HOW TO STRUCTURE YOUR SESSION

There two ways in which I structure structure a music therapy session around a Thanksgiving theme.

One way is to find all songs that mention thankfulness, turkeys, fall weather, etc. Plan your session around these songs based on your client’s or group’s goals.

Another way is to reflect on certain things we are THANKFUL for, and find songs that fit those themes. Some common things people are thankful for are family, friends, safety, health, and nature.

 

INTERVENTION IDEAS

Below, I’ve listed some of my favorite Thanksgiving interventions in a simplistic form. Most of these can be adapted across ages & populations.

Thankful Chant

  1. Pass out drums to group members or to your individual client.
  2. List things that the group/ individual are grateful for by writing it on a whiteboard, picking options out of a hat, or offering two choices.
  3. Chant “I am thankful for ___________” while keeping steady beat on the drum.
  4. Repeat through all group members or several times with an individual client.
  5. To adapt: You can try coming up with different rhythms for different things each person is grateful for. Practice the rhythm which each individual group member and play a symphony of thankful rhythms!

We All Eat ______ on Thanksgiving Day

  1. Ask individuals or group members their favorite thing to eat on Thanksgiving. This could be done by verbally asking, giving them a choice board or AAC device app on your iPad, or picking from a drum.
  2. Sing this phrase “We all eat insert food here on Thanksgiving Day” to the tune of “She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain.”
  3. Go around the room and continue to add to your meal until you’ve eaten all you want for Thanksgiving.
  4. At the end, for humor & further discussion, you can add “We all will take a nap on Thanksgiving Day” or include what clients do after they eat their meal.

We hope these ideas work well in your sessions and inspire some Thanksgiving interventions of your own!