Improvisation - There and Gone

I spent most of the latter half of this week improvising motor therapeutic music experiences (TMEs).

I love doing that.

I took my guitar, started a chord progression, and let everything develop as it went along. Clients were engaged, everyone was moving, people were tapping their toes and clapping their hands, and I cannot remember a note of what came out of my mouth.

Not one note.

That always happens with me. I improvise wonderful songs that evaporate immediately. I wish I could remember them, but I've learned over the years that those songs aren't meant to be repeated. They are important for the clients in the moment, but they are meant to be replaced with the next song.

Over the years, people have made suggestions about how to keep those songs for posterity - use a recording app, write them down immediately, lots of things - but I just don't worry about it. For one thing, I would have to record every session on the off-chance that I might improvise something worth recording, but it doesn't happen during every session. That's a lot of recordings that have no purpose and would breach client confidentiality and all things ethical. The other consideration is that I would have to stop my music therapy intervention with clients to write things down, and that defeats the purpose of a client being in music therapy treatment. Doesn't it?

I don't always plan for improvisation. During the first session where this magical music occurred, I just didn't want to use any of my old, tired, very familiar motor TMEs. I was tired of them, so I figured that my clients were tired of them as well. During the subsequent sessions, I did plan for some improvisation. I decided I would make up new songs to get to my TME goals - motor coordination and structured movement. We also threw in some leadership opportunities and social awareness for good measure. I changed my pitch centers, my accompaniment patterns, and my chord structures for each song.

Like I said, I got lots of participation from clients and from staff members as well. It seemed that everyone wanted to hear something new. 

I will spend some time in the next several weeks writing new songs. It seems that my creative impulses and songwriting ideas are back after being dormant for quite some time. This makes me feel happy - I've missed my songwriting impulse.

There will be some songs that will be written down. There will be many, MANY others that will serve their purposes in the moment and then will disappear from my memory. Both situations are meant to be and are things to look forward to.

Happy Saturday! 

(I better get started reading my Synthesis Sunday chapter so I will be ready for tomorrow!)