TME Tuesday: My Form and Why I Use It
Let me explain...
Over my career, I have come across people who just see what I do as entertainment. They often have difficulty seeing all the things that happen when music is introduced into an environment. My TME plans have helped me explain things in a way that illustrates that there is more to music therapy than "happy children making happy sounds." As I have matured as a music therapist, I find that having my TMEs in a set format challenges me to think about all aspects of the experience for the client. This assists me in organizing my group sessions to incorporate clients with vastly different therapeutic goals into treatment for all clients all the time.
Here is my TME form.
Purpose:
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Motor |
Academic/Cognitive |
Social/Communication |
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Emotional/Behavioral |
Musical |
Other |
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Source:
Materials:
Environment:
Song/Chant/Words:
Procedure: R = Reinforcement opportunities; C = Redirection/Cue opportunities; A = Assessment
1.
Therapeutic Function of Music:
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Melody |
Pitch |
Rhythm |
Dynamics |
Harmony |
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Form |
Tempo |
Timbre |
Style |
Lyrics |
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Chart adapted from Hanson-Abromeit, D. A Closer Look at the Therapeutic Function of Music. Presentation at 2010 American Music Therapy Association National Conference: Cleveland, OH.
Adaptations:
Extensions:
Each section plays a specific role in how I run TMEs with my clients. There is a place for purpose statements (To increase social engagement through selecting peers to take turns) as well as to indicate specific therapeutic domains - the purpose stated here would fit in the social/communication domain. I write multiple statements in paragraph form and multiple things into each of the domain boxes in order to pull out all sorts of therapeutic goals. I often go back to this section after I have initially designed the TME to adapt and adjust the section to illustrate what clients actually did once they interacted within the TME.
The source, materials, and environment portions of this form allow me to write down any information that someone else might need if they would like to replicate the TME. I insist on sourcing materials as much as possible because I had someone take credit for a song I wrote at my internship. She took credit for it (she was the intern that came on after I left) in a professional presentation, and I could not believe it! Having a piece of your property stolen by someone who should know better is quite staggering. I try to source all things to the original author/composer and offer information on how others can purchase the music for their own use. Give credit where credit is due, folks!
The song/chant/words part of the form are for original songs/lyrics only. If I am using a song from another source, I put in the citation of where the song can be found. Sometimes this is a YouTube link or a page of a specific book. If the song is mine, then I put in the sheet music and all variations of the music that I have thought about.
The procedure is where my historical training comes the most into play. We were taught to write task analyses for our TMEs. I was HORRIBLE at it until I realized that what I was writing was a flow chart. Seriously. Two and a half years of practicum assignments being turned back to me because I couldn't figure out what they wanted me to write and they couldn't figure out how to explain why mine were wrong. I used the models that they gave me TO THE LETTER and failed every time. One morning, during summer break, I woke up with the realization that what they wanted was a flow chart. After that, I had no problem writing this section. I have now refined it a bit to indicate my various roles in the TME. I use three signifiers - C/R/A to help me remember what types of things I am going to be doing during the session. This will make more sense next week when I show you a completed TME.
The next section is where I determine musical options for the music presented in the session. My focus comes from a clinical perspective and is not as research-grounded as other folks' way of thinking about this type of function. I figure, I have to make this as functional as possible for my role in the music therapy world, so it has to happen in a way that makes sense for me.
The last parts are places where I can change or expand upon the original idea and make it more than just one thing to do with my clients. Again, this should be a bit more apparent next Tuesday with an actual example (to get a sneak peek, check out my TME Tuesday label for some of my previous TME plans shared in this blog!).
See you next week!!
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