TME Tuesday: Finding New Ideas

One of the things that my interns have asked over the years has been "where do you find your ideas for therapeutic music experiences (TMEs)?" This question always makes me stop and think because I do not really have a process for coming up with ideas - I just write down every single thought about things my clients might like to do when those ideas pop into my head. I keep those ideas all over the place - I really do need to come up with a system for this...it's a bit out of control at the moment.

Anyway.

I often start with something. A picture or a song that I hear on the radio or a toy that I really enjoy playing with that I want to introduce to my clients. My brain starts clicking.

For example, I was looking through some materials in my music therapy visual storage a couple of weeks ago and came across a True/False book that was originally a Teachers Pay Teachers file - here's the link. I'm not sure if the original designer, Sarah Gast-Allen, intended for this file to be turned into a book, but I had some time on my hands, some empty Dollar Spot books from Target, and an idea, so the file morphed into a book. I had not really come up with a specific TME that utilized the book, so I figured it was time to get something put together. (By the way, this will be one of the TMEs that will be included in my sing about mini edition which is being released tomorrow.) The book needed some reason to continue to be in my storage cabinet, so I used it as a starting point.

The TME itself is not difficult, and the book is unnecessary (which means that the TME itself is pretty sound, in my opinion) to complete the TME, but it is also a good object that can frame the TME. Does that make sense? For the TME that I shared with my clients, I used the book to ask questions. The clients had to listen to what I sang and then indicate whether the statement was true or false using different instruments. We also then added a social component and a board game for some of my clients. All done!

I think my secret to finding ideas for TMEs is to play with things - objects, instruments, songs, sounds. I love nothing better than some uninterrupted time to sit with my visual aids and my file folders and some musical instruments nearby to play with a bit.

There are times when I make a TME to fit an object, and there are other times when I make an object fit a TME. Sometimes songs pop into my head fully formed and meant to be. Other times, composing a new song takes every ounce of attention and patience that I have. When those times hit, I have tricks that I use to help me produce something. I do lots of chance composing. It is always interesting to see which ones my clients engage in and which ones they could give or take. 

So, my tips for finding new ideas?

  • write things down - it doesn't matter if you have an entire idea yet, write down an outline.
  • keep ideas in one place in your life - a digital file, a card box, wherever you can easily find ideas for times when you do not have any creativity of your own - use your former creativity and make things happen!
  • make a database of the resources that you already have - write down TMEs that you did during your practica, your internship, with specific clients. Keep that database near where your ideas are kept so you can update the database as you add TMEs to your repertoire.
  • explore items that have significance to your population - for example, old magazines might spark ideas if you work with older adults, toy aisles at stores might give you an idea or two if you work with children, listening to popular radio stations can help with idea generation for adolescents - this is not an exclusive or exhaustive list, of course. Keep your eye out for things that make you think, "Oooh, I could use this with CLIENT NAME." 
  • never get rid of an idea if a client does not engage with it the way you want them to engage. It is very possible that THAT client was either not ready, not familiar enough, or just not the right client for that idea/TME. There are always other clients and there is someone out there who needs a song about the spots on a ladybug...
  • talk to other music therapists about what they do with their clients. I firmly believe that my creativity is pretty good, but it is nothing compared to the creativity boost that I get when I talk over one idea with another music therapist. All of a sudden, our creativity expands exponentially. Add other music therapists into the mix and ideas just start going faster than you can write them down! So, talk to other music therapists!

Today's major TME task is to finalize my sing about august 2021 subscription release for tomorrow. There is still time to sign up for your copy today! Happy TME writing, all!

P.S. For more information about composition and creativity, consider taking my CMTE course, Composition and Creativity (get the theme here?). Information found on my website! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Anticipation Builds...

Ask any school teacher about the week before break and you will get the same response each time - ugh. We are entering that week at my place of work. I am dreading it, but am also looking forward to it. My plan is as follows - clients choose what they are going to do in (some) sessions. Last week, we played Name That Tune. Now, I always fix the games where I get points when my students display unsportsman-like behavior or inappropriate interactions with each other or where I stump everyone in the room with my music selections. I also always cheat at the end with the reckoning of points. Always. I lost. We set it up so that they get to choose what happens in the next session (with guidance from me) if they win. If I win, it's business as usual. Three of my groups will be choosing what they are going to do during their therapy hours. I anticipate lots of karaoke and movie watching during those three hours. I am getting ready for a short week as well as experiencing the week...
Read more

There's Always Something...

I am starting to fill up the gaps in my music therapy schedule with individual music therapy treatment times. This is a great feeling. I'll start individual treatment on July 11th when we come back for our second session of our Extended School Year. I'll get things going for three weeks, reevaluate, and then start up again when the regular school session starts. I am excited about getting back into this type of therapy. I've missed it, but there's something else going on. I'm a bit scared. You would think that my 23+ years of being a therapist would make things lots easier for me to jump back into this type of therapy interaction, but I am a bit scared still. I think most of these feelings have to do with forced light duty and almost a year of being out of my comfortable routine. I know that some of these feelings are rooted in fears of being hurt again. I don't want to be hurt again. I know that many of these feelings are somewhat irrational, but they sti...
Read more

Going on a Squeegee Hunt

One of the songs that I sang over and over and over again as a song leader in Girl Scouts was "Going on a Squeegee Hunt ." Now, you may be wondering what a "squeegee" is - good question! It is an imaginary creature that was probably invented by some obscure girl scout in Southern California many, MANY years ago! Anyway, similar to the traditional children's song of " Going on a Lion/Bear/Tiger Hunt ," the song takes you through a sequential process over, under, around, and through various obstacles towards a goal. Today, as I am sitting here writing, I am thinking about the poor squeegee being hunted. It is just in its cave, trying to do its squeegee things without interruption, when suddenly, BOOM! Some Girl Scout arrives to poke it! The poor squeegee does what it can - it jumps up and chases the Girl Scout all the way home!! This has not been a good work week. It is amazing how people will make mountains out of molehills. Here is the deal. I se...
Read more