TME Tuesday: It REALLY Doesn't Matter Which Song...
... all that matters is what the client and the therapist do with the music.
It's that time again. People are asking questions like, "What song should I use with such and such population?" Many of these folks are new professionals or students, but at the moment, these type of posts are happening more and more in my social media feeds.
I have difficulty answering these questions in a way that doesn't come off as condescending or just plain old snotty. So, I don't answer.
Instead, I save my thoughts and comments for this blog.
Now, let me preface this post with some disclaimers...
The reason that I believe that training someone to respond in one way to one musical cue is negative is that the person becomes dependent upon the presence of the signal in order to respond. I had a young man who had been falling asleep to one tape for several years. He had become acclimatized to the musical environment and was conditioned to fall asleep when he heard that particular music. Then, he moved to a different place that did not have the same musical environment. He didn't sleep. No one could identify why he was, all of a sudden, having difficulty sleeping. Once I heard the situation, I asked if he could get a copy of the music. He could, and, voila, the problem went away. What happens when the musical stimulus changes or is taken away?
Anyway, I feel strongly that the actual song itself is not what matters. It is how the session participants use the music that is most important and is at the core of music therapy.
What does this look like during a music therapy session?
This is the problem - it is very difficult to describe what happens musically, mainly because we aren't really trained to think about what we are doing musically - we just do it.
So here is an example (very simple example) of what I mean about using the music rather than focusing on the song.
Client A and client B enter the music therapy room. I (the therapist) start to play my guitar and sing the opening instructions, basing my tempo, volume, and lyrics on how the clients are moving. "Find your name and sit down. Sit down." I notice that client A finds her name and sits. Client B is wandering around. I first change the lyrics. "Thank you Client A for sitting down at your name. Client B, where is your name? Find your name." Client B continues to wander around the room, coming up to me, leaning in and grinning at me. I change the lyrics and the volume of the music. "Client B, find your name and sit down" sung at a quieter volume due to the proximity of the client to me. Client B grins at me again and then sits down at his name. I change my volume again to include everyone and change the lyrics to indicate the completion of the first task. "Thank you, client B, for sitting down. Thank you, client A, for finding your name. It's time for music therapy."
The song itself is not really important. The melodic line and harmonic structure might have something to do with how my clients respond to my initial musical offering, but it is the entirety of the musical experience that makes this a music therapy experience (not just the music, but the therapeutic relationship as well - oh goodness, I feel another rant coming on. Must. Resist. The. Rant.)
I feel someone out there thinking, "but isn't there lots of evidence that client-preferred music is effective in gaining cooperation and engagement from the client? Doesn't that mean that the song is important?" Yes, but we all know that just listening to client-preferred music isn't music therapy. Anyone can put an iPod on someone, but that doesn't mean that the person is getting music therapy. Music therapy means and requires more. More interaction. More information. More engagement. More musical manipulation.
Think about those times when you have really felt fully engaged with a client. What was happening musically? Did you find a groove? Were you engaged in music making with each other in a way that provided you both with opportunities to express yourselves, interact with each other, and make music? What were the characteristics of the music that you noticed?
I try to think through the musical elements and characteristics of every song that I write and every song that I use in my sessions. This is because I want to know what my options are when it comes to adapting the music to fit my clients, the session, and the environment. To do this, I use either a mind map or a chart. You can see examples of both if you look at other TME Tuesday links (those with TME ideas attached - you can find the charts here) or if you look at Sing a Song Sunday posts (for the mind map examples).
It is my contention that it really doesn't matter which song you use during a session to get to a particular goal or task. What really matters is how you use music (or the song) to get to that goal or task.
It's that time again. People are asking questions like, "What song should I use with such and such population?" Many of these folks are new professionals or students, but at the moment, these type of posts are happening more and more in my social media feeds.
I have difficulty answering these questions in a way that doesn't come off as condescending or just plain old snotty. So, I don't answer.
Instead, I save my thoughts and comments for this blog.
Now, let me preface this post with some disclaimers...
