I guess some might be wondering, so what does music therapy look like? What do we do? Here's a blog that might be helpful to answer some of your questions :)
What is a typical music therapy session like?
See the title? That’s a question that can’t really be answered. There is no such thing as a “typical” music therapy session. A music therapy session will look vastly different depending on who we work with and where we work with them.That said, there are certain components that are inherent to a music therapy session. Although these components will loo different depending on client age, clinical population, and setting, as a general rule, you can spot them in almost any music therapy session.
Opening
There is often some formal way a music therapist will open the session. Examples include:
- Singing a “hello song” when working with children
- Starting a group session by going around the circle and inviting everyone to answer a question about how they are doing in that moment (sometimes called a round or a check-in).
- Beginning with a review of what occurred in the previous session
Interventions
The bulk of the session will consist of the music therapy interventions. These are experiences the music therapist facilitates that are meant to target the client’s non-musical goals and objectives. Generally speaking, there are four types of music-based interventions:- Performing/Playing. This can include singing or instrument playing.
- Composing. This includes any group or individual songwriting process and can be as simple or complex as needed.
- Improvising. Improvisation means creating music on the spot or in the moment.
- Receiving/Listening. This can include a music and relaxation-type of experience, a lyric analysis intervention, and a “moving to music” type of experience (as in gait training).
Closing
The closing is like the opening…a major transition point the gets the client ready to leave the music therapy space and “re-join” the outside world. Similar to the opening, this can include a “good-bye song”, a closing check-in or round, or a summary of what happened during the session.Transitions
Although the closing and opening are the main transition points, other transitions that happen during a session are key to it’s success. A transition generally occurs in between interventions (or components within an intervention) and are meant to help the client move seamlessly through various points in the session.A transition can be as simple as a sentence or two. It can include “cleaning up” from the previous intervention (e.g. putting away instruments). Sometimes we transition through a song.
Environment
This may seem like an odd component to add, but the environment or setting the therapist creates in the room can help or hinder the therapeutic process. In some ways, it’s like the silent fourth player in the therapeutic process (the three key players being the therapist, the client, and the music).Environmental factors that are important to consider include:
- Lighting
- Outside noise/sounds
- Set-up of the chairs (I’m partial to a circle)
- Instrument/Prop storage (needs to be accessible to the therapist and not distracting to the client)
- Smells in the room
- Visual distractions (such as pictures and posters on the wall)
- Tactile distractions (are the instruments within reach?)
Adapted from Kimberly's blog
http://www.musictherapymaven.com/what-is-a-typical-music-therapy-session-like/
Hope this will give you some insight to understand music therapy more :)
Best regards,
Hanna
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