My Music Therapy Moment

Yesterday, I had a Music Therapy Moment! This deserves the italics because it was a time where I felt that music therapy was working and making things better for a client. It was an individual session. This client is really engaged by electronics and spends most of our time together either messing up the iPod or trying to play a DVD. Yesterday, however, the iPod was in my bag which I left at home. The client wasn't able to do anything in the routine.

So, what did we do? We made music. The client found a microphone and set it up on the stand (we didn't plug it in). I played the piano - a blues riff in C. We scatted. My non-verbal client used the microphone to sing - syllables - and I sang too. We made music for about 15 minutes before the experience came to an end.

We moved from the piano to the guitar back to the piano. We scatted, we "whoa-oed," we slid up and down the scale. We created a musical piece that existed in the moment and for the two of us...and then it was finished.

If my administrator had walked in at that time, I think that person would think, "Oh look. That student is having so much fun singing."

There is more to what was happening than just having fun singing. The client was engaging me in making music. The client was making decisions - now it's time to play the guitar - now it's time to make these sounds. The client was expanding musical experience from what was usual to something new.

I am fortunate in that I get to see these moments. I get to share them with my clients. I have the opportunity to facilitate some of these moments as well.

I am so lucky in my choice for a profession.