TME Tuesday: Getting Back Into the Groove of Doing TMEs

This is my first full week back in the clinic as therapist for some of the group sessions that we offer as a "specials" department in my facility. Last week was a partial week due to fall break, so we had Monday off. I was running my groups last week, but it didn't feel quite real to me since we only had four days instead of five. I know, silly to feel that way, but I own it. It's the way I feel when I have Mondays off. I prefer Fridays off. Anyway, I digress...

One of the things that I try to do every week (that I am leading session, that is) is to write out a couple of ideas to run during my sessions. These fit on a small piece of paper or, you guessed it, a super-sticky post-it note, and they serve as a prompt for ideas. Right now, my post-it has some ideas on it about a skeleton song that one of my former interns wrote, a loud/quiet song, and rhythmic engagement as a prompt to remind me of options of things to do with all of my students.

I do not follow formal session plans. I understand why my professors and TAs made me write them, but I have found that skill to be pretty darn useless in how I choose to facilitate music therapy sessions. I have taken the skills that I learned when writing session plans and have used them to write my TME plans. I do not need session plans because my TMEs are detailed and offer a clear progression for myself and for others. I have also found that writing session plans is not an efficient use of my time since I tend to adapt to how my clients are responding in the moment. There are times (and with my clients, these times come all the time) when my clients are not in the emotional state that fits my session plans. As a result, I have to change my plan to accommodate the states of my clients. That's my primary job at my facility - to help my students get into an emotional state that allows them to participate in the education milieu.

Having said all that, I do know that I am able to write TMEs and use them in a session plan because I practiced writing session plans and TMEs. Once the practice is finished, then you can take the skills that you have demonstrated and then shape those skills to fit the type of job that you have as a music therapist.

I think that each music therapist has to come to ways that they do their jobs based on the expectations of the facility where you work. That means taking into consideration the goals of music therapy, the capability of planning, and the amount of time required to complete these elements. Not doing things the way you were taught but how things work for you is an important aspect of "working smarter, not harder." So, let's get to it!

My post-it works for me.

I had a principal who asked me for lesson plans. I told her, point blank, that I would be happy to write something for her, but it would not represent what kids would be doing in my room if she dropped by. I let her know that I felt that therapizing to the kids that I had in my room at the time was more important than following a lesson plan. I offered a general session format and structure if she wanted it. She decided that writing lesson plans was a waste of my time. I agreed, but she had to be the one to decide that fact. I could not tell her what to do or what to think.

I do not have any large music therapy groups today. Mine are the ones that are currently vacant. I do have a leisure skill group to co-lead and two individual sessions to either run or oversee. Intern #35 is running three groups and is starting the process of individual sessions. I have my post-it, so I am ready to go wherever my individuals and leisure programming students want to go...

Happy Tuesday, all!