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Internship experiences

Adapted guitar is another area in which I’ve had to expand my bag of tricks. Clients constantly inspire me to create new resources that help them learn and grow. As a result, I have developed this resource for teaching the blues in an adapted guitar lesson. The song includes melodic cues as to when and where to switch chords, and is accompanied by a colored chord chart. In some cases, I have used matching stickers on a guitar to show where to play each chord, with colors that correspond to the ones used on the song sheet. The blues are a fun and adaptable way to teach beginning guitar! The student only needs to learn two chord shapes, then they are moved between the frets to make various chords. You can see from the picture below how the shape for A7 and B7 is constant.

Blues chords.jpg

The chord and lyric sheet is attached below. In true blues fashion, verses could be added by you or the student to prolong the song.

Blues.jpg

-Becca

I have started teaching adapted ukulele lessons, and over the past couple of months have developed some materials for teaching young children. This song uses the percussive elements of the instrument to imitate the sounds of a train. The rest of the song is used to practice transitioning between chords and can be altered to do some songwriting with your clients.

The song begins by muting the strings of the ukulele (of guitar) and making the “chugga, chugga” in 16th notes for four measures of 4 to imitate the sound of a train. The “choo, choo” sound is made by playing the strings above the fret board but below the tuning pegs.

Percussion Uke.jpg

The rest of the song uses three chords. It is a fun and easy way for children to start to learn an instrument! The lyrics can also be changed to accommodate different interests (i.e. the princess train or the animal train). Below is a chart for the ukulele chords. The ukulele is an easy way to learn the basics of guitar. It has only four strings and so requires the use of less fingers at a time. It is a wonderful introductory instrument and great for all ages!

Ukulele Chords

Railroad Song
Becca Paoni

(Percussion break – 2x)

Verse 1:

C
Train is starting down the track

C
There’s no turning back

F
Going down the railroad

C                        G G F F
Nice and slow

C
Here we go!

Verse 2:

C
Train is coming down the line

C
Getting there by nine

F
Going down the railroad

C                        G (slide to) F
Pretty fast

C
Just like that!

Bridge:

F
When we get

C
To our stop

F
We won’t walk

C
We will bop

G
As we rock

G
To the tune of a song!

banding together secret show

Banding Together’s Jam Sessions provide youth with special needs with an opportunity to come together for a one-hour jam session where we play drums, sing songs, dance and have a great time with friends. After EVERY Jam Session, I leave feeling completely inspired, full of enthusiasm for life and a heart full of love and appreciation. I always feel incredibly grateful to be involved with this organization but I also feel the desire to share it with others. I want everyone to know how amazing these youth are and how music therapy allows them to shine at their brightest.

On February 12th, 2016 that desire to share with others became a reality. Banding Together was recognized by professional skateboarder/snowboarder, two-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White and his band Bad Things! We were invited to a secret show by Bad Things, sponsored by San Diego’s local radio station 91X. We all arrived and got to hang out with the members of Bad Things, rock out with them, take pictures with Shaun White and just plain ol’ have a good time. The best part of it all was getting to see the Jam Session participants in an inclusive environment, thrilled by this unique and exclusive opportunity just for them

When I started internship, I had no idea that I would get to hang out with the coolest people ever and get to go to events with celebrities sponsored by radio stations! Every week I get to jam and hang out with the best of the best! This is definitely one of my top internship highlights.

-Kristin

autoharp

Ever since myfirst semester of music therapy coursework, I did not find the autoharp very useful. I figured, I can play the guitar, I prefer the guitar, therefore i have no use for the autoharp. However now that I am in an internship in Neurologic Music Therapy. I see a the the autoharp in a whole new light.

