Resources to Equip Clients Outside of Music Therapy Sessions
As is true for music therapy sessions, sometimes in life you never know what’s going to happen. When we get hit with unexpected circumstances (such as the current COVID-19 precautions, an interruption in services due to maternity leave, or having to stay home and care for a sick child), it sometimes requires us to step away from our clients. I’ve been thinking quite a bit on how COVID-19 could impact my work with my clients and possible solutions to still support my families while also being sure to prioritize their health. Since so many other music therapists are experiencing this same issue, I wanted to create a list of resource ideas that I have to share with my clients and their families.
THINGS TO CONSIDER:
I saw a post on Facebook regarding surveying clients/families/staff to better understand their supplies and available support at home (great idea - thanks Piedmont Music Therapy!!). This may be a great thing to ask your clients so you can cater your resources specifically to what they’ll be able to provide. Some questions to consider or ask your clients:
Does your client have access to materials (such as instruments, a printer, a way to stream recorded music, etc)?
Is there someone who can assist your client during a telehealth session or while using provided resources?
Do you need to adjust goals? A global pandemic is a unique situation and clients may have different needs during this time.
Have you asked the family if they have any specific needs or concerns you can help address?
SONGWRITING TEMPLATES:
These are materials that can be both prepared and sent to families for them to facilitate at home or done via telehealth sessions. I LOVE madlib style songwriting, which can easily be sent via email and printed by parents. I’m planning on recording myself singing the words to the song that I’ve provided and leaving a blank in the recording where the clients can fill in their own answers. This will allow the clients to recreate their song, even if I’m not there. BONUS: I’m sending out monthly songwriting templates if you’re subscribed to my email list on the 3rd Monday of each month. If you missed March’s template, shoot me an email at nicole@aspiremusictherapy.com and I’ll send you the PDF and recording I made. If you’d like to continue receiving these templates each month, please subscribe on the website.
SELF-REGULATION TOOLS:
Many of my clients are currently working on self-regulation skills, and now is an important time to keep working on these while so many individuals are stuck at home. Some ways this can be shared:
Yoga Poses/Stretching: Find/take pictures of several yoga or stretching exercises that your client can do at home. Recommend a Youtube video or playlist on Spotify as the music while clients are stretching. Maybe take care to note that clients should be supervised or careful not to hurt themselves & stretches are to be done at the client’s risk.
Stop & Go/Freeze Dance: Instruct families to use a specific freeze dance song (you can provide) or use any preferred music & hit pause. Younger children especially will need to get some energy out if they are stuck at home, so let them dance and move freely & practice self-control during the pauses.
Zones of Regulation: This can be a great tool to help individuals of all ages communicate their feelings. They also have several printable pages on their website, including a visual chart with the zones and a bingo board that I love to use during sessions.You can find these downloads here: Visual Chart & Bingo Board
IPAD APPS:
I haven’t done extensive research on music apps, but these can be a fun way for clients to interact with music. Some of my favorite iPad apps are:
SongPop: Music quiz game
PianoTiles: Tap the tiles as they go across the screen ; great for motor skills
Magic Piano: Tap the dots as they fall from the top of the screen to play the piano notes ; also great for motor skills
Incredibox: Make a beat with various styles ; Get the right combination of beats to unlock a short, friendly music video (SMALL PRICE TO PURCHASE)
DPM: Create your own beats ; “Tutorial” Mode: Press the correct boxes in rhythm to create a melody/beat & with a certain percentage of accuracy to move on to the next lesson ; One player or two player
Garage Band: Music making app ; I believe this comes standard with iPads now
MUSIC GAMES:
Let’s face it, with people home and unable to go out into the community for recreation, they may have some leisure skill needs. There are some easy games that families and staff can facilitate at home using recorded music. Your prep could be as much as creating a game board for them and links to all of the recorded music they should use or as little as providing an idea for the game. All of these can be catered to whatever age you work with based on song choices. Some game ideas are:
Jeopardy: Game board can be created then printed on Microsoft Publisher/Powerpoint or by the clients. Categories could be: a specific genre of music, “songs that start with A,” “Name that Artist,” “Finish the Lyrics,” etc. Someone facilitates by asking what category the client would like to choose, then playing a recorded song that fits the category. Again, you can provide them with a game board and music picked out, or just suggest it as an idea to families & staff.
Hangman: Letters are guessed to figure out the title of a song. Support can be given by providing a letter board with the alphabet to act as a visual for clients to choose from. After the title is revealed, the song could be played for the client.
Bingo: One of my personal favorites, bingo is so versatile and can be adapted for all ages. Bingo boards can represent song titles (with words or visuals like the sun for “You Are My Sunshine”), who sings the song (like Disney characters that are paired with their songs), or they can represent topics (such as the emotions bingo, listed above). Families/Staff can be hands on in making these boards themselves, or you can provide the board and a playlist/link to music. If you provide a playlist (on something like Spotify), families/staff can hit shuffle and clients might be able to play more independently.
Song Lyric Shuffle: I’ve done this quite a bit with clients who have apraxia and need visuals to encourage speech, but it can be fun for all. Take the lyrics to a favorite song & print them. Cut them out, splitting the song up by line or as appropriate by song, and mix them around. Next, try to piece the song lyrics back together. Once completed, sing the song through a cappella or with a recording to check accuracy.
INDIVIDUALLY CURATED PLAYLISTS:
Creating a playlist for a client could be a beneficial way for them to still incorporate music throughout the week. You could curate this playlist for them or collaborate with them to meet their needs. Playlists could be made by:
Spotify/Streaming Service: Spotify is what I use, but I’m sure you could use Apple Music and other streaming platforms. On Spotify, there is an option to collaborate on a playlist with someone or you can share a playlist that has been created. Spotify has a free version where clients would be able to shuffle their playlist if they have an account.
Written List: Who says you need a streaming service for a playlist? Even having a list of songs to refer back to and look up could be helpful for our clients. Write a list with the client or email a suggested list of songs for them to take a listen to. Songs could also be looked up via Youtube, Amazon Music, etc.
BOOKS WITH SONGS:
A number of kids’ books have melodies that correspond to the text. Books and songs like this may be available to find online. Stephanie Leavell talks about this extensively on her Instagram Music For Kiddos. Click the link to learn more!
THERAPIST RECORDED SONGS:
Did you write a song for a client to help with their social skills? Do they have a recorded copy of a song that you wrote together during sessions? You might want to think about making a recording of important songs for clients to have a copy of at home. The songs I’m planning on recording will support my clients’ daily needs and hopefully generalize some of the things we work on during sessions. Does the client need a hand washing song? Does the client need step by step instructions for getting dressed? Does the client need help remembering appropriate social skills? Write and record it for the family/staff to use at home. I’ll be using my Blue Snowball microphone and Garage Band.
SONGS FOR WASHING HANDS:
I’ve seen SEVERAL Facebook posts regarding songs about washing your hands. For my clients, I’m planning on suggesting a few preferred songs that clients can sing while washing their hands with choruses that are at least 20 seconds long (from the songs I’ve looked at, it seems like most choruses are at least this length). It looks like there are also a lot of songs specifically about washing hands that you could record and provide lyrics for.
This is by no means a comprehensive list or the right fit for everyone. At the end of the day, you know your clients, their needs, and what’s appropriate for them. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to drop them in the comments below to share with others. I’m so grateful for how supportive and collaborative our professionals are & hope I’ve been able to help you best serve your clients during this time.
All the best,
Nicole
