As a music therapist, I use many different interventions in my work. The goal of the interventions that I use are to support a client in reaching a non-musical goal or fulfilling a need using music. An intervention can be anything from receptive listening for relaxation to an energized drumming improvisation for emotional catharsis. The interventions used in a session are driven by the needs of the client.
Songwriting is one of my favourite interventions to use in music therapy. Writing a song can target many different goal areas; one of the most evident being self-expression. The process of songwriting allows for meaningful communication of thoughts, ideas, and feelings in the lyrics. This can provide a chance for important emotional expression and catharsis. The opportunity to pair this with music that the client feels represents the message they are trying to convey in the song can evoke feelings of self-worth and autonomy. The process of creating a song with another person is very powerful and can allow for valuable growth of the therapeutic relationship between the music therapist and the client, or group dynamics in a group context. And at the end of it all (if one chooses to) they can have a tangible recording; an auditory memory of their creation and accomplishment.
Songwriting can be a quick and casual intervention, such as a group collaboration changing the lyrics of a song to match a specific theme. The act of singing this final product at the end of the session can elicit feelings of accomplishment, teamwork, and validity. Songwriting can also take a more long-term form, such as creating an original work. This can happen over a period of many sessions, working together to create lyrics, choose music and instrumentation, and record. A client may choose to create one song or an entire album if time allows. Depending on the situation, a client may also have the opportunity to have an album release party, sharing their original music with friends and family.
Some of my most powerful experiences using songwriting interventions have been with clients who are unable to speak. For some, this has been the case for their entire lives because of a condition they are born with. For others, this can be a result of a motor vehicle accident, a stroke, or another acquired condition. The inability to speak can result in frustration of being unable to communicate wants and needs, or of others not having the patience to try and understand what they have to say. Songwriting provides the chance not only to have a voice, but to have a powerful and meaningful voice through a musical creation. In my experience, clients with speech impairments rarely write just one song. Songwriting is ongoing for them, often completing entire albums of songs expressing the most important subjects to them. I believe that many of the clients I have worked with in this context have benefited not only from the catharsis and self expression provided by the intervention, but also from the hour or 45 minutes a week that they have the undivided attention of the music therapist, whose intent is to listen, interpret, and support what they are communicating.