Better Late than Never...

So I am a bit late with my weekly blog post requirement. Last week was full of cultural experiences and music therapy related experiences. It was almost too much to take in at once, and therefore it would be impossible to write about every striking experience. I have come to realize something about myself during these weeks. I think I have the potential to be very close-minded, especially when it comes to what little I know about methods in music therapy. I have been challenging myself this last week to keep an open mind during our shadowing placements.

I worked with two music therapists in a psychiatric hospital that treated a variety of different populations. These included forensic psychiatry, closed psychiatric units, child psychiatry, and geriatric psychiatry. I have never had contact with any of the populations that were treated in this facility, except the geriatric population. Two experiences particularly stand out in my mind.

The first time I walked into the closed unit was not as shocking as the therapists had warned me it might be. We sat in during the morning circle when everyone went around and discussed how they felt with the doctors. It was in German, and I unfortunately could not understand what was being said. The session was a bit chaotic. It seemed to me that there was no structure and that music therapy could not happen in such an environment. I decided, though, to keep an open mind because a) I don't know very much about music therapy when it comes down to it, b) I don't know anything about working with psychiatric patients and c) I'm not German despite all of the lessons I have had on how to become German. Throughout the session, I sang American songs and connected specifically with a girl who was there for depression. She loved to sing and wanted to show me all of these American songs that she knew. I realized that this was music therapy. I was using music to make a connection with a girl who may otherwise have stayed inside her shell. And she was using music as a source of personal identity and confidence.

The second experience was when I observed a music therapy session at the forensic unit for young men. This session was not a group session. The therapist worked with a boy whom she said had trouble making personal connections because of  his very difficult home life. They started first with the keyboard. He had a knack for coming up with beats and mixing tracks together. He quickly could figure out how to work things on the keyboard, which was quite impressive considering his low IQ. I watched as he would find different beats and melodies and bass notes and mix them together, then turn to the therapist to seek her opinion. Together they decided whether or not they liked it. If they liked it, they wrote it down or recorded it. If they didn't, they moved on to find something else. There wasn't much structure, but the boy had found something he could be proud of and was making a personal connection with the therapist and working with her to make music.

I never thought about cultural differences in something scientific like music therapy. I am very grateful for this experience that challenged my perception of music therapy and encouraged me to better myself.