Join the Livestream at 7pm on Saturday, 1/27 HERE:
Can't make it on the 27th? Don't worry! You can also watch the recording at the link above after the live event has concluded.
Introducing the Music Therapy Senior Class of 2024
Event Program
A Message from MT Faculty:
Hello! And thank you for being here. The USU Music Therapy Faculty are honored to welcome you to this very special music therapy program event.
This “performance” is unique in a number of ways. Perhaps most notably, the program is not fully determined or made known to anyone prior to the start of the event. This includes the performers themselves! You may notice that even when the program becomes available, who is performing what piece, and when? All remains a mystery.
Why?
While we have a bit of a reputation for “doing things differently” in the music therapy world, the reason for this lack of information is attributed to the fact that this event is not only a performance, but what we refer to in our program as the senior “Level IV Exam”.
For those of you who don’t know, Level Exams are the music therapy program’s version of “jury exams”. As students develop their clinical musicianship skills, they are expected to demonstrate proficiency in a number of domains. In the first level exam, students are expected to have 10 clinically applicable songs prepared and performed from memory while they sing and accompany themselves on either guitar or piano.
I want to take a moment to pause and clarify that voice, piano, guitar, and percussion are all considered core “competency instruments” in the field of music therapy. This means that our students are expected to gain proficiency in 3 or 4 instrumental areas IN ADDITION to whatever their primary performing instrument may be. …Back to Levels.
In Level 2, students are expected to have 25 memorized songs from diverse genres prepared, and they also need to be able to transcribe all songs with 3-4 chords into five basic keys- C, D, E, G, and A. They do this while modulating in tempo and maintaining outward connection and therapeutic presence. They are also all expected to have composed several thoughtful original songs by this time- such as a hello song, goodbye song, lullaby, and an original blues, among others.
By Level 3, students have 40 performance-ready songs memorized with self-accompaniment on piano or guitar, plus a few other accompanying instruments (like ukulele, q-chord, autoharp, and pitched or non-pitched percussion). They also demonstrate the ability to facilitate a guided relaxation over live accompaniment, a clinical improvisation in any key and mode, and the ability to recognize, shape, and contain a clinical discourse through improvisational musical choices based on a client’s ever-shifting needs in the moment.
So here we are in Level 4. As you can see in the images above, we asked our seniors to compile and submit their list of no less than 60 memorized songs in the form of “album artwork”. From these lists, music therapy faculty chose 1 song for students to present individually, and 1 song to present in a group. Until the performance begins, they will not know which songs were chosen, when they will be playing, who will be performing which piece, the key/accompanying instruments that will be used, or if it will be done solo or in a group.
In other words, this event provides an opportunity for seniors to showcase many diverse and certainly hard-earned clinical musicianship skills while being celebrated for their incredible capacity to “go with the flow”, attune to the audience, engage witnesses with their clinical presence, and make intentional musical decisions in the moment.
Thank you for supporting our seniors, the USU music therapy program, and the field of music therapy. No matter what brings you to our event, we appreciate your presence as we honor these incredible musicians and future clinicians!
Warmly,
Professor "P" Fox
Allison Fox, MA SCMT MT-BC (she/her)
Clinical Assistant Professor of Music Therapy
This “performance” is unique in a number of ways. Perhaps most notably, the program is not fully determined or made known to anyone prior to the start of the event. This includes the performers themselves! You may notice that even when the program becomes available, who is performing what piece, and when? All remains a mystery.
Why?
While we have a bit of a reputation for “doing things differently” in the music therapy world, the reason for this lack of information is attributed to the fact that this event is not only a performance, but what we refer to in our program as the senior “Level IV Exam”.
For those of you who don’t know, Level Exams are the music therapy program’s version of “jury exams”. As students develop their clinical musicianship skills, they are expected to demonstrate proficiency in a number of domains. In the first level exam, students are expected to have 10 clinically applicable songs prepared and performed from memory while they sing and accompany themselves on either guitar or piano.
I want to take a moment to pause and clarify that voice, piano, guitar, and percussion are all considered core “competency instruments” in the field of music therapy. This means that our students are expected to gain proficiency in 3 or 4 instrumental areas IN ADDITION to whatever their primary performing instrument may be. …Back to Levels.
In Level 2, students are expected to have 25 memorized songs from diverse genres prepared, and they also need to be able to transcribe all songs with 3-4 chords into five basic keys- C, D, E, G, and A. They do this while modulating in tempo and maintaining outward connection and therapeutic presence. They are also all expected to have composed several thoughtful original songs by this time- such as a hello song, goodbye song, lullaby, and an original blues, among others.
By Level 3, students have 40 performance-ready songs memorized with self-accompaniment on piano or guitar, plus a few other accompanying instruments (like ukulele, q-chord, autoharp, and pitched or non-pitched percussion). They also demonstrate the ability to facilitate a guided relaxation over live accompaniment, a clinical improvisation in any key and mode, and the ability to recognize, shape, and contain a clinical discourse through improvisational musical choices based on a client’s ever-shifting needs in the moment.
So here we are in Level 4. As you can see in the images above, we asked our seniors to compile and submit their list of no less than 60 memorized songs in the form of “album artwork”. From these lists, music therapy faculty chose 1 song for students to present individually, and 1 song to present in a group. Until the performance begins, they will not know which songs were chosen, when they will be playing, who will be performing which piece, the key/accompanying instruments that will be used, or if it will be done solo or in a group.
In other words, this event provides an opportunity for seniors to showcase many diverse and certainly hard-earned clinical musicianship skills while being celebrated for their incredible capacity to “go with the flow”, attune to the audience, engage witnesses with their clinical presence, and make intentional musical decisions in the moment.
Thank you for supporting our seniors, the USU music therapy program, and the field of music therapy. No matter what brings you to our event, we appreciate your presence as we honor these incredible musicians and future clinicians!
Warmly,
Professor "P" Fox
Allison Fox, MA SCMT MT-BC (she/her)
Clinical Assistant Professor of Music Therapy