Intervention Idea: Visually-Prompted Songwriting

As Halloween rolls around this week, I thought I would give a little rundown of my favorite songwriting intervention to use in group settings with older adults near holidays!

1. Display an image on a projector screen/TV with seasonal relevance, preferably involving an action and a relational component (a family, a couple, a group of friends, etc.); all of these elements will make it easier for clients to create a story with their song and to recall their own memories. For example, I tend to use this picture around Halloween with older adults:

2. Create an empty word bank at the top of a whiteboard/blackboard

3. Ask clients questions about what they observe in the picture; move from general to specific questions and from objective to subjective questions (which involve a little more creativity/executive function). Here are some example questions for this picture:

   1. What do you see in this picture? Make any observations you have.

   2. What does the room look like? 

   3. What are they doing?

   4. What’s in that bowl?

   5. Where are they?

   6. Why do you think they are there?

   7. What is their story? How do you think they know each other?

   8. What do you think they are saying?

   9. What are some of the emotions they might be feeling?

   10. What are they preparing for?

4. Add each response that clients have to the “word bank”.

   1. Have fun with clients as they respond! Some clients like to let their imaginations run wild here, and one of my favorite parts of this intervention is asking follow-up questions to make their stories come alive. 

5. Once the “word bank” is full, ask the group what they think would be a good starting line from the choices they have created.

6. Go around the room from client to client, asking each of them to choose a line from the bank and fit it into the context of the “song”. 

7. Once you feel that you have a verse/chorus written out, exemplify a few musical customization options for your clients to choose from (i.e. slow vs. fast, finger-picked vs. strummed if using guitar, duple vs. triple meter etc.)

8. Have a flexible but well-practiced melody and chord progression picked out beforehand. With the clients’ customizations, play the song through using a variation of the pre-selected melody and chord progression. 

9. Ask clients if they have any melodic edits.

10. Sing the song 2-3 times more, inviting clients to sing along.

11. If appropriate (and with client permission), record yourself and clients singing the song.

12. Affirm their final product and participation in the process.

Here is a short example of a song my clients have created in response to the above picture:

‘Twas the night before Halloween 

And ghosts were having fun

Grandma & the youngins’ on the pumpkin run

They’re talkin’ about what costume to wear

Ruining the jack-o-lantern, causing a scare

What I love about this intervention is the wide variety of goals it can help clients work towards - Clients practice observation skills (which require sustained attention), and exercise executive function in the creative process. Both the image and promotion of group discussion surrounding a holiday open the door for reminiscence. Clients in a group setting work together to create a final product, increasing socialization and group cohesion. Clients may even get practice resolving small conflicts when they come up with opposing ideas! Lastly, but certainly not least, clients get a self-esteem boost knowing that they have created something beautiful (or funny, or clever, etc.)!

This intervention can, of course, be adapted to any holiday or any topic at all depending on the image you use!

You’ll be surprised at what you find about your clients’ own stories when you set out to create and tell a story together.