A-Z List

• Home
• Therapy Activities
• Reflection Paper
• Resources
• Ethnicity
• Related Links

MASTER LIST FROM REFLECTION PAPERS ON PERCUSSION TECHNIQUES IN MUSIC THERAPY

Live Music
Advantages:
-The therapist can adapt tempo, keys, style and volume of the music to adhere to individual needs of clients.
-It can make the client feel special if someone is going to sing or play just for him or her.
-Clients are able to make requests for songs.
-Live, preferred music has been proven to be the most beneficial music for individual patients.
-It is effective for examples.
-It can hold the client’s attention better.
-It can serve as a visual stimulus.
-It works for matching activities such as Play What I Play and layering activities.
-It allows for more creativity.
-It is better for teaching new songs.
-It gives the client a chance for creative expression or an outlet to anger.
-It is best for waking up coma patients.
-For people with autism, xylophones, bright colors and textures of instruments are highly stimulating.
-You can adapt some instruments so that no wrong notes are possible.

Disadvantages:
-Providing individual attention to clients may be difficult depending on the instrument you are playing.
-The therapist must be present when a patient wants to listen to a preferred song.
-A patient may recognize a song only by its original recording.
-Teaching action songs may be difficult or impossible if the therapist is playing an instrument.
-The therapist cannot work hands on with a client.
-The therapist must be very confident with the execution of the music so the focus is on the clients rather than on performing.
-The therapist can only play one or a few instruments at a time.
-There will be limitations on the ability of playing certain instruments.
-Certain instruments may not be loud enough for some clients to hear.
-The therapist may not be able to meet the requests.
-If there are distractions in a group, the therapist may not be able to help people focus.
-This type of music can not be amplified.

Commercially Available Music
Advantages:
-The client may listen to the music at any time.
-The therapist does not have to transport as many instruments.
-The therapist is free to interact individually with each client.
-The therapist is able to demonstrate dances or exercises to the music.
-Original recordings of songs may improve a client’s memory.
-The therapist would be able to produce songs from certain genres easily, such as swing or big band music.
-The therapist can still play along to the recording.
-Verbal and visual cues are easier to give.
-The focus is primarily on the client.
-The session should not hold stress due to performance.
-There is no limit as to what type of music you can use.
-It will work better for song analyzing.
-The tempo will be steady.
-This type is effective for improvisation or assigned rhythms.
-The therapist can give directions in the middle of the song.
-This is good for dance and movement exercises.
-When a client has a favorite artist, it is great to meet their request.
-It may provide a background for other activities.
-This type of music can be amplified.
-No wrong notes can be made.
-Provides a challenge that can help the client grow.
-CD compilations may be made.

Disadvantages:
-Requests from clients will be difficult to fulfill.
-The clients may find it difficult to keep up or slow down to the tempo of the recording.
-Technology is not always reliable (cd scratches or poor batteries), so live music would have to be prepared as a back-up plan.
-It is impersonal.
-You may not be able to hear the recording if a large group is participating.
-You cannot adapt the music to reflect the client’s current behavior.
-When teaching new songs, this may be intimidating.
-It is difficult to go back on cds and find an exact spot that needs practiced.
-There is no visual stimuli.
-The client may only recognize songs from their original recording.

Personal Applications
As a performer:
-I learned instrumental techniques.
-I learned how to adapt instruments to individual needs.
-I know how to care for instruments to increase longevity.
-I have an appreciation for and understanding of percussion performances.
-I am comfortable leading an ensemble or playing a piece.
-I am more aware of how music can affect your body and how essential a steady beat is while dancing.
-I have learned things that will help in my performances for fun, such as using a shaker or tambourine.
-I have pride when I am playing with the pentatonic scale on the piano and my clients can improvise with tone chimes.
-It is good to experiment.

