Music therapy or music AS therapy, anyone?

[Neri]

So I've been attending a music therapy group for about 4 weeks now. It goes for 10 weeks. It's not my first time, I did it in hospital for trauma and through a rehab organization in my village before and I LOVE IT!

It's great for people like me, music playing (I'm a singer/songwriter/improv artist and a little percussion) is my comfort zone, but I got burnt out and traumatized doing it as a job.

Anyone else tried doing music purely as a therapeutic activity? It's got me getting back my musical mojo and I've written a song for the group (at another group members behest), had amazing jams, gotten feedback that is incredibly good for my confidence and self esteem and just generally, have been having an amazing time.

My health has improved, as a result and I feel soooo much happier than I've been for ages.

 

[thejuice]

I slap my thighs (thigh drumming) when Im over stimulated or anxious. Ive seen Harvey Price do that too. He is definitely a drummer. I practice my drum rudiments. I have percussion instruments but I don't want my neighbours to know I'm alive.

 

[Neri]

I slap my thighs (thigh drumming) when Im over stimulated or anxious. Ive seen Harvey Price do that too. He is definitely a drummer. I practice my drum rudiments. I have percussion instruments but I don't want my neighbours to know I'm alive.

I got that way with singing for a good too many years. My (kinda unhinged and scary) neighbor actually liked my singing and told me so and I freaked out and stopped for ages. Sigh. Costly for me as it's been a major stim throughout a lot of my life and stopping wasn't good for me.
I've finally gotten over that. And I'm happy, singing makes me a much happier li'l' autist .

 

[thejuice]

Yes I hate the thought of anyone listening. Ideally I'd live in middle.of nowhere

 

[marc_101]

@Neri How does music therapy work?

 

[Sherlock77]

@Neri How does music therapy work?

As I understand, and I'll expand that to anything creative, it pretty much works off the idea that being creative is good for the soul and the mind

For many people who actively do creative things, it becomes a way to express their emotions around the things they deal with

For those who don't think they are creative, you might be surprised

 

[Seladon]

@Neri sounds awesome! Such a group of supportive, like-minded creatives must really feed your spirit and spark your mind—would be my dream to find a social setting like that

If you’re comfortable, feel free to share a composition with us or tell us more about your sessions and how you got into it, I for one am really interested and curious

 

[Neri]

Yesterday was our 5th session. We had some people missing, the freestyle rapper wasn't there, we had 2 new guys who turned out to both be the support workers of this very talky aboriginal guy that comes. We had a percussion jam with guitar and me on vocals.
Then we wrote a quick song (mainly me and the music therapist making up a song about things I said about how I believe we are natural musical creatures (as evidenced by) many people, people's and even tiny children. We all have rhythm coz we breathe and walk, and we all have lyrics and melody through ways we talk.
Anyway, the music therapist suggested we write song around that theme so we did.
It turned out pretty good.

Then, my support worker played bass and one of the aboriginal guys support workers played guitar and we had an epic reggae jam (my training ground was reggae so I was rockin' it!). Everyone else joined in on percussion. It wasn't my idea, reggae, but I was kinda thrilled.

Everyone seemed to love it and have a great time.

One of the the quiet guys who, when-warms-up- after-a-couple-of-weeks-plays-awesome-guitar, gave me some lovely feedback, he said my presence in the group "helps him feel and be more himself" which I was very touched by.

We had another percussion kinda jam and that was it.
I loved it. Had an awesome time.

 

[Seladon]

Yesterday was our 5th session. We had some people missing, the freestyle rapper wasn't there, we had 2 new guys who turned out to both be the support workers of this very talky aboriginal guy that comes. We had a percussion jam with guitar and me on vocals.
Then we wrote a quick song (mainly me and the music therapist making up a song about things I said about how I believe we are natural musical creatures (as evidenced by) many people, people's and even tiny children. We all have rhythm coz we breathe and walk, and we all have lyrics and melody through ways we talk.
Anyway, the music therapist suggested we write song around that theme so we did.
It turned out pretty good.

Then, my support worker played bass and one of the aboriginal guys support workers played guitar and we had an epic reggae jam (my training ground was reggae so I was rockin' it!). Everyone else joined in on percussion. It wasn't my idea, reggae, but I was kinda thrilled.

Everyone seemed to love it and have a great time.

One of the the quiet guys who, when-warms-up- after-a-couple-of-weeks-plays-awesome-guitar, gave me some lovely feedback, he said my presence in the group "helps him feel and be more himself" which I was very touched by.

We had another percussion kinda jam and that was it.
I loved it. Had an awesome time.

This is all so encouraging to read. Quiet Guitar Guy sounds adorable, and your support worker bassist seems cool and engaged. Lately I've been really into percussive TV/film soundtracks, it's incredible how textures of skins & drums & brushes & bells can transform a soundscape.

Most of all I love the way you think about music as an instinctual, embodied, natural element of our existence, and about speech as song.

Do you record the songs you come up with in session, or is it a rip-it-up-after like journalling kind of exercise?