Session Planning: Pinterest-Style

I admit it, I've been sucked into the world of Pinterest again. I've started a work-related account and am spending some time daily looking for TME ideas. I enjoy Pinterest, but I always start getting feelings of inadequacy when I look at it too long.

Right now, however, I am pulling together 7 weeks of session plans for our summer session. I figured that I could probably find some ideas by looking at what others have done, so I started off on Pinterest. Here's what may be happening in my music therapy clinic this summer...(if I get myself coordinated and dedicated to actually doing all of this)...

The Carnival of the Animals... I've never really used this music in therapy before, but it seems to be one of the foundation pieces of music education, so maybe my students are missing out on something. There are 14 movements, so it fits neatly within my 7 week plan. I figure we can put together fingerpuppets, hats, coloring books, instrument experimentation, and some songwriting. I also think we'll pull in some emotion exploration and a mural for the entire summer.

The trick to session planning, Pinterest-style is to use the things on Pinterest as idea generators and support materials. Don't get sucked into additional feelings when looking for ideas. Just look, and then get away!

There are TONS of things already generated based on the Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens. I can find the coloring books, the hat templates, and worksheets galore - all from the comfort of my own home computer. 

So, what's the problem?

I have this little thought that goes through my mind when I am pulling together session plans that goes a little like this...

"What makes this uniquely music therapy?"

Do you see my dilemma? I don't want to do things that do not allow for my prime directive (assist my clients to get to their treatment goals), but I also don't want to be stuck in a curriculum. I also want to offer my clients with a good experience, one that reflects what they have to give and to work on. 

So, I am going to listen to the recordings that I've just downloaded while I start to put together a 7 week session plan format. I want to make session plans that address all of the primary treatment goals for the 70+ clients that will go through this session series. While I am doing that, I will identify the secondary and tertiary goals that are addressed during each activity so I can make it into a therapeutic music experience (TME) series as well.

There are some structures already in place that I have to make work for us all. The first one is the session length. All the sessions will be 30 minutes and all groups will have two sessions per week. It just occurred to me that I could do one movement per session, but I think I will do two movements per week - I also want to split the groups into smaller groups (trying to do center-type stuff again). My primary treatment goals vary from client to client and group to group, so I will need to figure out TMEs that will address all of the primary goals at once... or at least most of them each time.

So, my end goal is not to teach my students everything there is to know about the Carnival of the Animals, but to use that piece of music to address other goal areas. We will work on motor planning, instrument play, emotional exploration, academic goals, behavioral goals (I'm thinking of coming up with specific animal coping skills to go with each of the movements. Hmmm.)

I will be going through my TME file to find animal-based TMEs. I will be listening to the Carnival of the Animals several times to increase my familiarity and inspire my thoughts about what I can do with my clients. I will write them down and then start to put together the session plans. The last step will be to gather materials and get them ready to go on the first day of summer school.

I think I will avoid Pinterest for the time being. It is time to think about what I can offer my students through music therapy sessions rather than being sucked into the world of perfect worksheets (my kids don't do worksheets) and music education standards. It's time to break away from the perfection presented on Pinterest and get into the messy world of my music therapy clinic.