Happy family day everyone! For those music therapists who are working today, or who are drawing upon family day as a theme for sessions this coming week, here is a fun songwriting intervention you can try. Of course, music therapists will adjust this based on the needs of their client(s) and their goals/objectives.
This is something I have used in an adult day program setting with seniors who's goals centred around empowerment, self-expression, and socialization. In using songwriting, the individuals in the group could feel empowered through the contribution to a project, they could express themselves/their memories/their feelings on the theme of family through lyric creation, and they worked together to do this as a group - creating many moments of social interaction.
1) We are Family - Sister Sledge
Group Member 1
We are family I've got ___(name of family member: child, niece, nephew, brother etc..)____with me. We are family She is ______(describe something they love about this family member)______.
(Repeat for all group members)
After each group member chooses their lyrics, the music therapist can engage them in discussion based on their choices, drawing upon similarities of what was shared among group members. Some group members may be able to do this independently while others may need more supportive prompts from the music therapists. Some group members may choose to share the name of a family member who has passed away and who they miss. In this case, the music therapist would make sure to support this individual in their expression, perhaps through verbal discussion, or through stopping for a group improvisation to take a moment to think about loved ones who are no longer with us.
There are countless adaptations to this intervention, depending on the needs of the group you are working with.
I hope this post has given you some inspiration for your session planning this week!