I wrote a blurb about how I use recording and technology in my music therapy work for Berklee's Music and Science Symposium. It's kind of confusing to get to, but if you click on this link - then click on assistive technology program, then scroll all the way to the bottom click on the link that says, "Using Technology in Music Therapy Within a School Setting" (the last two words are cut short on the link though).
Or (since several people contacted me having trouble finding it) - you can check it out below here with the pictures of students blured out:
Using Technology in Music Therapy Within a School Setting:
Or (since several people contacted me having trouble finding it) - you can check it out below here with the pictures of students blured out:
Using Technology in Music Therapy Within a School Setting:
Audio and Video
Recording:
Creating audio-recordings had been a significant part of my
training during my internship at the Community Music Center of Boston and
continues to be an important aspect of my work. Under the supervision of Kimberly Khare, I learned how much
there is to learn from a recording and how the recording process could be the
therapeutic process from her music therapy program Song.Studio. Seeing the effectiveness of this
technique, I adopted much of this approach and adapted it to use in a school
for students with special needs.
Using Recordings as
Documentation
Recordings create a living document that the music therapist
can reference from week to week of the participant’s progress in that piece of
music. Producing audio recordings
provides documentation of the work being done in sessions that can be shared
with other staff and parents/caretakers.
How Recordings
Benefit the Participant:
These recordings serve the participant as it further gives
the participant ownership of their music.
They can share their music with their peers and family, which can build
their self-confidence and instill a sense of pride. Recordings also provide an opportunity for students to
connect and collaborate with other students as they work on songs together,
addressing social skills and effective communication.
My Role as the
Producer:
I am not asking the students to play every sound on the
recording; I am instead treating each student like the musical artist and
producing their song. They have the ability to accept or
reject my production ideas, as well as initiate their own, and are empowered in
decision making to take ownership of the song. In the recording process, instruments can be layered and
effects can be used (such as auto-tune, pitch-bending, and delays). As the participant learns how to realize
the music that they want to create, parts can be edited, changed, and
re-recorded so that the end product is something that they feel proud of and
that represents who they are in music. As a producer I ensure safety and success in the risks that
the students are taking in the recording process.
Giving Students the
Role of Producer:
Sometimes students who would not otherwise participate in
playing on the recording will take the role of the producer. Putting the student in this role gives a
safe, comfortable, and purposeful way to come into the recording process while
connecting with other peers on the recording, learning critical listening, and how
to be in a position of leadership.
Audio and Video Recordings
to Increase Self-Awareness
When participants are watching/listening themselves, and
separated from being in the experience, they are able to better notice how they
are coming across in music. Behaviors
such as scripting that detract from the experience of being in music are
brought to attention and addressed in a way that is purposeful and motivating
for the student. In the picture below,
this group was recording a music video for a school theme song with
choreographed dance moves and one of the students was not participating in
dancing during the filming. While
the group was watching the video immediately after they had filmed it, this
student was able to see how she was coming across to the other students in her
group and decided to take a more positive and invested role in the song.
Electronic
Instruments Used in Sessions:
Providing students with instrument options that are commonly
used in the music that they listen to, such as MIDI keyboards, iPad music
instrument apps, and DJ turntable systems often leads to much more rewarding
experiences for the youth and is more purposeful and culturally relevant to
many students. Some of these
instruments require some initial set up from the music therapist and take some
training/practice in order to be proficient in playing, while others are
intuitive.
MPC:
One of the most accessible electronic instruments is a MPC
(which stands for Music Production Center). The instrument basically functions as a drum machine that
can incorporate midi and audio sounds, including any samples that you choose to
load into it. There are many
different models of MPCs, and now several apps for the iPad (such as Beatmaker
2 and iMPC) have an interface that is set up, functions, and sounds similarly
to a MPC providing an affordable and practical alternative. This instrument is most commonly used
in hip-hop since this is traditionally a sample-based genre, however it can be
adapted to be used in any genre and for other purposes in sessions (such as
having different animal sounds in each of the pads that participants can
trigger for a song such as Old McDonald).
MIDI Keyboards:
MIDI allows electronic music instruments and computers (and
other related devices) to communicate with each other. When using a MIDI keyboard that is
connected to a computer, you can choose from a wide variety of instrument sounds
for the keyboard within the computer software you are using (such as Garageband). I use Oxygen 8 keyboards as they
are affordable and portable, giving them the capability to be passed around
easily.
Digital DJ-Turntables:
Although it would be highly impractical and expensive to
bring real turntables and vinyl into a music therapy session, there are digital
alternatives that exist now that connect with either a computer or an iPad. When using Digital DJ turntables in a
session with live music making, the music therapist first needs to choose samples
that fit within the song.
Sometimes the sample will need to be altered so that it is in the same
key and same tempo as what the other instruments will be playing (which is easy
to do within many programs such as Djay) and then load these samples on the
decks for the participant.
However, once the samples are loaded and set up correctly, the
instrument is relatively intuitive and the participant is able to manipulate
these samples and play along with peers who may be on other electronic or
acoustic instruments.
Live Looping:
What is a Loop?
A loop is a repeating section of sound material. Loops can be created and played
by a wide variety of music technology such as samplers, drum machines, computer
music software, and loop stations.
Boss RC-300 Loop
Station
I use the Boss RC-300 loop station in sessions to create loops
in my work. This loop station allows
me to create three separate loops in real time on any instrument (whether it be
guitar, bass, drums, or keyboard/electronic percussion). After the loops are recorded, I am able
to use my feet to manipulate these loops.
Being able to accompany my participants on an instrument that I am
playing with my feet frees the rest of my body for dancing when leading a
dance/movement activity allowing me to model and better facilitate these
activities.
Using the iPad with a
Loop Station:
Sometimes in conjunction with this loop station I will use
an iPad as my instrument to accompany and support my participant’s music
instead of using a guitar. This provides drum, bass, and keyboard/synth sounds
that are commonly heard in popular genres today (such as hip hop, dubstep, and
electronic music). Using the loop
station, I can loop and layer these parts and be flexible bringing them in and
out as needed allowing the music to maintain flexibility, spontaneity, and
remain sounding authentically in the genre of the youth’s preferred music. In my experience, this method of
looping is more accessible for live looping and requires less training to be
comfortable and flexible using it compared to computer software such as Ableton
or fruity loops.
