5 Example Music Therapy Goals for Playing Guitar
When I first started working as a music therapist, I found myself working in a developmental-based setting. Many of the clients I worked with had an interest in learning how to play musical instruments to help improve their motor abilities. Learning how to play an instrument, such as the guitar, transferred into their every day life by providing a meaningful way to target general range of motion, motor planning skills, fine motor skills, bilateral coordination and more!
Music therapists seeking reimbursement or insurance coverage are often required to provide goals that are measureable for treatment approval.
These are some example goals that be individualized to your client’s needs in music therapy, specifically when create goals in private practice.
Note: This blog post is intended for informational purposes only. Music therapy goals are implemented by music therapists who are board certified clinicians with a current credential (MT-BC, RMT, etc.).
Chord Placement
Consider difficulty level of chords:
One thing to think about when writing goals for playing chords is the difficulty of the chord placement. For example, is playing an e minor chord the same difficulty level as playing a barred F major chord?
Specifying the difficulty level of the chord can be helpful for tracking data more accurately and can help therapists providing co-therapy to be more clear and unified in their treatment expectations.
There are many ways to categorize the range of difficulty for guitar chords but this has been a simple, effective method in my own practice:
Two note chords (Em, E7, A7, etc.)
Three note chords (A, G, D, Am, etc.)
Barred chords
This helps me to keep track of where the client is and helps me to document continuous progress in a long-term setting.
In these example goals, you might also notice an accuracy percentage. This percentage refers to the accuracy in the placement of each note in the chord.
For example, in a two-note chord:
0% accuracy = both note placements are incorrect
50% accuracy = 1 note placement correct
100% accuracy = both note placements are correct
Furthermore, in a three-note chord:
0% accuracy = all three note placements are incorrect
33% accuracy = 1/3 note placements are correct
66% accuracy = 2/3 note placements are correct
100% accuracy = 3/3 note placements are correct
Consider the context in which the chords are played:
Another thing to consider including in your goal is the context in which the chord is being played. Is the chord being isolated?
At the isolated level, the client is prompted to focus on one chord at a time and has more time to prepare and execute placement of the chord
At the song or progression level, the client is prompted to transition between chords while maintaining accuracy of the song that is being addressed
Similarly, we can also consider whether the client has preselected the chords to practice or if they are provided to them in the moment. The spontaneous playing and the variation in chords used within the progression could change the level of difficulty and context of the how the chord is being used.
This is also important information if there are multiple music therapists providing treatment to the same client. It would provide additional context and help for replicability of the intervention.
Music Therapy Goals for Playing Chords on the Guitar
Goal: To increase fine motor dexterity
Objective: Client will demonstrate placement of a two-note guitar chord with 50% accuracy in 3 out of 5 opportunities by the end of the quarter.
Goal: To increase motor planning skills
Objective: Client will transition between 3 preselected two-note guitar chords while maintaining 100% accuracy of each chord placement in 3 out of 5 opportunities by the end of the IPC year.
Goal: To increase fine motor skills
Objective: Client will play a two-note guitar chord with 100% accuracy at the isolation level in 4 out of 5 opportunities by the end of the session.
Goal: To increase fine motor dexterity
Objective: Client will play a three-note guitar chord with 66% accuracy within the context of song progression in 4 out of 5 opportunities by the next team meeting.
Goal: To improve fine motor skills
Objective: Client will transition between 2 extemporaneous two-note guitar chords while maintaining 100% accuracy of each chord placement in 3 out of 5 opportunities by the end of the quarter.
