Using Technology in Music Therapy Within a School Setting

This week I've been finishing mixing a record for a school I work at.  I'm really pumped with how it's  sounding, and so far the students have been equally excited.  At some point I'm hoping there will be a bandcamp with some of this music up - so the students who choose to can share their music with a wider audience and awareness of music therapy can raised (as well as some funds for the school).

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:

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.