Systems In Music Therapy Sunday - The Two Purposes of Color-Coding

It is Sunday, so it is time for me to unpack a routine, a procedure, or "the way I do things" into a bit more detail and try to find some sort of justification for why I do what I do the way that I do...

Today, I am going to unpack the way that I organize things using color.

I color-code lots of materials and ideas in my environment. I find that I respond more quickly to materials when I can easily identify their purpose quickly, so color lends itself to quick recognition for both me and most of my clients. The only clients who have difficulty with this type of system are those with various forms of color-blindness, and I have materials that they can access as well. I really do use color as a shortcut, and most of the ways that I use these colors are completely personal and are a trick for me rather than for anyone else.

The first way to use color is to help organize multiple sets of identical visual aids. This is where the color blind consideration comes into play. I find that visual aids are more effective when small visuals are shared by no more than three people, so I make multiple sets. In order to keep sets as complete as possible, I use four colors to coordinate the materials. These colors, red, blue, green, and purple, correspond to binders and paper folders that I give to small groups of clients.

Identical visuals for four sets of rock band folders.

I can easily scan a binder and pick out the visual aids that need to be transferred to a different binder. One green visual on the page full of red cards stands out pretty easily. My clients can sort the materials, and my co-workers can understand the system without needing instruction. I love how this has worked in my music therapy sessions for the past several years. I'm a bit disgusted that it took me so long to realize that multiple sets with color-coding is the way to go. 

Statements for my binders

The second way that I use color is to organize more of what I do as a music therapist. I have a card in my rolodex (one of my paper/pen organizing systems) that outlines the color code that I use to identify materials and therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) by goals, domains, and color. This system helps me to identify specific materials for specific goals quickly.

As you can see, each type of goal that I address has a specific color. I used the rainbow colors to organize. If I have a visual aid that encourages academic growth or cognition of some sort, I house it in a yellow file folder. If the material is something related to coping skills, it goes into a blue folder. Every goal area has a color.

My rolodex card with my code...

This system pays off in several ways. The first is that I can quickly pull materials for a specific goal area just by pulling out all the green folders from my stash of visuals. I can then scan the materials that are part of that goal, and put the ones that I want into my session strategy storage (oooh - alliteration!). The second is that I can also indicate secondary and tertiary goals on the folders by using additional stickers. So, if I am looking for a motor skill TME visual that also addresses emotional/behavioral goals - for example, something that would encourage exercise with some impulse control work - I can reach for a red folder with a blue dot. Inside that folder may be a board game that uses a timer for specific responses and requires elements of starting/stopping. Or, it may be a completely different type of TME that addresses the same type of goal in another manner.

This color-coding system is just for me. As I have stated before, I am a visual learner - I learn best by seeing something. As a result, color-coding is an efficient system for me. I get to use my colors the way that I want to - motor has always been red, I'm not sure why. I also can organize the materials by title names (in alphabetical order - another system that I love to use), but still quickly pull the goal-based materials that I need in times of quick session structuring.



I often wonder if other people use systems like mine to organize themselves. I love to know what works for others, and please feel free to comment about your organization system on this page or on the social media feed that led you here.

How do you organize your stuff? Do you use a code? Do you use something else to keep track of things?