Why Music??? part 14 Cognitive Comprehension Speed, a Vital Consideration

Thanks for visiting musicfromthestart.com topics and conversations. Here I want to address music therapy issues and concepts as they relate to education, health and wellness.

This is part fourteen of my blog posts where I describe music therapy interactions I've had that are indicative of why music is so healing, meaningful, enriching and sometimes life changing!

This post describes a music therapy session that is fairly common where I have to take into account the client's cognitive comprehension (or processing) speed, i.e., through assessment, first identify how slow I need to speak to individuals for them to fully understand and then, very importantly, determine how slow I have to play the music to have them fully comprehend the experience.

I'll discuss this concept by describing sessions I have with a music therapy client named Freda. What a blessed privilege and honor to work with her. I say a blessed privileged because Freda is 104 years old! She sings beautifully and has her mental faculties relatively intact.

When I visit Freda she welcomes me with the cutest high pitched voice and a big smile. After a number of visits I know now what songs she knows the words to, and we enjoy singing and video recording the sessions. Very fun... when I video a song on my phone and we watch it she exclaims “look, we're on TV!”

When I play a song that I know she knows, I watch carefully how comfortable and with how much ease she is able to sing. When needed, I slow down when she has trouble getting some words out. It is common when singing with Freda (and those similar) that when a second or third verse comes up, that might not be as well known as the first verse, she slows down to remember or correctly sing the words. Being able to accompany and support her singing with precisely her needs in mind is the wonderful thing about live music and music therapy. I'll remind us that my favorite definition of music therapy is: using music to support and achieve non-musical goals. The primary goal is not to make beautiful music. The primary goals are to provide an opportunity for positive reminiscence, to be a positive diversion from stress and worry and to support hopefulness. The fact that we are making beautiful is simply “icing on the cake.”

These kind of experiences are so precious. Again, what an honor to experience live music with Freda and witness the precious responses that she has. Wow!!

So, "Why (live) music??"... To again be in the privileged position to experience live with others, i.e., supporting them, performing with them, witnessing and recording their responses and sharing these experiences with their family and others.

I'm excited to report about progress made on my new offering, Video Guitar Lessons for Music Therapy Students (and others of course). The new site, GUITARplayLIKEaPRO.com will open before my next blog post. And musicfromthestart.com is still progressing nicely. Right now there are three offerings, i.e., two music albums available, David's Basics in Education and Lyrical Imagery and one educational lecture titled The Purposeful Use of Music From Pregnancy Through Toddlerhood (including Labor and Delivery). The second album, Lyrical Imagery, and the childbirth lecture are a free download for the time being.

As a reminder the main thrust of the music therapy/childbirth lecture is to support moms (and dads) as they put together their own music listening playlists or CDs to support rhythmic breathing, act as a positive diversion from pain and stress, etc., to be used during labor and delivery.

Also, I'm looking forward to recording my second music album early this year. This is music for child development, autism and special needs. As a reminder, one song, “High 5,” from David's Basics in Education (music album #1) is still a free download for a limited time.

In upcoming posts I will continue with other music therapy/health and wellness related blog posts.

My prescription this week??? Sing and experience music with those you love and others!

 
AND!!!! Please share with others, like us on Facebook  and follow us on Twitter ... Thanks

Why Music??? part 13 How Live Music Facilitates Learning From Others

How Live Music Facilitates Learning From Others

Thanks for visiting musicfromthestart.com topics and conversations. Here I want to address music therapy issues and concepts as they relate to education, health and wellness.

This is part thirteen of my blog posts where I describe music therapy interactions I've had that are indicative of why music is so healing, meaningful, enriching and sometimes life changing!

This post describes music therapy sessions with clients on our hospice service where I end up learning tried and tested music techniques from them. Techniques I employ to this day and will always use.

The first of my two scenarios involves a life long professional piano player. Howard, played since he was young and spent all of his adult working years as a full time piano player. To describe an impressive aspect of his work, imagine the most elegant, high priced restaurant in your town, with a grand piano. Howard was the piano player, 3-5 nights per week for 40 plus years! Also Howard taught piano extensively and played in the top jazz orchestras in the area. He also sang. Obviously he was very talented. I say “was” because he passed recently and I had the opportunity to engage him in music therapy sessions as his health declined. Early on Howard would play an electric piano he had in his home. Together we would play jazz standards, many by Duke Ellington. It was here when I had to stop him and say...”what did you play there?” He would show me. Howard, from playing so long and with so many great musicians over the years, would play certain “turn arounds” and cadences in his own stylistic ways, chords that were not part of the original music. I immediately wrote the chords and techniques on my music. To this day I use those cadences and techniques in my own playing and of course I think of Howard. I feel like I had met a guru or master. Wow, how fortunate.

