When I was an undergraduate music therapy student at Maryville University, on of my beloved professors, Rosalie Duvall, told us that when we became professional music therapists to always have a strategy in our "bag of tricks." I didn't really know what she meant until I was in my internship and my first session did not go as I planned. At ALL!
So, let's share a new strategy or something that we keep in our "bag of tricks!"
1. Scroll down to the "comments" section of this post.
2. Type your strategy in the comment box and post.
3. Don't forget to be mindful of confidentiality!
4. Read and comment on other people's strategy posts.
5. Beg, borrow and steal strategies! Teachers are the best thieves known to man!
Thank you in advance for sharing! I hope you add something to your "Bag of Tricks!"
8 comments:
One thing I always try to do is keep something new or interesting with me. I can pull it out in desperate situations! I have a small grouping of instruments that I rotate in and out of my instrument back that are typically the most unique or reinforcing. Some of the things I hold back are: boomwhackers, parachute, flute, electric guitar, chime tree, ginormous drums, standing floor drum (tubano), stir xylophone, and highly preferred recorded music from current artists. This strategy works well if a student is engaging in an inappropriate behavior and nothing appears to be reinforcing enough to decrease the behavior.
Solid and interesting chord progressions are in my bag-of-tricks. That way when I improvise I can start with one of those because that's when my confidence is high and I can TRULY focus on the client.
Me too, Michelle! I also have "go-to" melodic motifs for improvised transitions and sung directives to help students when in a difficult situation.
I try to always have a couple extras planned for a session.With groups of seniors, I often end up following their lead and discussing their past musical experiences along with discovering areas that might be interested in exploring.
(Sorry, I noticed a typo in the last comment and I had to fix it!)
Oh, the wisdom of Rosalie...I carry it with me always :)
Since I work in mental health with adults, I often have a new funny, interesting, or popular song for me to play to get them to engage. For instance - Smelly Cat from Friends or an acoustic version of Hey Ya. This usually makes people laugh and then they're more willing to do whatever my plan was instead.
I've also never been afraid to put down the guitar for a little while and let them just have a chance to vent. I don't completely let them hijack the group, but I often find that if they're feeling more validated (like someone actually was willing to listen to some of their complaints/frustrations) - they're more willing to cooperate.
Great post!
@musicsparks It's always a good idea to plan a few "extras"! I try and always plan more than I can do in 30 minutes with a student. You never know when something might go awry!
@NewMom I just adore Rosalie! And, I want to hear you singing "Smelly Cat" from Friends! I think that is a great thing to do to use humor. Yay! :)
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