I have officially completed my first week!
Day 1:
On Monday, I worked with four preschool boys. The session consisted of a lot of enthusiasm and participation. The kids were allowed to go at their own paces and everyone was included. There was a lot of singing and movements. The music therapists would make the music, and the boys would dance or do the hand movements to go along with the song. One song was Hands, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. They seemed to get more comfortable participating over the session, which was nice to see. There was mostly guitar playing, along with some piano. The kids prefered the task of shaking the instruments that made jingle sounds because they got to do it on their own. The session had a lot of positive energy, which led to positive responses.
Day 2:
On Thursday, I helped make folders that help stimulate children with Autism. The folders were for "description songs," which allow the clients to make their own songs based on pictures in the folder. They answer questions in the folder with the pictures available, and this helps make the song. Children with Autism need to become more comfortable with change, so by making the shapes and colors of the pictures different, they are forced to accept the changes.
I also sat in on a drum circle class. The goal of this class is to establish trust in the group. There are goals in the class itself, which I'll be getting more into next week. Drum circles are meant to be a safe place for people to feel comfortable and to relieve stress.
Day 3:
On Friday morning, I helped with a music therapy session for elderly people with dementia and Alzheimer's. The music therapists would teach them a song and then we would all sing it together. There was a lot of improv and visualization based on the sounds heard. They made a point to take time to stretch their arms and legs so they weren't just sitting in the chairs the entire time.
I then observed four groups of clients with Autism at the clinic. Each session was unique to the individual's needs. Some of the goals were attention at task, sensory skills, sharing, taking turns, cognitive functions, motor skills, and communication skills. The therapist would pause during the songs a lot to redirect their attention to the task at hand so the client could focus again, and this was a main part of each session.
Throughout the course of this project, will other instruments be used besides the piano, drums, and guitar? Or will the project focus on those three?
ReplyDeleteI noticed you said that you plan to take noise level into account. How will you measure loudness? Will you be comparing different noise levels for one instrument or noise levels between instruments?
Having played the piano for about 10 years as well as a variety of other instruments, I'm interested in seeing where this project goes!
DeleteDepending on what each client needs to accomplish in a session, a lot of instruments are used. There are a lot of little ones like tambourines and maracas. The music therapist seems to mostly use guitar though. About the noise comment, that was actually more of a potential question, considering I didn't know what to expect when I started. But now that it's been a few days, I'm starting to think I won't be able to measure loudness. I have noticed certain techniques though, where the music therapists use different dynamics (softness/loudness) for a particular outcome. Thanks for the comment!
Hi Liz! Your work sounds spectacular. If you had to pick one or two things from your time so far, either something you weren't expecting or something you've learned, or even something you were touched by, what would it be? I am very curious to hear how your project goes, especially as music is something that connects so many people from many backgrounds - it is a universal language.
ReplyDeleteHi Rohini! One thing that really touched me was the connection between the music therapists and the preschoolers. They would all be sitting in a circle on the floor and would lean on the therapists and hold their hands, which was sweet to see. The children really seem to get along with the therapists, which must be a good thing for the therapy itself. Another thing that I got to see was the elderly people singing songs. Because of Valentine's Day, all of the songs were about love, and one couple was just singing the lyrics about being in love to each other, which was something I probably wouldn't get to see many other places. I think this type of therapy really lightens their moods and puts them in a good place, even with each other. Thanks for the comment!
DeleteI'm interested in what you did on day 3. What is the goal of music therapy on dementia and Alzheimer's sufferers? Is it to generally improve their mental condition (in terms of happiness/mood) or does it go deeper than that, such as treatment of their disease?
ReplyDeleteHi Sid! I think this is something I'll definitely look into more, but from what I could tell it's not a treatment. These sessions happen at the same time every week, which is probably good because it's a routine. When they walked into the room they were already so excited and happy to be there, and they even knew the music therapists by name and would ask about their families. They look forward to this therapy because it does lighten their moods. I'll talk about this more once I get more information, because I'll start interviewing them soon! Thanks for the comment!
DeleteHey Elizabeth -- I saw this interesting article at Northwestern, and I thought of how research like yours would apply. Not an exact fit, but interesting research to wonder about. http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter//stories/2016/02/web/infant-attention.html
ReplyDeleteHope you're having fun!
Thank you, Mrs. Gathas! I will definitely check that out! It seems interesting so far (:
Delete