It is possible to engage a non-verbal client in the process of songwriting within a music therapy session. Music therapists use various adaptations and techniques to support non-verbal clients in songwriting and music creation.
Engagement Methods for Non-Verbal Clients in Songwriting
- Non-verbal clients can participate in songwriting through improvisation, where clients explore instruments and express themselves non-verbally while the therapist facilitates the process. This maintains client control over their music creation experience.
- Templates and structured songwriting tools can assist non-verbal clients in selecting or modifying lyrics and melodies, allowing communication through non-verbal cues such as eye contact, posture, or affect to guide the process.
- Therapists may create “portrait songs”—therapist-composed songs tailored to specific clients to encourage engagement and expression indirectly, which can then lead to collaborative songwriting.
- Non-verbal communication aids like picture exchange communication systems (PECS), feeling cards, whiteboards, or interactive tools can be used to facilitate lyric or theme selection without spoken words.
- Songwriting interventions can include rhythm-based approaches or re-creation of songs where the client’s input is expressed through musical means or non-verbal feedback rather than verbal dialogue.
- The songwriting process can thus foster emotional and creative self-expression and help clients make choices and communicate without the need for verbal skills.
Therefore, it is inaccurate to say non-verbal clients cannot be engaged in songwriting during music therapy. Skilled therapists adapt interventions creatively to include non-verbal clients in songwriting processes tailored to their communication abilities and preferences.