Читать книгу The Creative Arts in Counseling - Samuel Gladding T., Samuel T. Gladding - Страница 48

What music and songs do you remember from your childhood? What memories, pleasant and otherwise, do you retain from that time? How do you think the music from your childhood has influenced your life?

Besides engaging in cooperative ventures with music teachers, counselors can work on their own to find and use music that gives their students experiences involving singing, composing, or playing an instrument (R. P. Bowman, 1987; Newcomb, 1994). Sometimes all three of these types of musical expression can be combined; however, usually one modality, such as singing or composition, is used more than others. Children find singing fun and often remember main ideas of lessons by incorporating them into songs. When songs are used in guidance classes, the following procedure is helpful (B. L. Harper, 1985):

1 Introduce the words of the song as a poem.

2 Chant the words in rhythm.

3 Practice chanting the words for 3 or 4 minutes per class period until children memorize them.

4 After the children know and understand the words, play the song (it is fine to use prerecorded music).

5 Keep a double-spaced copy of the words before the children when they sing, with the verses separated from the refrain.

Outside of guidance classes, singing is also beneficial, especially for children who may have suffered trauma. This is because singing, besides being a natural behavior for humans in most cultures, may be “used as a self-help technique, a means of developing feelings of rapport with others, and a method of self-affirmation” (Mayers, 1995, p. 497). Singing a song repetitively, either alone or in a group of other children, can be ritualistic and hypnotic as well. It can alter breathing patterns and help with general relaxation.

In composition, children are encouraged not only to write but also to sing their songs. Mayers (1995) advised, “It is not necessary to teach the child to engage in this activity, only to direct the songwriting toward a therapeutic end. Children are capable of determining what they need, what words will be calming, what tune fits the mood” (p. 497). Through composing and writing their own songs, children learn to be more independent as well as creative. They also learn to be less anxious and feel a sense of empowerment. Mayers reported that children as young as 4 and 5 years old can compose songs that are helpful to them in dealing with their situations.

Music is used with children in other therapeutic ways as well. For example, Hodas (1993) created a music tape titled Stretch Yourself? Songs for Coping that contains a variety of selections counselors can use with children who are having difficulty dealing with different forms of adversity. The song selections encompass a wide variety of topics, including sexual abuse, physical illness, suicide, the effects of war, and gender issues. Memory (2002) likewise chose to use music with at-risk children and teens. In dealing with special child populations, songs must be chosen with care. A well-chosen song can be quite powerful in helping children recognize situations and deal with them appropriately and constructively. Another way of breaking through children’s shells of isolation therapeutically with music is by playing sounds familiar to them, such as internal body sounds (e.g., a stomach growling or a heart beating), or having them listen to neighborhood sounds. Once rapport is established in this manner, rhythmic activities and rhythm instruments such as sticks and tambourines can be used to engage these children and gradually draw them into social relationships with other children and adults.