The second scenario involved me having sessions with another talented man named Bob. My first information about Bob stated that he played guitar and had a guitar in his room. Bob was very sick the first time we met, his family was present also. Even though he couldn't really have his eyes open he sang many gospel and church hymns with me that first visit. Looking around his room I saw many framed poems on the wall. They were not eight or sixteen line little ditties. These poems had so many stanzas that the smallest font was used. Bob wrote them. Not only did he write them the family said he can recite them. I said what?? So he recited one. Beautiful, thoughtful poems. The one I heard was from his experience in WWII. And he also painted (art) pictures, some of which were in his room. At this point we hadn't really gotten to his music experience. On his dresser there was a very old picture of what looked like a small orchestra. He said the picture was him as a youngster with his family's dance band. The band included his mother and Bob played drums. For a few months I would visit Bob for music therapy. Our routine was he would sit in his comfortable chair, with his eyes mostly closed and we would sing old church hymns and country songs. There are a few songs that we did regularly where he sang them with an authentic country style that I never really could get the “hang of” myself. Singing them with Bob taught me. As with Howard, when I sing them the way Bob did, I think of him every time. I consider that a gift.

These kind of experiences are so precious. Again, I never would have learned the music techniques and stylistic treatments of those songs if it hadn't been for my learning from both of them. Beautiful and thank you gentlemen!!!

So, "Why (live) music??"... To be in the privileged position to learn from others, i.e., music techniques and tips that enhance the music therapist's musicianship. Learning “life lessons” from patients and their families is a whole other topic for another day.

And don't forget about guitar CMTE courses from The Creative Clinician and Video Guitar Lessons for Music Therapy Students (and others of course). GUITARplayLIKEaPRO.com.

As a reminder my second music album, i.e., Modern Music Learning For The School Aged Child will be out very soon. This is music for child development, autism and special needs.


In upcoming posts I will continue with other music therapy and musicianship related blog posts.

My prescription this week??? Grab your guitar, learn a song in a new genre for you and don't forget, The Creative Clinician and GUITARplayLIKEaPRO.com are here for support.

Why Music??? part 12 Music Therapy and Song Writing

Thanks for visiting musicfromthestart.com topics and conversations. Here I want to address music therapy issues and concepts as they relate to education, health and wellness.


This is part twelve of my blog posts where I describe music therapy interactions I've had that are indicative of why music is so healing, meaningful, enriching and sometimes life changing!

This post describes a series of music therapy sessions with a woman on our hospice service. This elderly woman, diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, loves music and her Christian faith.

Our chaplain first told me of “the new patient who recites a poem or psalm that she (the patient) says 'was given to her by God...' “ The chaplain emailed me the religious poem. My initial thought was that I would put music to her words, a task I have done with music therapy clients for years. Her lyric was very organized and very easy to put music to.

The next day I was excited to visit with “song in hand” to play it for her. I was excited because so often in the past, when I would put music to clients' words, seeing their reaction was most often priceless. Our patient was very receptive to hear her song but after I played it she said “it's nice but the melody's not right...” What I failed to realize was that she also had a melody to her words. She said “God gave me the words AND the music...” So I was very pleased to support and encourage her to sing the song as I recorded it so I could then write out the accompaniment. In a faint, frail voice she sang the song. After recording it on my phone I finally put accompaniment music, her music, together with her words. The next visit I was very excited to play the finished song for her. After playing it she said... “it's good, except there is one wrong note...” I was so pleasantly surprised because she supposedly has Alzheimer’s. I then slowly went through each line with her until she pointed out the “wrong note.” We then easily fixed that note and when I played it for her she sang and was very pleased. The experience for me was again priceless. Next visit I will have a CD and printed out lyric sheet of her song for her and her family.

So, "Why music??"... To provide a “platform” and opportunity for an individual to share life experiences. In this case, the woman described a spiritual experience that has a deep effect on her hopefulness, security and her feelings of productiveness as she shared her important message with me and others. For her it is not only sharing the literal message of the song that affected her but it is important for her to help others understand that she “received a gift from God.”

Also, I want to let everyone know that my new site: musicfromthestart.com, still very new, is in the process of producing more offerings. Right now there are three offerings, i.e., two music albums available, David's Basics in Education and Lyrical Imagery and one educational lecture titled The Purposeful Use of Music From Pregnancy Through Toddlerhood (including Labor and Delivery). The second album, Lyrical Imagery, and the childbirth lecture are a free download for a limited time.

As a reminder the main thrust of the music therapy/childbirth lecture is to support moms (and dads) as they put together their own music listening playlists or CDs to support rhythmic breathing, act as a positive diversion from pain and stress, etc., to be used during labor and delivery.

Also, I'm looking forward to recording my second music album this year. This is music for child development, autism and special needs. As a reminder, one song, “High 5,” from David's Basics in Education (music album #1) is still a free download for a limited time.

In upcoming posts I will continue with other music therapy/health and wellness related blog posts.

My prescription this week??? Pray and listen for the voice of God... Maybe He'll place a song on your heart.

 
AND!!!! Please share with others, like us on Facebook  and follow us on Twitter ... Thanks