What Does In-Person Music Therapy Look Like?
By Olivia Harrington, M.M., MT-BC
In-person music therapy is one of the main forms of therapy that we offer at Motive Music Therapy. These therapy sessions are done in-home or at a facility like our “Little Ones Music” class.
Prior to the pandemic, in-person therapy was typically the only method of music therapy offered. Now, there is an option for both in-person and virtual music therapy, based on the client's preferences. In-person music therapy is a great option for all clients!
What you need to participate for in-person music therapy:
One thing you will need is a space in your home that can be used for music therapy sessions. Typically, it is good to have a space that is sectioned off with plenty of space to best fit the session plan. If the therapy session is being held in the park or a community space, adequate room is required with safety precautions in place.
The music therapist will bring instruments and materials for the session plan that they create. This can include instruments like egg shakers, a guitar, electronic keyboard, and more! The music therapist will also bring sanitization materials to help prevent germs being spread across clients and among your household.
Your music therapist will contact you to set up a consistent time and day of the week to meet for music therapy sessions. The sessions can be 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or 1 hour depending on their recommendations.
If you need extra support during music therapy, we welcome any and all caregivers and support staff to jump in to music therapy too! These support people can help with holding instruments and see what we do in music therapy. Most music therapists are comfortable communicating with the support staff / caregivers to direct them throughout the session. For example, a music therapist might say “Ms. Smith, can you show Charlie how to hit the drum like me?” We are there to support you and provide autonomy, so if you do not want the music therapist to direct the support staff let them know!
What activities might happen during in-person music therapy:
Music Therapists use a variety of different interventions and activities to meet the client’s goals. You might see your music therapist playing live and patient-preferred music on the guitar, ukulele, or piano and encouraging the client to participate. Participation can look different for every client depending on their goals but some examples include: body percussion, affirmation drumming, singing along, active listening, receptive listening, and playing instruments. Some interventions that music therapists like to use during music therapy sessions include: audio recordings, song writing, music composition, and music games.
A typical music therapy session might follow this outline:
If in-person music therapy seems like the right fit for you, contact Motive Music Therapy today!
Motive Music Therapy, LLC
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