Beating the Fear
Good evening! I will start out by saying, today was definitely "a monday". Work was busy, time went too fast, and groups were...difficult to redirect to say the least. What is it about Mondays? Why can't we all just agree to make them as wonderful as possible rather than dreading them each week? Seems like we could all work together to make this happen.
For instance, deciding that all your co-workers could go get coffee together every Monday would make the day so much more bearable. Or how about having your clients/patients talk about the best thing they did over the weekend? I refuse to make every Monday for the rest of my life miserable just because the weekend is so far away. I don't want to just "work for the weekends". Do you?
On a different note, I thought I would write about one of the most scary and intimidating parts of my job to make this particular Monday mean something really cool. Songwriting. Goodness when I was in college, I could never imagine writing any meaningful songs with patients due to my own lack of self-expression. I always had a hard time writing lyrics, and then setting music to them. Even in reverse order (music first, lyrics after), I could never seem to come with anything that I liked. I could write upbeat, repetitive children's songs all day long, but these don't really fly in adult mental health. When I got a job working in Psych, I knew this would be a weaker area for me, and one that I MUST prepare for so I could enter confidently into sessions.
Songwriting is critical in this population-- it allows patients to express their emotions verbally, often very difficult for them. It provides a safe space to communicate and socialize with others. It lends itself to increasing positive thinking, hopefulness, improving emotional regulation, and increasing self-esteem. The list goes on! So..how do you do this in a group of 3 people? How about a group of 19? I've had both, and both have been successful in their own ways.
I have a few different ways that I approach songwriting. The first is simple lyric substitution exercises. Taking a pre-existing song and deleting words that make it easier for patients to fill in their own thoughts and personalize the song to their experiences. A few of my favorite songs to work with in this way are "Say" by John Mayer and "Imagine" by John Lennon (I don't know what it is about Johns...)
The more difficult songwriting is starting from scratch. How do you give your patients confidence to create their own lyrics when they can't even describe the emotion they're currently feeling? (for instance, "I'm doing good" or "okay" are common answers I often get to that question. Those are NOT emotions!).
Step 1: Word inspiration
I like to provide my patients a sort of "vocabulary" to start off. I bring in a song with lots of great descriptor words, allow patients to hear the song and circle their favorite 10 words (not phrases). After, I write all the words they circled on the board, and then ask them to help me change half of the words to their synonyms to create a new set of unique words. This is the start of their "songwriting vocab" that they can draw from for inspiration. \
Great songs to draw initial vocab from:
- "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" by Coldplay
-"Stop this Train" by John Mayer
- "Secrets" by Mary Lambert
Step 2: Theme
With the help of everyone in group, allow members to throw up ideas of "what they would want people to know about their experiences?" Music is a form of communication after all, so what would they want to communicate? Encourage them to think of both struggles and positive things. This is a chance to recognize some coping skills while writing the lyrics. Vote on the theme, and allow this to be the main idea of the song-- always referring back to it to make sure the song "makes sense" and flows.
Step 3: Introduce format
Easiest format to use with patients who have never written a song is as follows: Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus
It's simple and repetitive, and requires less time (if you're limited on that)
Step 4: Write the lyrics
Explain to patients to utilize words on board to create their own sentences. For instance, if the word "broken" is the on the board, what kind of sentence could you create with that word that would apply to you personally? (i.e. "I am just a broken being, longing for acceptance")
Work with the group to brainstorm ideas. Jot EVERYTHING on the board, and rearrange later. This is the fun part! Make sure patients' ideas are being heard, and don't be afraid to ask the quieter ones their opinion. This is about the group as a whole, not just one person! Always refer back to the theme, and work on asking those probing questions such as:
-What would you tell your loved ones right now?
-What would you say your biggest hope is? What gives you that hope?
-What has been the hardest thing for you about your current situation? Can anyone else relate?
-How have you grown in the midst of this struggle?
Step 5: MUSIC!
I always bring chord progression ideas to the group when it's time to set the lyrics to music. Various styles, picking patterns, etc. I come prepared because I know that I'm not as good at creating patterns on the spot. The more I have done this, the easier it has been to be creative later. I definitely don't have to think about it as much now, and am able to improvise more! Oh the wonders of practice.
Make sure and ask your patients what THEIR thought for the music should be. Fast/slow, Upbeat/reflective/ballad, picking/strumming? So many different things. Give them examples as you are able.
FINALLY: If you have the capabilities, RECORD THE SONG! Some of my best memories are when I have involved entire groups in playing the instruments and recording the song, and then burning it on a CD for them to take home. What a cool memory and reminder that they are able to appropriately express themselves! If they remember nothing else from their stay in the hospital, at least they will remember Music Therapy! (See what I did there? It's advocacy as well!)
Here are a couple songs I have recorded in the past with my groups. I hope you enjoy, and have learned a little something along the way!
