Giving Up Control: A Glimpse into a Client-Led Session

Giving Up Control: A Glimpse into a Client-Led Session

Hello! My name is Natalie Rolen, and I am currently in my 4^th month of being a music therapy intern at The STAR Center. I have gotten the opportunity to work with so many amazing therapists, parents, volunteers, and clients who have taught me so much. One such client that I am currently working with is a teenage girl on the autism spectrum.

This client works toward her goals of self-confidence and self-expression through activities such as adapted piano lessons, songwriting, and improvisation. We typically begin her sessions with a check-in where she has the opportunity to share everything she has accomplished since we last saw each other. From projects she has worked on in her free time to academic milestones met at school, we take this moment to reflect on her week. Then, we move on to her next activity. Her sessions are very client-led, and she chooses the activity she would like to work on that day. 

When she chooses adapted piano, she uses a color-coded system to identify the chords. I have printed out a lead sheet with the chords highlighted in various colors (C=red, G=blue, etc.) and have colored stickers on the piano keys that need to be played to make the correct chord. 

When learning a new song, she will start by playing through the chord progression slowly. Once she feels comfortable with that, we add in the lyrics and timing the chords with the correct words.Then, we work on bringing the song to the correct tempo. Finally, she can choose to add the recording or to accompany her own vocals. At this stage, she has “learned the song”. If she would like to continue to work on this song, we add in accompaniment patterns, improvisation during instrumental breaks, or singing along with the recording. 

The image below is of the piano we use for this client’s adapted piano lessons. There are seven chords marked that she has learned to play for various songs. (C Major = yellow, D Major = pink, D minor = purple, F Major = red, F minor = blue, G Major = green, and A minor = orange)

When she chooses songwriting, there are a few different ways we can begin. Sometimes we do puzzle-piece songwriting, which consists of the client organizing slips of paper with random words/phrases into an order she likes and creating a song based off them. Sometimes we do beat making with loops on an app such as GarageBand. Lately, she has expressed an interest in original songwriting, where we would create a song independent of prompts or loops. She would choose the instruments, time signature, key, accompaniment pattern, tempo, genre, rhyme scheme, theme, lyrics, language, etc.

When she chooses improvisation, she begins by choosing an instrument. This instrument can be rhythmic, like a tubano, or melodic, like a xylophone. Sometimes, she chooses to improvise vocally. Then she selects the key that we will play in. This client is interested in music theory, so we will also occasionally utilize the circle of fifths, modes, or other applicable music theory topics when selecting the key/rhythmic pattern. Typically, she will improvise independently, and then we will improvise together.  

At the end of her sessions, we get to discuss how she feels the activity went. She shares what she feels she did particularly well and, if she already has an idea, what she would like to do for her session next week.