As a music therapist:
-I learned adaptive techniques for varying populations.
-Use terms that are understood by the client.
-I can now distinguish between African and Cuban music.
-I know which instruments work best with certain populations.
-I can isolate drum patterns from music.
-I can describe how to play instruments to clients.
-Always have a few back-up plans.
-When explaining activities, ask questions to make sure they understand or relate it to something they have experienced.
-Simplify instructions and give them clear and precise.
-Sometimes it is easier to show the client rather than tell them.
-Chunking rhythms or parts of the activity is great, but make sure you have practiced how this will happen.
-You must become confident in what you are teaching in order to gain the client’s respect.
-Choose the instruments based on the session plan and the clients.
-I have learned to go slow at first and adapt to different learning needs.
-Start with the basics.
-Simple changes in teaching an activity can make or break the success of it.
-I can now describe the type of sound an instrument should make (vocal percussion).
-Warm-ups are a must.
-Sometimes gentle encouragement can turn a person with low self-esteem into a leader with a smile.
-This has helped me learn that people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can learn from and enjoy music as well.
-I have learned ideas for sessions.
-I have learned how to apply the course material to the clinical setting.
-I know whether certain activities are appropriate for certain populations.
-My musical library has expanded.
-Playing emotions out on drums can be very therapeutic.

Student vs. Teacher
Student:
-I was distracted by whether or not I was doing it correctly.
-I was able to have more fun because someone else was leading the activity.
-Use of vocal percussion was helpful when learning.
-Try to incorporate things leaned in class as soon as possible so they will be concrete.
-It was fun to sit back and learn something new.
-It is easy to learn by watching and then trying it yourself.
-I would like to have gotten more involved in class.
-None of the concepts were impossible to grasp, although some came easier than others.

Teacher:
-This is more difficult.
-I felt distracted by whether or not I was teaching it correctly.
-I was so into the activity, that sometimes I forgot I was the teacher.
-It is often easier to explain rhythms by playing them than by telling them.
-It is good to play along with the clients to either cue them in or provide a
constant example.
-You must take in all considerations for the client/population in order to formulate the best teaching method.
-You must be flexible.
-I have learned how to be patient.
-Start slowly.
-I know how to make things interesting to learn about.

Movement and Physical Benefits
-Warm-ups and cool-downs are very important for full physical benefits.
-When listening to highly rhythmic music, I begin to tap my toes or fingers to the beat.
-I am now aware of repetitive movements that are tiring for the participants.
-I have learned how to move when teaching dances or playing instruments so that I can make sure everyone can see me.
-It is important not to tense up while teaching a client how to play an instrument.
-Drum rolls help with fine control in the wrists and arms.
-Beating on drums can serve as a stress relief.
-Even the slightest movements can be beneficial to those who are not active.
-We often take the ability to move for granted.
-While moving your body, you are also working your mind.
-Movement to music can improve coordination and range of motion.
-Patients with tremors or motor difficulties benefit from duple (rather than triple) meter.
-Music can provide relaxation.

Precautions
-It is important not to be distracted while leading an activity.
-Make sure the instrument you are playing is in sight of everyone.
-When teaching paradiddles, mirror the pattern of the patient rather than using the same hands or feet.
-Some instruments require more movement than others.
-If the client is not willing to give his or herself emotionally, often he or she will have difficulty opening up by playing instruments, because it requires movement and sometimes, creativity.
-Only use your natural body movements to play (Alexander technique).
-Tendonitis is a possibility of playing instruments, so make sure you rest, depending on your age and needs.
-Try to be consistent.
-Do not overdo activities from session to session.
-Vocal chords may become strained, so keep hydrated.
-Do not carry very heavy instruments (use a dolly or cart).
-Do not stoop if you have a bad back.
-Only kneel when it is comfortable.

Practice Techniques
-Repetition is needed for activities that are not written down and are taught verbally.
-When you are taught a technique, write it down immediately.
-Be patient when practicing.
-Practice as soon as possible.
-Djembes are fun to practice on around a campfire--but make sure it is humidified afterwards.
-Practice djembe skills with a worship team or church group.
-Switch instruments or technique every twenty minutes, resting in between to stretch and shake out tense muscles.
-Do not push yourself or your client too far.
-What is easy for you may be difficult for a client.
-Space out physical activities in a session plan.
-Always do a cool-down activity at the end of a session.
-Use classmates, teachers, or friends as sources for learning.
-Last minute planning is not good.
-It was helpful to go into the clinic and search through the cabinets to find random instruments.
-Practice in front of friends or play for the community.
-It is good to practice piece by piece.
-Practice slow and then speed up.
-Sometimes cheap instruments are okay, sometimes it is better to invest.

