Just a Song Sunday: Forgotten Treasures Found in Song
One of my friends recently posted one of those "tell me which song reminds you of me" requests on social media. It was interesting to see what songs people associated with her, including some that I taught her and others that I hadn't thought of for quite a while. Why haven't I sung Mister Sun for years and years??
I find it fascinating which songs come and go in my music therapy mind. For years I sang a specific song for a specific client. It was the first song that he sang in front of his classmates. He would look at me with a twinkle in his eye and start to sing the verses he loved the best (angry and sick). He passed away two years ago, and I haven't been able to sing that song to anyone else. I have a reason for not singing that song, but there are many others that I used to sing that I no longer use during therapy.
There are many reasons why songs come and go in our music therapy lives. Some are associated with a particular client, others with a specific type of goal or objective, and still others because someone once said that they didn't like the song, so I stopped singing it.
When I start to analyze why I haven't sung particular songs (Mister Sun, for one), I don't find an easy answer. Since I sang that song in therapy sessions, my population has changed dramatically. I have only one class that would be age and developmentally appropriate for that song at this time. The students that I serve now would think that song was "a baby song," and no amount of convincing speech would make it not so. So, I don't even put that on my session strategy.
In some ways, I envy those therapists who get to work with a variety of populations, age groups, and those with differing therapeutic needs. I would love a day where I could go from singing Mister Sun to Someone to Watch Over Me to We Don't Talk Anymore with different clients. I guess I could still do that, but my clients don't fit all those songs easily. There would have to be lots of music education to go along with singing that music. I could do that, but I'm feeling lazy right now, so it seems like lots of extra work to get to use songs that I love.
This is one of the reasons that I keep my compendium of therapeutic music experiences with me at all times. When I am feeling stuck in the same six or seven songs, I look at the compendium and see new ideas and new TMEs. I also see old ideas and TMEs and my sessions are a bit more novel. I also forget that "oldies" to me are completely new to my clients.
What songs have passed from your session interactions over the years? Is there a place for them in your current music therapy situation?
I find it fascinating which songs come and go in my music therapy mind. For years I sang a specific song for a specific client. It was the first song that he sang in front of his classmates. He would look at me with a twinkle in his eye and start to sing the verses he loved the best (angry and sick). He passed away two years ago, and I haven't been able to sing that song to anyone else. I have a reason for not singing that song, but there are many others that I used to sing that I no longer use during therapy.
There are many reasons why songs come and go in our music therapy lives. Some are associated with a particular client, others with a specific type of goal or objective, and still others because someone once said that they didn't like the song, so I stopped singing it.
When I start to analyze why I haven't sung particular songs (Mister Sun, for one), I don't find an easy answer. Since I sang that song in therapy sessions, my population has changed dramatically. I have only one class that would be age and developmentally appropriate for that song at this time. The students that I serve now would think that song was "a baby song," and no amount of convincing speech would make it not so. So, I don't even put that on my session strategy.
In some ways, I envy those therapists who get to work with a variety of populations, age groups, and those with differing therapeutic needs. I would love a day where I could go from singing Mister Sun to Someone to Watch Over Me to We Don't Talk Anymore with different clients. I guess I could still do that, but my clients don't fit all those songs easily. There would have to be lots of music education to go along with singing that music. I could do that, but I'm feeling lazy right now, so it seems like lots of extra work to get to use songs that I love.
This is one of the reasons that I keep my compendium of therapeutic music experiences with me at all times. When I am feeling stuck in the same six or seven songs, I look at the compendium and see new ideas and new TMEs. I also see old ideas and TMEs and my sessions are a bit more novel. I also forget that "oldies" to me are completely new to my clients.
What songs have passed from your session interactions over the years? Is there a place for them in your current music therapy situation?
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