Share Your Thoughts

[Meredith Pizzi]

Share your thoughts with the board members on the role of music therapy in community based settings.

[Kimberly Rodgers-Melnick]

I actually did a project on Community Music Therapy as a part of a graduate course that I took on Music Therapy in Trauma Informed care. I loved this model and its flexibility. I think that music therapists have a lot to offer the community, whether the service provided is clinical & goal based with assessment and documentation, or whether it is music therapy ‘based’ and following a music enrichment model. Speaking personally, I have in the past gotten caught up in limiting myself to clinical, goal based work with assessment and documentation out of a feeling of necessity, feeling as though if I did not have these components I was somehow missing the bar, I’m not sure if I’m making sense, but there was a feeling of ‘I’m a Music Therapist, I HAVE to be providing CLINICAL MUSIC THERAPY’. That is all well and good, but I agree with Meredith and Elizabeth that our skillset as MTs is unique and we can use our knowledge and clinical training to provide unique, quality, community-based music enrichment experiences as well. I like the program and if I was not already providing Music Together as part of a team that I really enjoy working with I would probably consider becoming a provider, and may even consider sometime down the road should circumstances change.

[Carolyn Keenan]

Kimberly, you are making sense — sometimes we are so programmed to follow that clinical mindset that delivering services in a different way can be challenging to our own definitions of what a music therapist does. I agree that we have the skill set to meet the need for quality, community based programming. A colleague I met years ago felt strongly that music therapy should be available to all young children, and we worked to integrate enrichment experiences into our practice. I like the the model of wellness and promoting early strengths. I often have preschool parents asking for more of this!

[Alison Barrington]

Sorry – I seem to have missed this bit of the postings but I am really interested in this issue. I do agree with all that you have said Kimberly and Carolyn – thank you. I have a slightly different background and so I want to say something about the development of CoMT in the UK. Firstly I have to say that I am very keen for community music therapy projects to thrive and I love the fact that this aspect of work is developing. However, there is a rift in the UK about this issue. There are two main approaches to music therapy in the UK – psychodynamically oriented and CoMT. CoMT came out of the Nordoff-Robbins Centre in London. The Centre shut down for a full year to ‘re-invent’ itself and to focus on CoMT. There has been a split in the UK and some tough discussions about this. Music therapists from the psychodynamic approach do feel that the work needs to have a clinical aspect and are concerned that CoMT has shifted away from this in a manner which has not helped the cohesiveness of the profession. It’s worth noting that the UK is a very small place so that the characters involved all know each other!
My view, as I’ve already noted, is that CoMT projects are doing fantastic work and it’s moving to read about them but I do think that the manner in which this movement has occurred in the UK has not encouraged harmony within the field.
I could say a lot more but I’ll stop there!!!

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for your thoughtful and insightful responses. Alison I truly appreciate you sharing this perspective in the UK. I think here in the US we are not always aware of how MT is functioning in other countries. It is unfortunate that there has been such a rift in the UK. I think here in the US we have made a space for music therapy in so many different avenues and it seems to me it has really enhanced our field and also gotten the word out more. Great discussion!

[Elana Dietz-Weinstein]

I agree completely! As music therapists, we are able to offer an enriching musical experience to all children, regardless of functioning level. I really like the wellness-based model, promoting healthy development for all children through carefully thought out, mindful musical interventions that keep the developmental stages in mind.

[Mabel Ortiz]

Coming from a working in clinical model (medical setting), the perspective of me offering community based classes it is definitely different. However, I do see the value that we can offer to this program, and the need that the community have for us music therapist to be targeting those needs. As other participants have said, we are equipped with various, valuable skill sets that make possible our ability to adapt and be flexible in meeting our clients’ needs. Also, we have a unique expertise and knowledge that we can share with, in this case, the parents, in knowing what goes on with child development and behavior. Our knowledge in this area, and our expertise in music, makes us stand out and really be a great asset to this population.

[Laura Pruett]

I don’t know exactly what to say that hasn’t already been said. I agree with what Meredith and Beth had to say in the videos for this week. I appreciated the distinction that these classes are not formal music therapy treatment, as there is no assessment, progress note, or termination note for participants. I also appreciated the emphasis on the title of the group facilitator as the “Music Therapist”, not the “Teacher”.

