To Screen or Not To Screen - Is That the Question?

Yesterday, I was asked if I wanted a smart-type system for my music therapy room, and it plunged me into a long standing debate that I have with myself on a regular basis. Do I want a screen in my room? Do I want a room that is screen free? Now, this is the first time in about 15 years that I have been asked this question by my administrators, and the last year has shown that having a screen can be important when forced into quarantine situations, so I am actually contemplating it as something that will be good to have available...I think.

I am torn and have always been torn on the use of technology in my music therapy clinic. Video games and apps are very reinforcing and easy to use in interaction with people who struggle with interaction with anything, but they are also somewhat consuming - in my experience, a device takes over attention and sometimes hinders opportunities for interaction with other humans. So, I have negotiated other things for my clinic area than smart boards. I got a full set of Orff instruments 15 years ago instead of a smart board, and I have not regretted that request AT ALL!

Now, though, I have seen some of the conveniences that are present if you have this type of technology. I admit that I like the idea of being able to create YouTube content from my music therapy room and posting it from one system, but I am also hesitant because I try to decrease dependence on screen interactions during music therapy. It is easy to turn on a video to explain a concept rather than figuring out how to teach it.

I am, though, thinking about the next music therapist. I do not plan on being in this job forever, so I do need to think about the music therapist who comes after me and what that therapist might need. Since I get this opportunity only once every 15 years, it might be a good thing to get on the technology list, even if I don't intend on using the screen very much. If I make this decision, then the next music therapist can use it however he/she/they like.

Here's the deal, though.

My room needs carpet. I currently have to navigate two carpet remnants that fray daily, are not tacked to the ground, and that cause slips and falls in my room. The remnants are portable which is both good and not good, but they also shed carpet glue dust like nobody's business! It is the texture of fine sand and impossible to clean completely. I am sure that this is not the best thing to happen around my lung sensitivities, but I've lived with it for four years now. I am ready for a change.

So, my choice is clear - I would much rather have carpet than a smart-type board. If it comes to a choice situation (which it usually does around my facility), then I want half of my room carpeted rather than having a computer board that can be broken by clients but also offers a gateway to extended resources. The decision for me is clear. The decision for the future music therapist is also clear. They are not the same. Therein lies the problem.

So, I continue to debate this concept in my head...for me...for future music therapists...and for my clients.

In a perfect world, I would get both things, but I work for a non-profit organization that has to make difficult decisions about things, so often my department is either overlooked completely or is last on the priority list. Just to be asked if this type of system is something that I would like is quite amazing (unfortunately). I am trying not to get excited about either possibility - if these things happen, they probably won't happen for another year yet. No use in planning for something new...

I know that there are benefits to having a device in my room. I could FINALLY have all the icons that I want students to have available without having to store binder after binder after binder of choice boards. I could have some opportunities to select TMEs that are bulky now. I could introduce students to experiences that I cannot accommodate at the moment because of my screen-free policy. We could use music composition apps and make videos and do things that I have not been able to do because my current technology doesn't allow it. I also know that there are detriments to using devices in therapy. Clients are often unwilling to direct their attention from the device to someone else. There are daily tantrums in our classrooms around kids having to stop using the computers or the iPads to engage in other educational activities. It is easy to use the resources available to form the center of treatment. There is lots out there. I can see some benefits, but I also see some not-so-good things, too.

If I had a screen system this past year, I would have had a bit more convenience, but not much. I have done mostly live interaction with clients in this year with about a six week period of time where we had no interaction with clients at all. Having a screen system during that time would have been a bit more convenient than what I had available for content creation, but most of my clients would not have been able to access any streaming services or live sessions, so the only real benefit would have been being able to film myself in the music therapy room rather than in my music therapy office. That's about it. That's about the only thing that would have changed if I had a smart board in my music therapy room this past year. The other thing that could change in the future with such a system would be how our classroom staff members could "run" sessions when I am absent - it would be easy to run a program of curated videos and prerecorded music experiences to use when I am gone. That would be a benefit. That convenience would have been valuable for making asynchronous interaction possible, but, as I said before, most of my clients would not have been able to access those resources, so the ability to complete tasks would not be beneficial to my client group if they are unable to access the information.

So, I continue to debate whether this is something that is nice to have, something that is necessary, or something that is not needed at all. I am going to head into work debating this topic with myself - probably all for nothing because I will probably not get a system. Anyway, it's a good exercise in future thinking, I guess.

Happy Tuesday.