess!
The only thing that went well with the session was that I managed to calm almost every client before they left the music therapy room.
We didn't do much music at all. But, when I looked around the room, I figured that any type of music would just add to the melee and the chaos. So, I put the guitar down, scrapped my session plans (which would have been lots of fun), and focused on one kid at a time.
We survived.
There are many possible reasons why this particular class of students had a massive meltdown at this time, but anything I would state here would be just plain old speculation, so why bother trying to figure it all out? Suffice it to say that it was a mess, but we survived.
I am hoping that today, the last day of group therapy sessions for the week, will be significantly better than yesterday afternoon! When I need to, I will make music. When I need to, I will put the music down and follow my clients' needs and indications.
Winter Break is coming.
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