The Thrifty Therapist: Plastic Canvas for Making Tools for the Music Therapy Clinic

I am the type of therapist who thinks that it is better to save some money and spend some time to make tools rather than paying for something someone else makes. Blame my mom who learned it from her mom who learned it from her mom and so on and so forth. We have always made things that we needed - not just for the therapy space (Mom and I are therapists - the other generations were not) - but for everything.

So, back when I had clients who needed pervasive levels of support to accomplish some of our music therapy goals, I was looking for ways to assist my clients in holding and using mallets and handled percussion instruments that did not take all of my budget. Adaptive cuffs were appropriate, but they dissolved quickly - there was something about the glue that put the Velcro onto the foam that just disintegrated quickly when washed and disinfected. I did not have the money to spend $20+ dollars every month for each of the cuffs that I needed, so I went to the design board to see if I could figure out a more budget-friendly way of making cuffs appropriate for my instrument widths and for my clients' hands.

My solution?

Plastic canvas.

This stuff is a plastic grid that you can find in most craft stores around the yarn. You have probably seen it in its intended form - as a structure of some sort that is wrapped with yarn. I like it because I can cut it into whatever shape I need for whatever instrument or client that needs it. Add a skein of yarn, a couple of yards of broad elastic, and a wide-eyed embroidery needle, and I can make about 15 cuffs for about $12. Since I have lots of donated yarn that I will never use otherwise, my cost drops to about $5 for those cuffs - all 15 of them.

How do I make them? First, I measure. I need to have enough space for the handle of the instrument that I am going to use. Maraca cuffs need more area than mallet cuffs. I measure the instrument handle, multiply by 2.5 and then cut out two rectangles for the cuff. On one of the rectangles, I whipstitch the elastic to the canvas. If I feel really fancy, then I do Velcro straps, but I do not usually feel very fancy. After that, it is time for yarn. I whipstitch the edges of the canvas, and then the cuff is ready to go.

Are these perfect? No, not at all. Do they work? Yes, with some provisos - there are times when the instrument falls out. The elastic will eventually become brittle. The plastic canvas might break as well, but I can get a sheet of canvas for around $2, so I can afford to replace things as needed. Are they easy to disinfect? Yep. I wash them and disinfect them on a regular basis.

I wish I had a picture of these cuffs, but I do not. I also can't find one. Isn't interesting what you find when you don't need it and find in droves as soon as you do?? If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to leave a comment!