Please complete this brief survey. MusicTherapyActivities.Wikia.com is a resource for Board-Certified Music Therapists (MT-BC) who are uniquely trained to provide music therapy services of any kind. This website also aims to educate students, patients, families, employers, contemplative non-employers, and the general public. Please read the Music Therapy Activities Wiki homepage for more information.
Background music is defined as the use of passive music listening while a non-musical activity is being implemented.
Activities[]
Art Projects Music may be used to help facilitate art projects.
Background Music Puzzles and Games: Puzzles and games are a positive leisure skill which distract, focus, challenge at diverse levels of executive functioning, and provide the opportunity to introduce topics.
Booklet for Self-Concept: Create a therapeutic resource that includes needs, things you want to address, things you want to learn about patients, or simple categories for low-functioning to participate.
Cut & Paste Songwriting uses preexisting song lyrics to arrange individualized art projects. Select, cut-out, and arrange song quotes.
Family Orchestra: Personify instruments and identify self-concept and then family dynamics by transferring characteristics (Strutzel, 2010).
Live Music: Patient-preferred, predictable, and stylistically simple music best reduces agitation and anxiety, increases orientation, and distracts from distressing or confusing thoughts (Baker, 2001).
Music for Relaxation Training: Select appropriate musical stimuli to assist muscle relaxation training sessions to teach music as a cue for relaxation.
Resources[]
Sources of Background Music Links to several websites for new music.
Therapeutic Recreation Treatment and Activity Ideas This beautiful index of hundreds of non-musical ideas provide a population, group size, objective, and description for each activity. An MT-BC may learn from complementary therapies, or make musical adaptations.
ZOOMGames Lists of different non-music games and activities.
References[]
Baker, F. (2001) The effects of live, taped and no music on people experiencing posttraumatic amnesia. Journal of Music Therapy, 38(3), 170-192.
Gfeller, K. E. and Thaut, M. H. (2008). Music Therapy in the Treatment of Behavioral-Emotional Disorders. In Davis, W. B., Gfeller, K. E., and Thaut, M. H. (3rd Edition) An Introduction to Music Therapy: Theory and Practice (209-246). Silver Spring, MD: The American Music Therapy Association, Inc.
Strutzel, Michelle. (December 13, 2010) Understanding family dynamics. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://beyondthemusicmt.blogspot.com/2010/12/understanding-family-dynamics.html
Further Reading[]
Contributors[]
James E. Riley, MT-BC
Evelyn Pinder
Katie Myers, MT-BC