Emotional/Social/Spiritual Benefits
Emotional:
-I have discovered that my mood is lifted following my sessions with the thought of helping someone.
-Playing percussion instruments is a great way to express your emotions and serve as a stress relief.
-It is great to see that music makes people very happy.
-It is fun to sing and play drums at the same time.

Social:
-I have learned how to relate to an array of populations through this course.
-Music has the ability to bring people together socially in so many ways.
-By using drum circles, everyone is incorporated into a group activity to express creativity and individuality.
-I have become better friends with my colleagues and have learned a lot from
their ideas and experiences.
-Music can provide a means for therapeutic discussion.
-I can discuss percussion with non-music therapy percussion students.
-There is a lot more than meets the eye with any one of us or the clients.
-Our attitudes alone can make or break a session.

Spiritual:
-I have learned about spiritual meanings that drumming and other percussion instruments can carry with them, especially in the Native American and African cultures.
-Music is a way to express spiritual beliefs through a means that nothing else can.
-Native Americans believe that the drum beat represents the heart beat of their creator.
-I think the idea of a circle with no hierarchy is peaceful and makes me feel equal with the universe.
-In Native American culture, some costumes have tiny bells that each have a tiny prayer that is released when rung.

Fulfilling the Baccalaureate
An understanding of a liberal education:
-This course targets this goal through weekly clinical applications.

An appreciation of the University as a learning community:
-This course targets this goal through the weekly sessions attended and what is learned in those different facilities.

An ability to write, read, speak, and listen:
-This goal is targeted through writing sessions and critiques of sessions every week as well as through writing a paper on reflections of how percussion is used with different populations.

An understanding of numerical data:
-This goal is targeted in this course through the use of different beat counts for different percussion music such as syncopated rhythms.

An historical consciousness:
-This goal is targeted by learning about different cultures and the role that percussion has played throughout history.

An international and intercultural experience:
-This course targets this goal through the discussion and application of percussion in different cultures.
-Cultures discussed in this class included Native American, African, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic.

An understanding of science and the scientific methods:
-This course targets this goal through writing and critiquing weekly sessions with various populations.

An appreciation of the arts:
-Through the use of percussion this goal is targeted.

An understanding of values:
-This goal is targeted through working with people who have different values in mind.

An understanding of human behavior and human institutions:
-Going to weekly sessions with different populations targets this goal.

GERIATRICS

Problem Areas
-range of motion
-coordination
-memory
-socialization
-loneliness
-lack of self-esteem
-feeling of dehumanization
-emotional expression
-creativity
-ability to learn new things
-attention span
-establishing attention
-meaningful activities
-following directions and cues
-alertness
-orientation of here-and-now
-grasp
-sharing

Activities
-playing along with familiar songs on rhythm instruments
-learning notes to a familiar song on a mallet percussion instrument
-playing tone chimes based on a pentatonic scale
-learning to play new percussion instruments
-listening to live music
-listening to music from the client’s youth
-movement activities

-Old McDonald Had a Percussion Section
-Double Rhythms
-Play Along Exact Rhythms
-African Drumming Free-Style
-Musical Conversations
-Tone Chime Pentatonic Harmony
-Stretching with Instruments in Hand
-Action Songs with Instruments
-Play Along to a Recorded Song
-Goodbye Songs
-Can You Play What I Play On Piano?
-Rhythm Sound Imitation
-Yankee Doodle Shakers
-BINGO
-Layering
-Free-style Drum Circle
-Simon Says

