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!"
As musicians, music therapists, and educators, do we realize the amount of storytelling that happens in our classrooms and therapy sessions every day?
Literacy, history, journaling, song lyrics, songwriting...these are all forms of storytelling. Wikipedia defines storytelling as "the conveying of events in words, images, and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment." The definition of storytelling *screams* music therapy and education to me!
Do you have a friend or colleague that can always gain your rapt attention by the way they tell a story? What makes it so grand? What keeps your attention? Really think about it...you should embody those characteristics in order to engage your audience. Maybe they include the following elements:
Make eye contact
Use natural, comfortable gestures and body movements/posture
The story has a beginning, middle, and end
The storyteller projects their voice and has an appropriate, pleasing tone
The storyteller is sincere
Tells at an appropriate pace
Enthusiastic
Did you know that St. Louis has the largest storytelling festival in the world? That's right, St. Louis, the WORLD! The St. Louis Storytelling Festival is in May, and I encourage you to hear some stories if you have never been before. Now, I've been several times to this local festival, as my former art teacher (from Kindergarten!!) is a storyteller with this association. :)
Next time you are singing a song, writing a song, or relaying information to a student, remember to put on your storytelling hat! Make each moment worthwhile and engaging!
How do you use storytelling in your therapy sessions or classroom?
I'm starting this new series to talk about the positives that are happening in regard to our practice, music therapy, education, wellness, personal goals...whatever! Even if it is a small success, share it with our Accent on Music Therapy community!
Here's how it works:
1. Think about your successes in the past week - big or baby steps.
2. Scroll down to the comments section.
3. Type a comment with your story. Don't forget to be mindful of confidentiality!
4. Submit your comment.
5. Read comments from others and respond to their successes!
I'm very excited to support one another in the great work that is going on in Saint Louis and beyond!
Sometimes thirty minutes can make the biggest difference. If you could just take 30 minutes a day to relax, heal, enjoy the quiet, and take some time to focus on yourself, what would that include? Here are some suggestions that work well for me:
--Hot bath --TV on DVD that I have seen too many times (I have the dialogue memorized) --Inspirational Reading --Paint my toenails --Listen to calming, inspirational music --Take a leisurely walk --Visit a park --Write poetry --Sit by a river or creek, listening to the water --Swing on a swingset --Visit the Art Museum --People Watch --Take a scenic drive --Draw or paint --Paper craft --Improvise on the piano (play only the black keys, and it will always sound good) --Pray --Be still and listen
What will you do today for your 30 minutes of Sanity?
This year, my employer provided all the music therapists with new technology to be used during therapy. We received a mac laptop with recording software: garageband, sound studio, and band in a box. We also received a midi usb keyboard, usb portable microphone, 120 gb ipod, external hard drive, and a class to teach us how to use all our new presents.
I like having better equipment to do multi-track recordings for consult materials, but I'm not completely sold on using more technology during my therapy sessions.
I'm using the recording software to take data/language samples during sessions, and students utilize behavioral incentive charts to earn "recording studio time" where they can make their own CD (while working on IEP related goals), and I'm using the ipod for recorded music, but when is too much recorded music and techno-spiffiness "too much?" And where do you draw the line between recording artist and music therapist?
I'm extremely picky when it comes to using recorded music in my sessions. If I'm using a recording on the ipod to teach a skill, I'm usually pausing the ipod and waiting for a client response, just like I would with my voice and/or guitar during a live music presentation. But I'm curious to know if my colleagues do the same thing...? I remember reading all the music therapy research journal articles about live versus recorded music presentation and how live music is usually the better choice. So, how do we, when presented with such wonderful technology, justify using it over live presentation?
Besides using the recording equipment for reinforcement and data collection, the only big change for me is how I do my consultative materials to colleagues. I'm recording more often. My recordings are of higher quality and I'm also doing enhanced podcasting for skills. Many of my teachers are making a "music therapy" center during their center time in the classroom and having students listen/watch podcasts created by me. But is that still the same as a live presentation or a teacher singing and waiting for a response? I don't think so.
Bottom line. If you want a student to be "exposed" to a topic, learn something by rote memory, or practice a social skill situation, then I think recorded music and podcasting can be effective. If you want to do direct learning with a student with decreasing response time or your hierarchy of prompting, then lay off the techie-geek stuff and do the more flexible, live presentation.
Today was the home opener for the St. Louis Cardinals (my home team). And when I think about baseball, I think about music therapy. Yes, I do! How can you attend a baseball game and not consider the power of music?
For example, before each game the song "Meet Me in St. Louis" is played by organist Ernie Hays with the lyrics on the large screen with the entire group of fans singing and swaying along. When the Anheuser Busch Clydesdales proudly prance around the stadium on opening day with the beer wagon in tow, the "Budweiser Clydesdale Jingle (Here Comes the King)" is played on the organ to cheering fans humming and singing along, tapping their knees and clapping in perfect rhythm. Would you ever think that more than 40,000 people, unrelated, not knowing each other, would be able to synchronize so easily?
Let's think about cheering on your favorite team. How do you root for the Cardinals in a group? The most effective is to join in a rhythmic melodic repetitive phrase. I'm sure you can remember how you would cheer "Let's Go Cardinals." Usually followed with a rhythmic clapping pattern -- ta ta ti-ti ta. It's amazing how a large group of people can instinctively match this minor 3rd interval and rhythm in the cheer.
And what about the famous "Charge" cheer? In the clip below, see how a simple music cue gets the crowd to cheer. Also, the music helps to cue clapping and cheering.
That's not all. If you are, indeed, a Cardinals fan, you will remember songs such as "The Heat Is On" as the 1980s rally song, and "Start Me Up" for when a new pitcher was warming up. What about individual players? Mark McGwire's song that was played when he came up to bat was "Welcome to the Jungle." I know I always think of these certain musical associations when I hear these songs.
So, next time you are at a baseball game, take a moment to admire the greatness of cooperation in the midst of the music and sing along.
Sometimes, simply listening to a song isn't enought to make an emotional impression. But what if the official music video of a song doesn't have a positive message? What if the visual doesn't correlate with the lyrics? Make your own. With the invention of YouTube, stock photos on the internet, and easy video editing software, it is not difficult to make your own music slide show. My current favorite song, seen below, is much more powerful with the visual. You can search YouTube for this song and there are several different versions. Why not make your own music video or musical slide show? Video/film is art, too, ya know...
