Well hello there!
I wasn’t able to blog last Wednesday because I was out “in the field,” so to speak, observing my practicum students. I had the opportunity to visit the Debbie Institute, the Veteran’s Administration Hospital, and back to United Cerebral Palsy! It was exciting to see the students working in the field and I am always impressed by their talents and enthusiasm for music therapy.
Also, this past Sunday Friendship Circle started back up – yay!
What does that mean? I worked all weekend generating brand new ideas for my children, tween, and teen groups. I also practiced a LOT of Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and One Direction (sorry to my husband!)
I love coming up with fresh ideas for these groups.
Here’s one intervention that worked well with my tween and teen groups and can easily be adapted to use with different songs.
So, how do I use Phil Phillips and Taylor Swift songs therapeutically with teens?
Two of my main goals with these clients are to work on improving attention and increasing opportunities for social interaction.
1) I allow each group member to choose an instrument.
2) I let them know I’m going to play “Home” by Phil Phillips (one of the most highly preferred songs for this group!) I tell them they need to listen very closely. When they hear the word “home” they are to switch instruments with a group member near them
3) Then I play through the song, emphasizing “home” each time it is sung.
4) After that, we do the same thing with “Trouble” by Taylor Swift (another favorite of the group) and tell them every time they hear the word “trouble” they are to switch instruments. This one always ends in laughter because of how many times “trouble” is repeated at the end of the song!
So that’s how I use highly preferred music of the teen group to meet my therapeutic goals.
I’d love to hear from YOU! What songs are your teens groups into now?
Want MORE creative ideas to engage teens in music therapy? Check out our latest offering – the Rap Pack for Teens!
Image courtesy of [digitalart] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Thanks, and please keep these ideas for using popular music with teens coming. Here’s one I did yesterday in case anyone’s interested: I played “One Thing” by One Direction; I emphasized the words “one thing” each occurrence. Then I asked each student to name “one thing” they like about themselves. This tied in well with a group instrument jam we had just finished, in which each one had a chance to solo. I ran out of time, but I plan to follow up next week and ask them to name “one thing” they like about each other.
I love that idea June – thank you so much for sharing it here so we can all benefit :)