Special Considerations
-Some clients may low-functioning and some may be high-functioning. Take this into consideration when planning both physical and mental musical activities.
-With clients who suffer from dementia, watch their body language such as slight facial changes.
-Use as little verbal instructions as possible.
-Present information at a level appropriate for the clients’ ages.
-It is best to use preferred music.
-Be aware of what instruments are not allowed in the facility.
-Tambourines are easier to hear than tone chimes.
-Tone chimes may be difficult to grasp.
-Big band music is enjoyable, but the syncopated rhythms are difficult to keep a beat to.
-Older, simple songs with simple rhythms are enjoyable to the residents.
-Pay attention to the lower-functioning residents just as much, if not more than the higher- functioning residents.
-Just because they are not singing does not mean they are not having a meaningful experience.
-To get a response from a client, you may need to tap out a rhythm on his/her hands.
-Plan ahead for diversity in activities.
-Faster, more upbeat songs get great responses. Ex. Latin music
-Use folk songs (patriotic, love, hymns, children’s).

LEARNING DISABILITIES

Problem Areas
-attention
-sequencing
-symbol recognition
-spatial relationships
-communication
-frustration with difficulties
-behavior control
-motor control
-academics
-leisure skills
-self-esteem
-sense of accomplishment
-energy
-turn-taking
-impulse
-multi-tasking
-cognitive development
-not responding to distractions
-memory

Activities
-playing percussion instruments
-drum circles
-songs with cues
-memorizing beat patterns
-handbell choirs
-exploration of rhythms
-playing along to pre-recorded music
-action songs
-rudiments
-vocal percussion
-playing percussion while singing

-Simon Says
-Orbit
-Body Percussion
-Electronic Drum Set
-Layering With Or Without a Soloist
-Paradiddles
-RLRLRL or RRLLRRLL
-Boom-Chick-Waka/Boo-Ah-Chiki On Claves
-Drumming to Music
-Footstep Beats
-Tambourine Imagery
-Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
-Hokey Pokey
-Emotion Cards
-Boomwhacker Follow the Leader, Scales, Harmony, or Songs
-Five Little Speckled Frogs
-Six Little Ducks
-Tambourine Louds and Softs
-BINGO
-Battle of New Orleans
-Free-style Drum Circle

Special Considerations

-Choose your words carefully and keep it simple when giving directions.
-Adapt the music to the individual’s learning style.
-Start simple.
-Be familiar with different teaching methods.
-Be patient.
-Bring new instruments for the client to choose from.
-Learning new instruments and rhythms will aid in the client holding attention.
-Begin the session by having the client show you what he/she has been working on.
-Review activities from the previous week.
-Written rhythms may be difficult to understand.
-Go slow.
-When learning new music, break it into chunks.
-When repeating activities week after week, make sure to challenge the client when a goal is reached.
-Repetition is great.
-Make a cd for the client to practice with.
-Never underestimate praise.
-Use mnemonic devices.

JUVENILES

Problem Areas
-support from family
-motivation
-trust
-manipulation
-self-esteem
-anger
-frustration
-self-worth
-substance abuse
-impulse
-assertiveness
-communication
-emotional expression
-cultural knowledge
-leadership
-attention span
-following directions
-social interaction
-stress
-turn-taking
-problem solving
-mental organization
-creativity
-responsibility
-open mind
-energy expression

Activities
-playing along with popular songs on drums
-turn-taking games
-leading games
-soloing on drums
-drum circles
-exploration of rhythms
-teaching correct drum techniques

-Simon Says
-Orbit
-Instrumental Rainstorm
-Rhythm Layering
-Assigned Group Rhythms
-Name Rhythms
-Body Percussion
-Drumming To Music
-Shaker Passing
-Follow The Leader
-Emotion Cards
-I’m Going On A Picnic
-Eye Contact Orbit
-Bop It!
-Red Light Green Light
-Percussion “Wave”
-Improvisation
-Guess the Song Tapped on a Drum
-Orchestration of Folk Tale/Short Story
-Good-Bye On Drums

Special Considerations
-Clients in a juvenile detention center may be experiencing side effects of serious drugs when they are first admitted.
-Consider each case individually because the clients’ experiences will vary.
-Present information at an appropriate age level.
-Use preferred music.
-Some individuals may find difficulty in leading activities.
-Be aware of what instruments are not allowed into the facility.
-Rainsticks do not provide steady beats.
-Bring enough drums and shakers for everyone.
-Expect anything.
-Listen to the guards and do not question them.
-Instruct the clients on the proper way to play the instruments, but let them experiment.
-When playing musical games such as Simon Says, watch out for negative effects on the clients’ self-esteems. Being wrong could prove to be embarrassing.

