Week Four

Day 10:

I wasn't able to attend the session with the preschoolers on Monday, and because of Spring break next week I won't be seeing them next Monday either. It'll be interesting to see the how the gap changes (or doesn't change) their progress.

Day 11:

On Thursday, I adjusted and added to the song binders for the elderly people. I'll be adding more to them next week as well. I also finished the visual aid folders I've been working on since my 2nd day.















I will no longer be attending the drum circle theory classes on Thursday nights. The facilitator and I decided I know enough about the theory of drum circles at this point, so now I'll be attending some actual drum circles led by him (Frank Thompson) and another facilitator.

Day 12:

At the music therapy session with the Alzheimer's clients, we placed their name tags on their chairs before they got there so there would be no problems with seating. There was a lot of exercising, mimicking, singing, and relaxing. There were also more visual aids today.

I then went back to the clinic and observed client 2 again. (Client 1 was sick and we'll have a double session for him next week to make up the time.) He had another really good session today. His main goal is still attention at task, and he's doing really well with taking turns and finishing an activity before they move on to the next one.

Week Three

Day 7:

This Monday, we had 5 preschool boys and 1 girl (who was probably a year or two older). The girl didn't want to participate most of the time, but warmed up over the session. They practiced asking and answering each other. I noticed speech delay in the grammar of one of the boys while asking a question. They played a shaker game and there was some trouble with sharing and passing them around. There was a lot of enthusiasm while singing songs that they knew well. With some songs, the kids had to add hand movements to show they understood and were listening. I made them name tags to sit in front of them, which became a distraction because as soon as one made an airplane out of theirs, more wanted to do the same. The session itself was very slow, which led to the kids being very unfocused by the end. They were also rolling around on the floor because their attention had been lost.

Side Note: On Tuesday, I met with a music therapist at the ASU Music building and we practiced songs (Hallelujah, Hey Jude, Morning) for the sessions with the elderly people on Friday morning. I played piano and he played classical guitar.

Day 8:

I continued working on the visual aid folders, which I plan to have done by next week.

I also went to an actual drum circle in Paradise Valley. A woman named Darcy Andelin inherited this group from my normal health rhythms facilitator Frank Thompson. There were 6 women and 1 man at this session, most being elderly. I saw the protocol I described in my last post represented in this class, and it was done well. I did notice there was a bit more teaching (which isn't normal in these classes) but that was probably just a technique to teach the newer people not to hurt themselves while playing the drums. There were 3 larger beats over the session, and everyone did their own thing, because nothing is right or wrong. Some people really got into it, while others just listened and enjoyed the other people playing. A safe place was established because people started to open up about their personal hardships when asked to share their feelings.

Day 9:

Today I learned that half of the elderly people in the sessions on Friday mornings have Alzheimer's. The group is made for married couples who have one with Alzheimer's, and their partner is their personal caretaker. So the session is really for both of them. It's a way to relax and let any stress out. We sang a lot of songs like Only One, Amazing Grace, Que Sera Sera, Love Me Tender, and Happy Trails. We did an exercise where each person does a motion or two and the group repeats it. They also learned the hand motions to Do, Mi, and So. One of the music therapists and I played Hallelujah, which was really nice because it allowed the listeners to imagine whatever they wanted. There was a lot more effort today trying to keep the session calm and flowing. The other music therapist student played a song by Bach on her violla, which was relaxing to listen to.

I then went to the music therapy clinic to observe. The first client didn't show up, so I was only able to observe one boy with Autism today. This has by far been the most productive and effective session I have observed. This boy's goals are attention at task and acknowledging that there is another person in the room. They sang hello to each other, took turns picking activities, and then sang goodbye to each other. They can only change activities once one has been completed first. Typically, there is a lot of waiting for him to focus on what the task is, but today there was barely any waiting. I could definitely see his improvement from last week, and the week before.

