Enriching lives through participation in music
Music Therapy Services of West Music
Promoting Participation for All Abilities
04/25/22
One of the best parts of working as a music therapist is the opportunity to meet and work with a variety of clients, each with their own strengths, interests, abilities, and needs. Music therapists adapt and adjust planned interventions to meet each client where they are at. By planning multiple ways for each person to participate, we create an opportunity for everyone to engage in a way that is accessible, enjoyable, and meaningful for them. Small adjustments and adaptations within an activity can support meaningful engagement for each group member. Here are a few ways music therapists can adjust interventions to the needs of their clients:
- Take it S-L-O-W…. OR… speed things up! One benefit of using live music instead of recorded music is that you can adjust the tempo of a song any way you want! Some clients may engage more successfully with a slower tempo, having time to process and respond to musical cues within the music, while others might like the challenge of doing something faster.
Small adjustments and adaptations create an opportunity to engage in a way that is accessible, enjoyable, and meaningful.”
- Adjust the complexity. You can keep things simple, by giving just one direction, using just one instrument, and sticking to simple on the beat rhythms OR…. increase the challenge by giving 2 or 3 directions at a time, switching between 2 instruments, or trying out more complex rhythms. Again, some people may thrive on concrete, one step at a time kinds of activities with less stimuli, while it might be helpful for others to have multiple steps to remember with more complexity involved in the task.
- Use adaptive equipment- There are lots of ways to play a drum! Bring multiple mallets with several types of handles- long, short, thick, thin. Use EazyHold grips and give the option of playing a drum with their hand or elbow even! Get creative with adapting instruments to meet the needs of each person.
- Keep it short OR lengthen it out. Some clients may benefit from participating for just short durations- it can help hold attention and add interest and variety. For others, it may help to give some extra time for someone to “get the hang of it” and settle into the activity. Using the form of the music can help give structure to the length of time you choose- whether just one musical phrase, or one verse, or the chorus, or the verse and chorus together.
- Change it up! Do something unexpected! When the music suddenly stops and someone yells “Freeze” everyone in the room, whether 3 years old or 83, knows exactly what to do 😊. An unexpected pause or sudden change in dynamic can grab attention and often leads to a reciprocal change in response from the group. Play around with tempo changes, key changes, dynamic changes, tone changes- try a silly voice and see what happens. Leave out some words from the song or purposefully sing the wrong words. Who knows, maybe you’ll see people engage in ways you haven’t seen before when given a change to participate in an unexpected way.
How do you promote meaningful engagement for participants with varied strengths and needs?
Email musictherapyservices@westmusic.com to share other ideas!