- I do share lots of songs with you all, but I don't feel that sharing songs makes the process music therapy. Let me explain. I purposefully title all of these offerings as Therapeutic Music Experiences (TMEs) rather than Music Therapy Interventions/Experiences, etc. This is because I can offer an experience that may have therapeutic benefit for someone, but it is the job of the client and the therapist to turn any music into music therapy. The songs themselves are not music therapy. I believe that every music therapist has a responsibility to change the elements of music to accommodate the client sharing said music. For me, it is the individualization of the musical experience that makes anything music therapy.
- I think that we are trained at an early music therapy experience stage to think of what we do as "songs" rather than "TMEs." I remember it from my own experiences as a practicum student and as a practicum supervisor. "What song are you going to learn/use for this experience?" The safety net of a specific song was something that I needed as a practicum student, but it really wasn't something that I needed at all. I thought I did, but I probably would have been better off thinking about the music rather than the song.
- This is my opinion and mine alone. If you don't agree with my opinion, you are welcome to discuss it in the comments. I welcome discussion and debate.
The reason that I believe that training someone to respond in one way to one musical cue is negative is that the person becomes dependent upon the presence of the signal in order to respond. I had a young man who had been falling asleep to one tape for several years. He had become acclimatized to the musical environment and was conditioned to fall asleep when he heard that particular music. Then, he moved to a different place that did not have the same musical environment. He didn't sleep. No one could identify why he was, all of a sudden, having difficulty sleeping. Once I heard the situation, I asked if he could get a copy of the music. He could, and, voila, the problem went away. What happens when the musical stimulus changes or is taken away?
Anyway, I feel strongly that the actual song itself is not what matters. It is how the session participants use the music that is most important and is at the core of music therapy.
What does this look like during a music therapy session?
This is the problem - it is very difficult to describe what happens musically, mainly because we aren't really trained to think about what we are doing musically - we just do it.
So here is an example (very simple example) of what I mean about using the music rather than focusing on the song.
Client A and client B enter the music therapy room. I (the therapist) start to play my guitar and sing the opening instructions, basing my tempo, volume, and lyrics on how the clients are moving. "Find your name and sit down. Sit down." I notice that client A finds her name and sits. Client B is wandering around. I first change the lyrics. "Thank you Client A for sitting down at your name. Client B, where is your name? Find your name." Client B continues to wander around the room, coming up to me, leaning in and grinning at me. I change the lyrics and the volume of the music. "Client B, find your name and sit down" sung at a quieter volume due to the proximity of the client to me. Client B grins at me again and then sits down at his name. I change my volume again to include everyone and change the lyrics to indicate the completion of the first task. "Thank you, client B, for sitting down. Thank you, client A, for finding your name. It's time for music therapy."
The song itself is not really important. The melodic line and harmonic structure might have something to do with how my clients respond to my initial musical offering, but it is the entirety of the musical experience that makes this a music therapy experience (not just the music, but the therapeutic relationship as well - oh goodness, I feel another rant coming on. Must. Resist. The. Rant.)
I feel someone out there thinking, "but isn't there lots of evidence that client-preferred music is effective in gaining cooperation and engagement from the client? Doesn't that mean that the song is important?" Yes, but we all know that just listening to client-preferred music isn't music therapy. Anyone can put an iPod on someone, but that doesn't mean that the person is getting music therapy. Music therapy means and requires more. More interaction. More information. More engagement. More musical manipulation.
Think about those times when you have really felt fully engaged with a client. What was happening musically? Did you find a groove? Were you engaged in music making with each other in a way that provided you both with opportunities to express yourselves, interact with each other, and make music? What were the characteristics of the music that you noticed?
I try to think through the musical elements and characteristics of every song that I write and every song that I use in my sessions. This is because I want to know what my options are when it comes to adapting the music to fit my clients, the session, and the environment. To do this, I use either a mind map or a chart. You can see examples of both if you look at other TME Tuesday links (those with TME ideas attached - you can find the charts here) or if you look at Sing a Song Sunday posts (for the mind map examples).
It is my contention that it really doesn't matter which song you use during a session to get to a particular goal or task. What really matters is how you use music (or the song) to get to that goal or task.
Comments
Post a Comment