Hear me out though.

I’ve started working with some new clients in Pennsylvania who have funding through the PA Waiver Program.

This allows adults with intellectual disabilities to receive music therapy services free of charge.

Being a waiver provider means my documentation and reports will be checked to ensure compliance and to ensure there is a continued need for service.

To help keep things crystal clear for myself as I am session planning, documenting, and writing service notes, I do color-coded goals and objectives.

Each goal and corresponding objective is assigned a color. The musical experience in my session plan that addresses that objective is given the same color.

Here’s an example from a session I led this past week:

I’m a visual learner through and through, so this helps me clearly see how I am actively addressing each goal and objective in my session.

This has made my service note writing and report writing much easier and more clear.

I have supervised practicum students and interns for almost my entire 20 year career. I think this technique could be very beneficial for students (especially if they are visual learners!)

If you are in Pennsylvania (in the Gettysburg, Hanover, or Fairfield areas), Maryland (in the Emmitsburg, Thurmont, or Frederick areas), or South Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach counties) and are looking for in-home music therapy services or lessons, reach out to me at Amy@WHmusictherapy.com or using our website contact form here.

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Paperwork. Ahh one of the great joys of being a music therapist! This blog post is all about goals and objectives and a few things I’ve learned to make life a little easier in that department.

Since my full-time job is in the school setting I work very closely with the teachers and consult the IEPs to ensure I am directly and consistently targeting academic goals. When I first started out, although I found it easy to address the academic concepts in my sessions, I found it hard to accurately chart progress towards these goals.

Here’s the deal – one week the teachers were covering rhyming words, the next week they were working on opposites, and the next they were working on addition. Therefore, I wasn’t always targeting the same academic concepts in my sessions each week. Thus was born…the TASK ANALYSIS.

This has helped my clearly and accurately assess which academic concepts are being targeted and mastered during my sessions. Here’s an example of an Academic Task Analysis I might use for the Kindergarten class:

Goal: To increase knowledge of academic concepts

Objective: Client S. will complete 1 of the 5 steps in the Academic Task Analysis during one session

Academic Task Analysis
1. Correctly identify a rhyming word
2. Correctly match a numeral to quantity
3. Correctly identify 2 colors
4. Correctly identify 2 body parts
5. Count to 10

I love the Task Analysis because it allows me to work within the framework of an academic goal, but also allows me the freedom to change up the concept as the teachers changes it in the classroom. The Task Analysis can be used in any goal area we address during music therapy. I use a Social Skills Task Analysis and even a Handwriting Task Analysis (for my Occupational Therapy co-treatment sessions).

Has the Task Analysis been helpful in YOUR work as a music therapist?

Image courtesy of [luigi dimanti] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The post What I Wish I Had Known Earlier About Writing Goals & Objectives appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.