The Sub Plan Drawer

I have a drawer in my music therapy room that is labeled "Sub Pl ns." (The "a" keeps falling off, so I leave it off now.) In that drawer, I have the karaoke CDs, the regular listening CDs, the parachute, several instrument memory card games, a stack of tangram pieces, some games, and a couple of soft, squishy splashballs. Under that drawer, I have another full of music books - singable songs, books that play songs, books that I love, and books that my students often enjoy. These are the music experiences that I think anyone in my facility should be able to run and also are the ones that I don't really like to lead, so it works for me to leave these materials for folks to use when I am not able to be in the session (like the past three therapy days).

It is interesting. Most of the teachers in my facility do not send their students to the music therapy room if I am not present. I have significant options for people to use, but they would rather put a video on the Smartboard than to try music for themselves. There is no Smartboard in my room, on purpose, so most of the staff members choose not to go to the music therapy room when I am not present.


So, the sub plans are there and available for use at any time.

I find it fascinating that many of my co-workers will go to the art therapy room to "do art" when the art therapist is gone, but most of them will not go to the music therapy room to do my sub plan activities when I am gone. What is there about music that makes it so threatening for so many?

I'm afraid I know that answer.

While the ability to play with playdoh and color pictures is not usually judged, the musical skill of many is judged early and with authority. Most of my co-workers have had a history of music training ("I sang in the choir." "I played the clarinet for a couple of years."), but many of them have been discouraged by others in continuing in music for some reason or another. They feel that they can't do what I do - even when it comes to taking out a parachute and leading some games with music in the background. Nothing in the sub plan drawer requires knowledge of music or performance chops - I know better than that. Most folks will demur when asked to even play a tambourine with my students.

It is easier for many of my co-workers to search music videos on YouTube and play those than it is to go to the music therapy room and use that space for something else that is musical.

I wish I had a time machine that allowed me to go back into the lives of people to the moment when they were discouraged from acknowledging their musical selves. I would go back and make sure that the music teacher who told them "just mouth the words, honey" was sick that day. I would offer opportunities to play instruments. I would offer the suggestion that a person could play the flute and play football - it didn't HAVE to be either/or.

I wish I could remove the judgment that comes with being musical. I know that there is an amount of judgment that is inherent in music, but I've always wondered why. I know where most of the judgment comes from, but I wish it wasn't something that we determined early on. One chance comment can change someone's attitude towards music forever.

I try to be a good team member by providing opportunities for kids to come into the music therapy room during their scheduled sessions whether I am present or not. I guess I cannot force anyone to engage in music and that extends to my co-workers as well. I wish they would take advantage, but again, I cannot force anyone to engage in music.

I need to come up with something to do with my clients today that does not completely sap all my strength. I may be using the sub plan materials myself. Maybe not - maybe I'll just play videos on the DVD player. I'm not sure what I'll do. I hope I can come up with a solution by the time the first group arrives in the room.