If I have learned anything about Sensorimotor Movement in my internship it is that you want the music to do the work in driving the movement.The music should tell the body what to do. For the music to reflect a movement like shoulder rotations (such as swinging the arms above the head)  the music should simulate a rolling motion, such as the sound that you would hear if you were to strum every string of the autoharp. The autoharp having 36-48 strings,  which allows for large rolling movements such as hip flexion’s (swinging your leg as sing in the following video) and shoulder rotations (mentioned above).   (*Disclosure, I am not belittling the guitar with it’s 6 strings. The guitar can still be played with the intention of inspiring movement)

Below you will find definitions of the two Sensorimotor NMT techniques that I have become familiar with over the last 5 months of internship.

Patterned Sensory Enhancement (PSE) is a technique which uses the rhythmic, melodic, harmonic and dynamic-acoustical elements of music to provide temporal, spatial, and force cues for movements which reflect functional exercises and activities of daily living. PSE  is (a) applied to movements that are not rhythmical by nature (e.g., most arm and hand movements, functional movement sequences such as dressing or sit-to-stand transfers) and (b) it provides more than just temporal cues. PSE uses musical patterns to assemble single, discrete motions (e.g., arm and hand movements during reaching and grasping), into functional movement patterns and sequences. PSE cues movements temporally, spatially, and dynamically during training exercises (Thaut et al. 1991).

Therapeutic Instrumental Music Performance (TIMP) is the playing of musical instruments in order to exercise and stimulate functional movement patterns. Appropriate musical instruments are selected in a therapeutically meaningful way in order to emphasize range of motion, endurance, strength, functional hand movements, finger dexterity, and limb coordination (Elliot 1982, Clark and Chadwick, 1980). During TIMP, instruments are not typically played in the traditional manner, but are placed in different locations to facilitate practice of the desired functional movements (Thaut 2005). Speech and Language Rehabilitation

-Kristin

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsABTmT1_M0&w=560&h=315]

Alright, alright… Parks and Recreation aside, never underestimate the power of self care!  Which was (conveniently enough) the topic of our symposium last week.  Although our discussion of self-care didn’t exactly include cupcakes and new clothes, we did discuss some very practical and helpful tips on taking care of your body for the long-run.

Whether it be exercising 3 times a week, taking a full day to relax and do no work, or catching a sunset at the beach, everybody has their own routine for decompressing and maintaining some balance (and sanity!) in their lives.  As music therapists, it is so important for us to take care of our bodies in order to be at our best with our clients every day, as well as preserve our health and well-being so we will still be as able at 50 (and up) as we were at 25.

In Kate Montgomery’s book, “End your Carpal Tunnel Pain without Surgery” she has coined a 12 step method of stretches and self-care exercises to maintain healthy joints and muscles.

self care book

Here are a few tips from her method to maintain health and function in important areas like the wrists, back, and fingers!

  1. Posture – It’s all about those 90 degree angles when it comes to posture. Bad habits in posture can cause recurrent minor injuries to the neck joints, so it’s so important to be aware of how you carry yourself throughout the day, whether it’s working at a desk or bending down to be on a client’s level, be mindful of keeping 90 degree angles in your back, neck, and legs.
  1. Wrists – There are 3 exercises for the muscles, tendons and joints in the wrist. Wrist presses, wrist pulls, and wrist squeezes.  Practicing these daily will help keep your wrists in alignment and free of pain.
  1. Fingers – What an important part of the body for music therapists! Finger exercises are done one at a time, practicing dexterity and isolation of each finger.  Finger pulls, circles, bends (at each of the three joints) are a few ways to help open and restore energy within the finger joints as well as maintain strength in each individual finger (which can be really helpful for guitar).

You can practice these exercises on your lunch break, at a stop light, or any time between clients in the office.  Make them a part of your self-care practices after exercising or while relaxing in order to maintain dexterity and full function of these important parts of our bodies!

 

-Marissa

“Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What’s a sundial in the shade?”
— Benjamin Franklin

If someone asked you ‘What are your top strengths are how do you take advantage of them regularly?’ would you be able to give them a confident answer?  For many of us, it can be difficult to identify our areas of talent and even more difficult to make the most of them on a daily basis.  The MTCCA team uses a tool called StrengthsFinder 2.0 to categorize different strengths and better understand how to interact with others and become our best selves.

StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath is a small but mighty book!

strengthsfinder

After purchasing, you’ll receive an access code in order to complete an online assessment and discover your top 5 strength themes.  The book includes 34 strength themes such as Empathy, Achiever, Communication and Maximizer.  A list of the themes along with a short description can be found here.  StrengthsFinder 2.0 gives full descriptions of each strength theme, personal accounts from others who posses that strength, as well as some tips for communicating with others who may or may not have that same strength.  This aspect is especially helpful when working with a team of individuals.

During symposium, each of our staff members shared their top 5 strengths and how they play out most into our lives.  Seeing someone else’s talents categorized can you help you understand so much more about a person!  What I found to be most helpful about seeing everyone’s strengths was learning about what that person needs and how to best communicate with them.  I often find myself communicating with others in the way I would like or need for them to communicate with me, but many times this is not the most effective way for their learning style or personality.  For example, I have Input as a strength and enjoy knowing many details and lots of information about the task or situation at hand.  Being educated on the topic helps me feel like I am completing my job to the best of my ability.  However, someone who has Achiever as a strength would much rather get it done quickly and efficiently instead of spending time mulling over the details.  Understanding these differences in others can drastically improve communication, relationships, and outcomes in the workplace.  StrengthsFinder 2.0 is unique because it encourages individuals to take advantage of their strengths consistently instead of spending time trying to improve their weaknesses.  By focusing on our natural gifts and inclinations, we maximize our potential.

I encourage you to evaluate your own top strengths and determine at least one thing you do every day that takes advantage of your unique capabilities and qualities!  Find out the strengths of the people with which you spend time and talk about how you can improve your communication based on each other’s needs.  I hope that what you discover will increase your self-awareness and improve the quality of your communication and relationships.  Here’s to becoming our best selves!

-Marissa

Tuesday’s in the life of an MTCCA Intern are busy, busy days. But Tuesday’s are also one of the best days of the week because the junior and senior interns co-treat together. We have the opportunity to co-treat in individual and group sessions. Let me tell you, it is incredibly helpful in group sessions to have 2 sets of hands and 2 strong voices to help lead interventions. In a perfect world, music therapists would always be able to co-treat large group sessions, but in a the real world we aren’t always so lucky.

In my three months of internship thus far, I have learned that things are not always going to go as expected. Have it be an intervention that you thought was going to be great, but really wasn’t or that you thought you were going to always co-treat in large groups, but you occasionally  have to fly solo. With facing both of the above situations, I have learned to always be prepared with a plan A, B and C, don’t be afraid to work out of your norm and utilize your resources. And with this, I have a few learning’s to share.

Tips for Treating Large Groups Solo

  1. Breathe, you can do this.
  2. Keep the music going and if it stops, talk –  Sing a cappella if you need your hands for something else besides playing guitar (ie. modeling a movement, passing out and collecting instruments) If the music can’t keep going, use the silence as a teaching opportunity, drop a few informational blurbs on the benefits of what you are doing.
  3. Recruit the staff! – When co-treating, one intern is facilitating the music while the other is assisting the clients in movement and interacting 1:1. Since you’re on your own, ask the staff to assist with playing instruments or assist in a movement, they are there to help.
  4. Bring a speaker– If you have the opportunity to use a speaker, do it! Recruiting the staff is incredibly helpful but sometimes you might need more. In this case, have your music cued up and let the music happen while you free  up your hands to interact with the clients.

Happy Singing

-Kristin

It’s hard to believe that my internship is already almost over! It can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what you learn in experiences like these, when time is flying by and you’re constantly taking in new information, increasing your self-awareness, and growing as a professional with every session you facilitate. Unfortunately, if you have a personality like mine that assumes there is “always room for improvement” it can also be hard sometimes to see your own progress. I thought I would take some time to sit down and think about the ways I have grown by writing about the top five things I’ve learned throughout my internship.

