Click here to check out Therabeat Inc.'s article in the current issue of the Woodstock Family Life magazine (page. 40).
One of the musical interventions I have seen in my first couple of weeks at Therabeat is improvisation. Improvisation is defined as, “the art of creating music spontaneously on the basis of nondirective activity.” This can be done in many different ways including drumming, singing, playing piano, or any other instrument we use in music therapy. This can be especially helpful in achieving goals with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Sara Knapik-Szweda conducted a study to determine the effectiveness and influence of vocal and instrumental improvisation on children diagnosed with autism. She discussed the reciprocal interaction between the therapist and patient and how meaningful that is to the musical improvisation. Improvisation provides a safe environment within the musical structure for the patient to be creative. The main goal of her study was to determine the influence of improvisation on communication, social development, and reduction of repetitive behaviors. She found that nonverbal communication, social skills and cognitive goals including joint attention, concentration, memorizing and imitating were all improved in the patients who participated in improvisational music therapy sessions.
Many of our patients here at Therabeat have Autism, so this is a great way we can help them achieve their goals. Incorporating improvisation into their sessions will allow them to foster creativity as well as get closer to their communication, social, and cognitive goals.
Source: Knapik-Szweda, Sara. (2015). The Effectiveness and Influence of Vocal and Instrumental Improvisation in Music Therapy on Children Diagnosed with Autism. Journal of Education Culture and Society (1), 153-166.
-Lauren Booke, Music Therapy Intern
Hello! My name is Lauren Booke, and I am coming to Therabeat from Belmont University. I have worked with a variety of populations in my schooling, but have always enjoyed working with kids the most. Being able to go to the In Harmony clinic and see the smiling faces every day has been such a warm welcome to the Therabeat community.
These first two weeks have been filled with introductions. Getting to meet all the staff at In Harmony and not only observe the Music Therapists, but Speech, Physical and Occupational therapists as well has been so much fun. Having the opportunity to learn from all of these disciplines is incredible as I establish my clinical skills. All of the therapists are so welcoming and explain what they are working on with each patient so I can transfer that knowledge to my patients.
Meeting all of the patients I will be working with for the next six months is so exciting. Each and every one of them is so unique and I can’t wait to see the growth that they will accomplish during my time with them. There have of course been some moments where some time is needed to adjust to the new person in the room, but I know that will come soon enough. It is amazing how much growth I have already seen in just two weeks. These kids are capable of so much and we are so blessed to get to work with them every week and help them accomplish their therapeutic goals.
I feel like I have already learned so much in such a short amount of time from everyone at Therabeat. All of my supervising music therapists are so patient and kind and I appreciate everything they do for the new interns. Like our patients, they are each unique and it is incredible to watch them all treat patients in their own way. I know that these six months will be challenging at times, but more rewarding than I ever could have imagined.
Looking forward to sharing my journey with all of you!
Until next time,
Lauren
My name is Dana LaValley. I studied Music Therapy at Georgia College and State University for the past four years. I am from Springfield, Georgia about forty-five minutes away from Savannah. I am engaged to a wonderful man named Dale Usry. We will be getting married on December 8th, 2017. I have always had a passion for music and helping people; now with Music Therapy I can do both.
In my time at Georgia College I worked with several different populations: children with disabilities, adults with disabilities, hospital patients, and adults in memory care. I emerged myself in research on Music Therapy’s effect on children with Angelman Syndrome. I presented at our regional conference where I was awarded the undergraduate research award. I plan to continue my research throughout my masters and my doctorate.
My first week at Therabeat Inc. was absolutely amazing! The music therapists are so helpful and truly want you to succeed. In my first week I saw a range of populations, from tiny tots to adults in memory care. I have a rounded atmosphere to achieve my goals for my internship. I am beyond amazed by the talent the clients have. They are pushing me to be a better musician. From scales to rockstar drumming it amazes me how able they are. I love to focus on ability and not disability; I feel it is a very important aspect of music therapy.
I was able to observe all of the other therapies as well. I have already learned so much about what they do and how we can incorporate some of their aspects into what we do as music therapists. I cannot wait for the next few months so that I can grow more in my journey of becoming a music therapist.
During music therapy awareness month, we want to share some of the reasons why we believe music therapy is so successful. One of my favorite things about being a music therapist is the structure of each session. As music therapists, our goal is to create a session full of structure and familiarity with our clients that is also easily adaptable. As a Type A individual and lover of schedules and organization, this is obviously one of my favorite things!
I also love that we often give our clients choices when creating their schedule. They are an active part in creating their own schedule and they feel a sense of gratification and improved self-esteem when they are asked to help and make their own choices. With many of my clients, I draw a box next to each activity and allow them to draw a smiley face in the box if they completed the task while following instructions. This is a great motivator for them as many of them take pride in something as simple as drawing a smiley-face! If they get all of their smiley-faces, at the end of the session they receive their “reward” which varies depending on the client.
A typical music therapy session looks like this:
· Hello Song-We sing the same hello song in every session to provide structure and familiarity for our clients. Our hello songs work on appropriate greetings, eye contact, recall, and expressive language and they are typically sung to the tune of a familiar song.
· Movement-We like to begin each session by getting oxygen to the brain so that our session will be more efficient.
· Instrument Play-During instrument play we work on fine motor skills (isolation of fingers on piano and bells or grasping a mallet), gross motor skills (reaching up, crossing midline, playing the drum bilaterally), directional skills (up high, down low) and dynamics (play soft, loud, slow, fast).
· Therapeutic Singing-Singing is an incredible way to disconnect from pain, disappointments and negative thoughts and release stored muscle tension that is built up in many of our clients for various reasons. It decreases the levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) in the blood stream and is a natural way to uplift our clients and make them feel happy.
· Songwriting-Songwriting allows our clients to express themselves in a creative way. They will often open up to us if we are giving them musical support while providing a listening ear. Many times, songwriting helps children who have difficulty understanding emotions explore and discuss those emotions and talk about problem solving.
· Goodbye-As with the hello song, we sing the same goodbye song to end with familiarity. This intervention also focuses on appropriate greetings, eye contact, recall and expressive language.
-Hayley Echols, LPMT, MT-BC