TME Tuesday: The Reasons Behind

This will not be my traditional TME Tuesday post - I am currently enjoying the early morning hours of World Music Therapy Day as well as the aftermath of Independence Day here in the states - so just be prepared.

Today's post is called, "The Reasons Behind." This is a brand-new idea that is floating in the back of my head. I intend this to be a song that addresses the reasons that I have for doing what I do - music therapy. This is not really a song intended for therapeutic purposes at this point, but I think it will be readily adaptable to some clientele. (My kids, probably not so much, but I could see this type of song being the TME for a group of people exploring their own patterns...hmmm).

I go into songwriting through different paths.

Sometimes I start with lyrics. Other times, a melody line floats into my head. Today, I feel compelled to start with a chord progression.

I've been obsessed with a specific chord progression lately. It comes into my fingers in those moments when I am sitting by myself in the music therapy room, warming up my voice and my guitar fingers. I don't have any songs with this pattern in them, so the progression just stays in my head. I've promised myself that I will figure out a song to go with the progression, and I think today is the day.

The progression is as follows:
I///IV///I///IV///vi///V7///vi///V7///I///IV///I///IV///vi/V7/I///I///
(4/4)

Lyrics are coming to me. (This is a first draft, of course.)

It's important to think about the reasons behind choices.
It's important to explore the whys.
The reasons behind my becauses show me the path I choose to take.
The reasons behind. (Maybe repeat this phrase??)

My life is one full of music, rhythms, and melodies.
I get to play music all day.
I have the privilege of watching others change in the course of a song.
These are some of the reasons behind.

This is a start.

What are your reasons behind being a music therapist? Why do you do this job? Why did it choose you to begin with? Share in the comments!

Happy World Music Therapy Day!

July 5, 2016 www.musictherapyworks.com
 

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