TME Tuesday: Falling Behind On My Quest of Writing 5 TMEs per Week
I am currently in one of those times when it doesn't work anymore.
Now, I have all sorts of excuses - some good, some not so good. I have a broken finger which makes typing, writing, and composing challenging. I am sick again with the same sort of stuff I had in May which saps my strength and makes me just want to sleep all the time. My brain is stuck in survival mode which means that creativity is pushed to the side in favor of just getting through it all. I am lazy and just don't want to write any sort of therapeutic music experiences right now. I have plenty of ideas that I don't use, so why not use those instead?
You see? I can make up all sorts of excuses for why I am not doing what I have set off to do.
The problem is that there is no good payoff for accomplishing the quests that I have established for myself. I don't get a thrill when I add to my database. I don't end up selling these ideas to others and getting some financial benefit for the work I put in. I get nothing reinforcing out of the process. I don't even get a grade for this type of work. There is no payoff, so I am not likely to do this task to move forward on this quest.
I have no lack of ideas. I can create all sorts of ideas, but I have a significant lack of follow-through on those ideas. I feel like I need to be doing more - always more and better - always better on what I am already doing to make things more exciting for an invisible audience.
Who am I trying to impress here?
Anyway, those are my current reasons for not writing TMEs. So many reasons, and I want to do better, but I don't.
Usually, when this type of critical failure occurs, I go into analyzation mode. Right now, though, I feel that I have analyzed the crap out of this situation and need to move into paradigm shifting mode.
I am not one who clings onto many traditions for nostalgia's sake. If I can see a better way to do things, then I can change how things are done without much need to debate the benefits and detriments. My TME format is one of the things that I have held onto - mainly because I feel that it provides me with something that other formats do not - everything that I need to justify why I would do something with a particular client at a particular time in a particular session. I have added to, taken away from, and tweaked parts of this format in every stage of my development as a therapist. To begin with, I did what I did because I had to - it was required to get a grade. After that, it became habitual, so I took it with me to my internship where I was less required to do the same thing but found that it helped me write ideas better. When I started graduate school and internship directing, my ideas became a bit more refined and targeted on the need for music therapists to use music as a tool in the therapeutic triad. That's when my current format came into being. I still feel that going through this process helps me (and others) understand what happens with the music during a session and how to best advocate for the inclusion of music therapy when working with persons served.
So, what is this format?
Here you go...
Components
of Therapeutic Music Experiences (TMEs)
TMEs are comprised of several parts, all of which need to be planned prior to the
session. These components include the purpose, the desired outcome, materials,
the environment, the client, the therapist, the music, and the therapeutic
relationship. Each component is as important as the others.
TME Plans: Plans define the process of the application/TME, provide a framework for the therapist, and illustrate the use of music and the influence of music on the client.
Purpose: This is the goal portion of the application. Why would you use this application in a session? Is it for a specific purpose? Does the application serve to indicate the start of a session? How does this TME address impulse control? Does it also encourage motor development, communication, social interaction, emotional development? What domain does the application address (motor, social, emotional, communication, academic, cognitive, behavioral, musical)?
- List all of the domains that are
addressed by the TME under the purpose statement
- Goals are the big picture –
umbrella topics
- Be specific with your purpose
statements – “To increase motor development” is not as complete as “To
increase upper extremity range of motion” or “To increase fine motor
pincer grasp.”
Desired Outcome: This is the objective portion of the application/TME. Why would you want to use this application with a client? What skill will the client be able to demonstrate when this application is completed? Why is this skill important for the client? Is this skill important for the client? If not, then why are you bothering using the application in treatment? Goals are the large picture, while objectives are specific for each client and are designed to change over time.
- Target behavior to determine when
the client has completed the task – “Clients will demonstrate pincer grasp
and release pattern four times during the TME.”
- There may be several outcomes
depending on the number of purposes that you have identified in the first
section. This will allow you to use the same TME in groups allowing you to
address many goals simultaneously.
As these goals
are often client-specific, the blank TME format included at the end of this
document does not include this element.
Materials: What will you need to have to successfully run this application? Do not forget electronic equipment, power sources, instruments, props, visual aids, and/or alternative materials.
Environment: Where do you want the clients to be? Do they need to be in specific places in the room? Do you need lights or darkness? Do you need clients sitting in chairs or on the floor? Are there any other environmental aspects that you will need to change?
Music: What music will be used during the application? Is it original music? Is it prerecorded music? What CD, what track, and what performers? Where did you get the music? Where did you learn the music? If someone else composed it, include all the details – who, what, when, and where you can locate the original. If you composed the music, include all of the information located above with a copyright symbol © with the date of composition.
Therapeutic Function of Music: What function does the music serve in the application? If the music would disappear, would the client still be able to complete the application and reach the desired outcome? If so, is the presence of music necessary for the TME? If the presence of music is not necessary, then why would you use this application in a music therapy session? (It may be appropriate to use the application, but this is the time to think about why it is important to make music an integral part of every activity/intervention.)
Procedure:
- Step-by-step instructions for
leading the TME with clients
- Remember to include the music when
it enters
- Remember to reinforce desired
responses
- Include a data element – what will
you be evaluating? When will you evaluate? How will you evaluate? How will
you record the data?
- What will you do, as the therapist,
to facilitate the TME?
- What do you expect the client to
do? What will happen if the client does not do what you expect? How will
you get the client to complete the task or outcome of the TME?
I think of this procedure as a flow chart. This concept helped me understand exactly what the folks at my academic program wanted me to write. I was not able to complete this task until I stumbled upon this visual format. If the flow chart idea interests you. Ask me for an example. I have a couple of applications/TMEs diagrammed in this manner. It takes a long time to diagram, but if you are a visual learner, it makes sense.
When you are thinking about TME development, keep the following thoughts in the back of your head:
The
Client: What type of
client will be able to complete this application? Will many different clients
be able to participate the way the application is designed? Will some clients
find this application too difficult? Too easy? How can you change the TME to
accommodate many different clients? How can you change the TME to accommodate
different learning styles and interest levels? How much of the TME will be
decided and directed by the client?
The Therapist: What do you need to do before you can run the TME? Where do you need to be located during the application? Will you need to move around the room? Will you be able to remain in a chair? What music do you need to have memorized? Where will you need to place materials so you can access them during the application? What alternative applications or materials do you need to have prepared just in case? What tasks do you have to do during the application (data collection, preparation for the next TME, switching CDs)? Where is your focus? When will it be important for you to encourage the client to make decisions? When will it be important for you to make decisions for the client?
Okay - this is the format. The only real change that I do right now is I switch the procedure and the Therapeutic Function of Music sections and add some adaptations and extensions to the entire situation. I find that I can complete these pretty quickly now that I've been writing them in this format for many years.
I just can't get myself to the finish line right now.
So, I will continue in my quest to write 5 TMEs per week, but I will also remember that these patterns have cycles and I am currently not in a great cycle.
I hope you are having a better day than my year has been so far...
Happy Halloween to those who celebrate.
Comments
Post a Comment