Apr 8, 2020
Irene Lo Coco and Elizabeth Nightingale from Chiltern Music Therapy talked to Luke about remote working in music therapy, including technical and online resources, as well as issues that may arise through these ways of working may bring up.
After qualifying as a music therapist, Elizabeth gained clinical experience with adults with neurological disorders and worked with children with a range of needs including developmental delay, behavioural difficulties, and trauma. She later trained as a Neurologic Music Therapist and MATADOC assessor and continues to acquire specialist experience in brain injury and neurodisability through providing NMT and MATADOC assessments for medico-legal cases. She has had her work and research published in the Brain & Spinal Injury Handbook, Journal of Dementia Care, and the British Journal of Music Therapy. She holds the role of Neuro Music Therapy Services Manager for Chiltern.
Irene qualified as a Music Therapist in 2007 and has specialized in Neurologic Music Therapy. Her clinical experience includes brain injury neuro-rehabilitation as well as working with children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities, ASD, behavioural difficulties and complex medical needs. She has also worked in maternity care and adult mental health, among a variety of settings in the UK and abroad. Irene has a passion for evidence-based research and a background and personal interest in neuropsychology and psychodynamic approaches. Her practice, therefore, has a broad vision and the resources to adapt to clients' needs. Irene holds the role of Neurologic Music Therapist and Music Technology Lead at Chiltern Music Therapy.
Resources
ETHICS/GDPR CONCERNS
BAMT
Support and guidance documentation for COVID-19 (regularly updated)
https://www.bamt.org/about-british-association-for-music-therapy/covid-19-useful-information.html
HCPC
Includes info on standards of ethics for remote working and remote consultations as well as safeguards for patients
ONLINE PLATFORMS
Zoom
Technical support: getting started on Zoom
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697
Adjusting audio or video settings in Zoom
Using ‘original sound’ (ie. ‘Music Mode’) in Zoom and other handy hints
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50NoWIiYECA
Security guidelines collated by Ray Travasso from Suffolk Music Therapy:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jJB4wqWUEen76pcediQlbHrSa0PokDU5IL72kozJILA/edit?usp=sharing
Further info on Zoom and also Doxy.me (courtesy of Martin Lawes)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oS9xqKmJA9XiA9whAX4Fw9hImMBLxVJBYaOXOe3ItwY/edit?usp=sharing
Skype
Technical support: getting started on Skype
https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA11098/how-do-i-get-started-with-skype
Advice and considerations as shared by BAMT (courtesy of Chroma)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NVKyNWlnQO9QvGQQrRNZvJnvPvmFWIYdYVsmEpSNZUM/edit?usp=sharing
Download the ‘PDF Skype - info from the Association for Counselling and Therapy Online (ACTO)(BAMT shared)’ from https://www.bamt.org/about-british-association-for-music-therapy/covid-19-useful-information.html
Google Hangouts
Tutorial Guide pdf
https://www.austincc.edu/ITdocs/google/documents/Google_Hangouts_Tutorial.pdf
INTERNET SPEED
Confirm your internet speed here (important for identifying suitability for live streaming)
Info on suitable bandwidth for video conferencing:
STORAGE
Google Drive vs DropBox for storing and sharing pre-recorded videos:
ONLINE RESOURCES
Collaborative songwriting: you can create lyrics and add chords with other people remotely, among using other features available on https://songcraft.io/
Demo video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyQ7OUOMImw&feature=youtu.be
MAKING MUSIC have compiled a useful list of links for making music in groups https://www.makingmusic.org.uk/resource/covid-19-staying-connected
Also in BAMT guidance document
ARTICLES
Aaron Jeffrey Lightstone, S. Kathleen Bailey & Peter Voros (2015) Collaborative music therapy via remote video technology to reduce a veteran's symptoms of severe, chronic PTSD, Arts & Health, 7:2, 123-136, DOI: 10.1080/17533015.2015.1019895
Baker, Felicity and Krout, Robert (2009) Songwriting via Skype An online music therapy intervention to enhance social skills in an adolescent diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, British Journal of Music Therapy Volume 23, No 2
Fuller, A.M., & McLeod, R.G. (2019) The Connected Music Therapy Teleintervention Approach (CoMTTA) and its application to family-centred programs for young children with hearing loss, Australian Journal of Music Therapy Vol 30
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App Name |
Description |
Client Group |
Associated MT Clinical Goals |
Useful tips |
Compatibility |
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Intuitive piano or guitar, with visual stimuli
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It has proven effective with the elderly, clients with dementia or brain injury. The colourful screen and its simplicity encourages quick engagement and good support for musical interaction between therapist and client |
Awareness of cause and effect / Sustained attention
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You can record the creation and share with client’s family
Each colour square plays a note, play a few together for a chord, or swipe for melodies. Use the scroll bar for more notes.
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Requires iOS 6.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
|
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(among many more)
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Virtual instruments |
All |
Finger dexterity / Social interaction / Self-expression
|
Therapist can change the instruments key. In Guitar screen can be rotated for L/R hand use. |
|
|
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Fingerpaint with sound. Make a sound while moving your finger to record a sound-drawing. Touch the drawing you just made to play the sound back
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Paediatric
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Hand-eye coordinatinon / Multisensory stimulation / visual tracking / finger dexterity
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To play the sounds back out its better to spread the recording across the screen instead of holding the finger still
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Requires iOS 10.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
|
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Music making app with attractive visuals that allows you to compose animated songs. |
Paediatric, Young adults, Brain Injury |
This app has proven useful to work on executive functions such as Choice making / organization and planning / attention skills |
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Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
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|
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Featuring smart automatic looping, multiple tracks, volume control and track effects.
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All |
Voice awareness, interactive music making, cause and effect
|
Use headphones to avoid echo during recording. You can add effects to each loop. |
Requires iOS 10.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
|
|
|
Part instrument, part composition and part artwork, Bloom's innovative controls allow anyone to create elaborate patterns and unique melodies by simply tapping the screen.
|
Paediatric / PMLD / BI
|
cause and effect / specified localized movement / increase attention / multisensory stimulation / turn taking
|
Shake screen to clear. Adjust delay to give time for multiple activations from clients
You can choose from LISTEN or CREATE options
You can link to Skoog for joint music making
You can customize mood, mode, timer, delay of touch, among other settings. |
Requires iOS 11.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
|
|
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Expression of emotions through music
|
Mental Health
|
Relaxation / mood awareness
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Interest use is to create a new track each session with client, and then listen to the musical journey after a given time. Or at the beginning and end of session. |
Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
|
|
|
Sampler, drum-machine & field recorder
|
Teenagers and adults
|
cause and effect / sustained attention / organisation and planning / choice making
|
Import/export feature to icloud/email/itunes
|
Requires iOS 7.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
|
|
|
Touch turns into music. Draw shapes and listen to your piece of music while viewing sounds bouncing on the screen |
BI / Paediatric / Teenagers and Adults / Older Adults
|
visual tracking / EF
|
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Requires iOS 9.1 or later.
|
|
|
Multiplayer music making app |
All |
Collaborative music making |
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|
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Collaborative real-time song-writing platform |
All |
Collaborative music making |
Write lyrics, chords, or tabs from any device. Record or upload your audio files and organize your songs into collections |
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