Week Two

Day 4:

On Monday, I helped one of the music therapist students run a session for the four preschool boys. I made them name tags, which they sat down with. Everyone had a name tag to show that we are all equal. We sang about the colors of food and other colors in the room. We also took turns playing with boomwhackers and acknowledging colors. To get their energy out, we shook, clapped, and jumped. One activity that was pretty interactive was reading a book by singing the words and having the boys count the frogs on each page. They guessed the names and sounds of instruments while facing away, too, which didn't go very well, but they certainly loved playing the little drum! We then sang goodbye to everyone in the room. Compared to last week, there was a lot of progress. The room was made a safe place from the moment they walked through the door. They were even comfortable sharing their emotions (one said he was sad). We sang an emotions song and acknowledged that it's okay to be happy, sad, or tired.

For the next few sessions, I'm preparing songs on the piano to accompany the music therapists.

Day 5:

For a few hours I continued making the visual aid folders.

I then went to the drum circle class. I learned more about the protocol of the Health Rhythms class.

They introduce the program to establish what will happen during the class, which is to relieve stress. The wellness exercise is to make yourself present in the environment. The students used healing metaphors to move from the wellness exercise to the ice breaker, which is supposed to establish a fun and safe place. The A-B-Cs of drumming are meant to remind you not to hurt yourself while drumming. Rhythmic naming is used to get more personal with the group. For example, someone can say they like chocolate and then drum something, and the class then repeats this. Entrainment building is drumming together as a group. Once the class gets to Inspirational Beats, the group can start sharing things because a level of trust and comfort has been established. Guided Imagery Drumming is using a lot of adjectives in sentences while drumming to make the listeners feel relaxed, as if they are experiencing what is being said. The next wellness exercise is to make sure everyone is okay again, and then they say goodbye.

On Thursday, I got to lead part of the circle and control the rhythms and dynamics, which I loved!

Day 6:

The elderly people used instruments to describe how they were feeling, and the group repeated the sound to acknowledge how each person is feeling. Like in the drumming class, the music therapy students used a technique known as call and response. The therapist sings something, and the group repeats it. They then sang a song about love, and held up the letters to spell the word. Next week, I'm going to play a song on the piano while one of the therapists plays it on the guitar! I'm super excited. 

I went back to the clinic and observed 2 boys with Autism. Last week, the first boy didn't cooperate, while the second boy did. This week they seemed to switch places. While the sessions are individual, both have 13 year old boys with Autism. It's interesting to watch how their behaviors still differ.

Week One

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.

Project Goals and Prior Research

Hi everyone! For my project, I'll explain my goals:

I hope that my research will show the benefits of music therapy on people with different disabilities and disorders. Over time I want to be able to see how this type of therapy can affect the overall moods and behaviors of the clients. I plan to research and answer: Which instruments have more effects on the clients? Does how much each person participate affect their progress? Do different sounds and loudness factor into the progress? Does the age of the client change their effort?

I will be observing people at the Music Therapy clinic at ASU. Over the course of my project, I will record the progress of the people I observe without revealing any of their personal information.

Why I'm interested in this topic:

While I don't participate in music therapy itself, music has been an influence over my mood for years. I've played the piano for about 13 years, and I know how if you get into the zone, it can really affect your mood. I'm already interested in psychology, so I want to look into the psychological aspects of the therapy as well. I want to study psychology in college, and doing this project will give me access to other perspectives.

Prior Research:

Music therapy is a technique to accomplish individual goals through musical interactions. People become professionals in this by completing approved music therapy programs. This type of therapy helps people of all ages with multiple types of disabilities or disorders. It helps people with physical, social, and emotional problems and needs. The clients can create, sing, and listen to music based on their personal needs. Music therapy also helps with comunication skills when people have difficulties expressing themselves.

Drumming is another beneficial music therapy technique. When people play the drums, they have an increase in cell activity, which is important for fighting neuroendocrine and immunological disorders. Music therapy can also be for people who are just looking to explore themselves. Drumming specifically can help with anxiety, stress, chronic pain, and connectedness. It can also help with breathing skills. Sometimes people lose the ability to speak, but are still able to sing and use music therapy skills to their benefits.

There are also correlations between reduced depression in adolescence and the uses of music therapy. This form of therapy can help people who go through traumatic events, and can help reduce anxiety. Women that had gone through domestic violence showed decreased signs of anxiety after their music therapy, and were also able to sleep better. Music therapy helps improve people personally and can help channel anger and aggression through learned techniques.