By now, I am sure we have all become professionals navigating Zoom or Google Meet or any other video platform to connect with work, school, family, and friends. It’s been almost a year since we were all sent home and learned about social distancing to help slow the spread of COVID-19. I know personally, it’s taken me this time to find my footing in living month to month and wondering when I can be back in person with my groups and individual clients making music together again.
However, during this time, I have been able to create fun and interactive sessions with groups and individuals over the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Today, I want to share with you what I have learned about holding sessions online.
- Teletherapy sessions can also bring personal relationship between therapist and client even when we are not in the same room together. I do miss the physical presence of being in the same room as my clients, but holding regular teletherapy appointments has given me an appreciation of seeing my clients on screen each week. We continue to connect with one another through the back and forth playing of music. I also allow time for them to talk about their day, their week, or other experiences they may have had since we were last on Zoom together. I look forward to these conversations as well as making music together the best we can.
- I am able to also focus on faces and body language during sessions to measure participation. As long as a person has their camera angled onto their face and upper torso, I can read participation just as well as if I were in person.
- Subsequently, I can angle my camera where I can sit or stand to show choreographed movements or physical exercises, I can go over and play my piano and still be heard, or I can sit closer to the camera to help a client see how my mouth is moving while singing.
- Slide show presentations are my friend. In slideshows I can include lyrics, pictures, visual games, interactive songwriting activities, videos, and music as I go through a session. This has been a creative way to present songs and help folks follow along.
- The Zoom platform has created sound opportunity for musicians to sing and play their instruments! There is a setting in Zoom called “Turn on Original Sound” that you and I can click on in our Zoom settings to increase the volume of sustained singing and playing. I’ve included a video below for a “how to tutorial” on how to engage in music therapy over Zoom and I’ve included this key point in it!
Give this video a watch on how to engage in Music Therapy with me through Zoom and how to make your experience the best it can be!
If you are looking for more music therapy experiences for a family member or yourself, Music Therapy services are available by appointment for private music therapy. My specialties are as listed:
- Music Together within Therapy for early childhood developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, and special needs
- Music Therapy for children, youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and special needs
- Vocal music therapy for people diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (both private and group)
- Music Therapy for Memory Care and Older Adult Wellness
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All the best,
Ms. Carrie