 

Tuning into the client’s feelings and needs
When I first started working with kids with autism, I would get stressed out thinking that I had to have all the answers and know exactly what they needed when they started getting over-stimulated or frustrated. Recently, I’ve realized it’s more important to notice how they are moving and responding before they even walk into the session and to pace our session around that initial greeting out in the waiting room (AKA the iso principle). With non-verbal clients, I’ve learned to show patience and acceptance when they are feeling upset or overwhelmed, and I try to help them understand that I am willing to work with them to identify what they need. I used to try and change the intervention immediately, or make them switch instruments, or assume they needed something different and that I was supposed to be so tuned into them that I could read their mind. Of course that’s impossible and a totally unrealistic goal to set for myself. Now I know it’s best to just be there with the client, listening to what they are communicating non-verbally and offering solutions with choices and patience. Oftentimes just helping them to calm their bodies down is all they needed and once they know you are really, truly listening to them, they will be more willing to work through things with you as well!

Teaching new concepts through music – academics, social skills, and daily living skills
In practicum I learned a lot about facilitating interventions and encouraging responses and participation, but I never really had to teach a new concept before like I have here. Throughout my internship I’ve tried to find new ways to teach academic skills, social skills, and daily living skills using music based interventions with the help of visuals or other materials. I really had to think through some interventions and figure out the best ways to break things down and make it work for the client. From there, I was able to successfully adapt the intervention for other clients and increase my overall repertoire of interventions and songs. The most important thing I’ve learned to focus on with these types of interventions is to make music the primary tool and motivator and to make sure it’s easy to generalize and that it’s fitting their goals.

Letting go of being perfect and embracing being human
As a young music therapist, I’m very concerned about my level of professionalism in all of my interactions and sessions. I want to represent the field well by being a professional who is reliable and knowledgeable. However, I feel like I have let that hold me back from opening up and just being silly or honest when the time is right. In the past few months, I’ve realized it’s more important for our clients to see us being regular human beings, messing up, laughing at our own mistakes, and showing our personality, than it is for them to take part in “perfect” interventions and hear “perfectly” performed songs. The less concerned I am about how my intervention is going, the more concerned I can be about my presence and connection with the client, and that is where the magic happens!

Managing time and projects
I came into this internship feeling like time management and organizational skills were some of my biggest weaknesses. Now that I’m wrapping things up, I’m amazed at how well I have learned to organize projects, set deadlines for myself, and complete daily tasks in a timely manner. One of the biggest things I’ve learned to do is to stop wrestling with unimportant details in a project, like formatting documents, and just work on the main points. Also, I’ve learned that breaking down big projects into smaller steps and setting realistic deadlines for each step goes a long way. I was able to work on my final projects without getting burned out and with plenty of time left to review, edit, and finalize all those little formatting issues I used to waste hours on! I recommend a book called “The Practicing Mind” by Thomas Sterner for good strategies on time management and setting goals for yourself. I also recommend a six month internship in music therapy to really put your abilities to the test 😉

Effectively communicating with parents and other professionals
While I have complete confidence in the validity of music therapy as a scientific field and the impact it has in people’s lives, I used to have trouble communicating that to others. There is so much potential for music therapy in someone’s life and it can be a struggle to accurately and concisely convey all of the ways someone could benefit from it. Besides just stumbling through terminology and jargon that I didn’t really, fully understand, I didn’t have many real life experiences to share from a personal perspective. But I’ve had so many wonderful opportunities here to not only formally present music therapy to an audience, but to also work on daily communication with parents and facility staff members after each of my sessions. I have become more confident in my ability to explain what I’m doing and why, and of course, how the client is responding to the interventions and their overall progress.

 

All in all, this has been an incredible experience and I am so grateful to have worked with so many wonderful families and their amazing kids! I have met so many professionals who have been helpful and encouraging and I have received some amazing feedback, guidance, and advice from my co-workers and supervisors. I am truly looking forward to my future as a professional music therapist!