I have heard some music therapists say that any work a music therapist does is music therapy, simply because the one performing the work is a music therapist. For example, if a music therapist is teaching a music lesson, that music lesson is music therapy because the one leading the lesson is a music therapist. I don’t agree with that logic, because if a music therapist is teaching a music lesson, the emphasis is on music learning, not on music therapy goals/objectives. And while music learning can be incorporated into music therapy, I don’t think a music lesson is automatically a music therapy session just because the one leading it is a music therapist.

I bring this up because I think it’s important to really understand what we’re doing and why, and music therapy in community based settings is still music therapy, in my opinion. The emphasis is on non-musical learning goals, like bonding with their babies and young children. As Beth and Meredith pointed out, as people become more wellness oriented, they are more open to using music as a preventative and nourishing element in their lives.

[Jen Hinton]

Hi all!

I thought that I had finished this (week 6) but just realized I skipped it and am catching up!

Thank you all for this discussion. I think that many of us grapple with these practical and philosophical issues out as we make the transition from school to “real world work.” Things are not always cut and dry. Our opportunities and life goals often shape the ways and places we choose to work.

Here are my (evolving) thoughts on this topic:

No matter what we do we are all MT-BCs. This is something that drew me to the SM program! We worked hard- and continue to work hard- to hone our skills and to advocate for our profession. This can leave me, like Kimberly, feeling like we need to be “purists.” Feeling like we need to do a certain type of work. Feeling at times like any work that is not clinical Music Therapy is “less than.” If we feel compelled to reach out or share our skills in another type of venue is a shame to limit ourselves.

How we represent ourselves, our profession, and our work is important and may be our most natural form of advocacy. I appreciate your distinction, Laura, that just because we are MT-BCs we are not providing Music Therapy in every professional or musical interaction we enter into.

I am a MT-BC who sometimes provides music for weddings or funerals. I am not providing Music Therapy. Hopefully I provide music in a way that is sensitive, honors the individual, reflects my skills, and is able to adjust in the moment as needed. I belive that I am able to do this because of my professionalism.

I am a MT-BC who sometimes provides music lessons. When I teach I am not providing Music Therapy. Hopefully I am also able to encourage my students to express themselves (verbally and non-verbally) through their instrument; to address their inner monologue and encourage greater confidence; to provide exercises for their fine motor skills and cognition; to provide active listening to whatever needs they bring. I believe that I am able to do this because of my professionalism.

I am a MT-BC who provides music enrichment in an early learning center. While I enrich the students’ lives through music, I am not providing Music Therapy. Hopefully I am helping them to promote healthy development, musical and otherwise. I am encouraging them to explore instruments and different sounds while also engaging with each other through developmentally appropriate ways (ie. sharing, waving, listening, waiting, experiencing through others.) I am able to balance the needs of the group and the individual and adjust my pacing and strategies to keep the group engaged and on-task. I believe that I am able to do this because of my professionalism.

We do have a distinct niche because of our training, skills, insight, and the intention we bring to relationships- especially relationships in music.

I will be chewing on the concept of Community Based Music Therapy and look forward to hearing more thoughts an conversation. Thank you for the conversation.

[Jen Hinton]

Meredith – a wording question – I appreciate that you refer to facilitators as Music Therapists. How do you refer to the caregivers and children? Students? Clients? Participants? I think I heard you or maybe Beth use the word “students” in the video and guess that makes sense to use when speaking to families. I know at the preschool the teachers often call the students “friends” when referring to the kids. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Hi Jen, for Sprouting Melodies I referred to them as my families and the children as children. Beth works in a school full time so I believe that is why she referred to her students. I believe Meredith refers to her Sprouting Melodies clients as families and children. I will forward this on to Meredith and Beth. Since we are almost done I don’t know if they will have the opportunity to chime in before Wednesday.

[Claudia Eliaza]

Really great discussion going on here. I (like Jen) thought I had completed this section, but somehow managed to miss this! I find myself echoing many of the thought shared by the other MT’s. As music therapists we can get locked into the role of “CLINICIAN here to provide assessments, treatment plans with extra emphasis on target behaviors and goals and objectives. While this is all a part of the services I am able to provide, I do also see how my skills can go beyond the sort of straight definition of music therapy to best support families and their children and their particular needs.

While these classes aren’t traditional music therapy, I do appreciate that the facilitator is still called the music therapist and not the teacher. As Laura stated, Music therapy in these community settings are still focusing on goals like bonding, vocalizing, and motoric responses.

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