The art of selecting repertoire
As music therapists, interns, and students, It is important to have a large repertoire of music to pull from. Whether these songs are covers, piggyback songs, or even just the rhythms from familiar songs, it is important to have a wide variety of repertoire to select from in order to provide quality services for our clients. As a new clinician, this may seem daunting. How can we possibly know all the songs a person may enjoy or like? The main thing to remember is that we don’t have to know all the songs that exist! In this day and age we can use technology to our advantage to enhance the client experience when needed. We can be methodical in the songs that we learn and ensure that they are appropriate for our clients.
Let’s look at some factors that can determine what repertoire we choose to learn:
Population:
Population is very important in determining what repertoire we should learn for our clients. If they are toddlers, it would be appropriate to learn nursery rhymes or common children’s songs. If we are working with a teen population in a rehabilitation facility, we most likely would not play children’s songs for that population. For older adults, the general rule is to think of songs they might have heard in their 20’s and start with those. An example might be if someone was 20 in the 1950’s and 60’s, then learning Elvis or Frank Sinatra would be appropriate.
Preference:
Perhaps you’ve started doing sessions already and the client requests a certain song. If you know it, go ahead and play it. If not, offer to listen to the song with the client and learn it for next time. You could also have an open discussion with the client or their caregiver about preferences and add those songs to your repertoire. It is very possible that one song you learn for a client will be something you could use for a client in the future.
Pick songs you enjoy:
This may seem counterintuitive because our work is based on the client’s preferences, however, picking songs you enjoy will keep you engaged in the music. It will help you learn new picking patterns, tempos, and rhythms that you may not have learned otherwise. It also gives you a space to have music of your own, and perhaps there will be an opportunity to play one of these songs for your clients if requested. It is important to remember the previous themes of preference and population, but make sure you are not just playing your favorite song because you like it. Play a song because it would be effective for your client.
Maximizing your time:
Some songs might be able to be played across populations such as older traditional songs. A couple examples of this are: You Are My Sunshine or I’ve Been Working on the Railroad. Additionally, popular groups such as The Beatles or The Rolling Stones tend to appeal to generations of listeners. Again, learning traditional songs or songs from popular groups can be helpful in building repertoire that can appeal to different populations and groups. This ensures that these song choices are in line with the goals you have set for your client.
Here are some songs I have added to my own repertoire list during my time here at MTCCA
For older populations:
Blue Skies (Berlin Irving)
Singin in the Rain (Gene Kelly)
Oh What a Beautiful Morning (Gordon MacRae)
For younger kiddos:
We are the Dinosaurs (Laurie Berkner)
Grizzly Bear Grump (Stephanie Leavell)
5 Little Ducks (Super simple songs)
For teens:
The Night we Met (Lord Huron)
TV (Billie Eilish)
Stick Season (Noah Kahan)
Across populations:
You Are My Sunshine (traditional)
Take Me Home Country Roads (John Denver)
Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers)
In conclusion, picking repertoire doesn’t have to be daunting. While having a vast array of songs in your pocket that you can play at any time is a huge asset, in the scheme of things, each song is a drop in the bucket that will eventually become full. So take your time, enjoy the process, and keep on learning.
Singingly,
Eric Amparo, Music Therapy Intern