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Problem Areas
-disturbances and deficiencies in speech, language, and communication
-difficulties in relating to other people
-abnormal responses to sensory stimuli such as light, loud noises, and touch
-resistance to changes in routine or environment
-difficulties in understanding or expressing emotion
-cause-effect understanding
-creativity
-obtaining and maintaining attention
-feelings of accomplishment
-repetitive or restricted behaviors
-sequencing
-impulse control

Activities
-drums as an emotional outlet
-matching and changing rhythms
-drum circles
-use of colorful instruments
-count along with the beats while playing to develop number concepts
-obstacle courses
-family band
-memory games
-echo rhythms
-loud instruments

Special Considerations
-Keep the sessions consistent.
-End each session with a highly pleasurable, familiar activity.
-Keep in mind that some clients may be sensitive to sound.
-Use gentle physical prompts to encourage the individual.
-The therapist can interrupt stereotypical movements by first matching the tempo or rhythms of the client’s movements and then changing the rhythms or tempo.

HEARING IMPAIRMENTS

Problem Areas
-interpretation of sounds
-producing intelligible speech
-development of new language skills
-social interaction
-awareness of pitch movement
-vocal intonation
-articulation
-distinguish presence and absence of sound
-emotional expression
-self-esteem
-communicating with the hearing world
-tactile orientation

Activities
-playing on instruments with a lot of vibration, such as the bass drum
-placing the feet on the back of a piano to feel vibrations when played
-Orff tone bars
-balloon-holding above instruments to feel vibrations
-drum circles
-matching rhythms
-sequencing songs
-drums to break up syllables
-follow the leader rhythms
-cymbal vibrations
-suspended floor vibrations
-drums to express emotion
-lap harp
-stomping to feel the beat
-sign language to music

Special Considerations
-The instrument may sound different to the client.
-Make sure the sound source is placed close enough to the client so he/she can feel or hear it better.
-Always face the client when he/she is speaking or playing the instrument.
-If in a room with wooded floor, have the client take off his/her shoes to feel the vibrations through the floor.

PARKINSON’S DISEASE

Problem Areas
-gait movement
-steadiness of limbs
-tremors
-coordination
-morale
-relaxation

Activities
-RAS
-application of bass drums or Orff tone bars to the body
-tone chimes
-free-style drumming
-relaxation
-use big-band music

Special Considerations
-Use music with a steady two-beat pattern.
-When the client hears three steady beats, he/she will anticipate the fourth beat.
-Do not use syncopation or triple meters.

SPEECH IMPAIRMENTS

Problem Areas
-fluency
-speech rate
-emotional expression
-breath and muscle control
-self-esteem

Activities
-breaking up words into syllables to match the beat on a drum
-playing drums by improvisation
-speak while clapping
-playing kazoo or other wind instruments
-singing songs
-play how you feel

Special Considerations
-Use rhythms to help decrease or increase speech rate by pairing one beat to every syllable.

REACTIVE ATTACHMENT DISORDER

Problem Areas
-crossing the mid-line
-attention focus
-following instructions
-family communication and interaction
-leadership
-turn-taking
-individuality
-distinguishing right from wrong
-drum circles
-cause and effect understanding
-sense of healthy control

Activities
-playing instruments that need to have the client cross his/her mid-line
-musical games
-rhythm matching from recordings
-family band
-fairy tales with sound effects
-song composition
-Orbit
-soloing
-make a musical tape
-homemade instruments
-drum circles

Special Considerations
-The client can play the drum set as a means of crossing the mid-line.
-To show them if they are right or wrong, you can videotape or record them.

VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

Problem Areas
-independent mobility

Activities
-setting up percussion instruments to create a song
-making noise to develop spatial reasoning and identification

Special Considerations
-Be very careful when setting up the room.