Recording a Group in Garageband

The Yakety Yaks, a band of six teens and young adults with autism, has undertaken an exciting long-term project: a music video! The first step to creating their music video is making an outstanding audio track. We are using Garageband to record and edit the Yakety Yaks’ version of “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go,” by Wham!

Audrey, one of our full time therapists, and I co-lead the Yakety Yaks through rehearsals and projects. We began with recording our keyboard player’s track. In order to ensure the group’s recording came out as professional as possible, we needed to make sure our foundational track was on tempo. Audrey and I implemented a pre-recorded drum beat to keep a steady pulse throughout the song. After a few tries, we got an excellent recording of the keyboard and first vocal track!

One by one, we recorded each of the vocal tracks. As we recorded, we made some creative choices about the mix. Instead of having all six voices singing all at once for the entire song, we decided that each member should have their own vocal solo during the chorus! There are also some moments where just two vocalists are heard on the track as well. These solo and duet moments will provide opportunities to spotlight each member in the music video!

Audrey has taken on the daunting task of editing the song to make it sound as professional as possible. In order to keep some vocalists singing on tempo, she cut up some of their recorded audio to move it to the proper part of the beat. After a lot of hard work, the audio track is finally complete! The Yakety Yaks sound like total rock stars! We are excited to hit the ground running with filming in the next few weeks!

– Emma

Summer Sounds Virtual Jam Sessions

I have the unique opportunity of completing my internship during a pandemic. Before my internship, I didn’t have any experience leading music therapy sessions virtually. I am thankful to be working with music therapists who adapted quickly to making music therapy happen through screens and speakers.

One of the ways the Music Therapy Center of California has adapted to virtual music therapy is by piloting a virtual jam session program. Our Summer Sounds program is for teens with special needs. Every Wednesday night July-August, they learn social skills through music.

Making live music over Zoom can be challenging due to the delay of sound. To accommodate for that, we ask our clients to keep themselves muted while the music therapist is leading. In drum circles, we begin with the therapist leading the beat and demonstrating various hand signals for how to play (ie. start, stop, loud, soft). Next, we give an opportunity for clients to use the hand signals to conduct the drum circle. When they are leading, we spotlight their video so that they are the focus of the Zoom call.

Virtual jam sessions require a team to ensure the program runs smoothly. Typically, one therapist facilitates while the other supports by screen sharing the visual slide show, controlling which person is in the spotlight, and muting/un-muting individuals as they speak to the group.

A unique aspect of hosting jam sessions over Zoom, is that we can use virtual polls for the group to vote on their song preferences. Adjusting to virtual music therapy can be challenging; however, if you embrace the technology you can use it to your advantage!

For more information about virtual music therapy, visit a previous intern’s blog post on the topic.

-Emma

Recital in the Park

MTCCA’s Recital in the Park is quickly approaching! Our students are very excited to share their pieces they have been working hard to prepare.

Beyond practicing the songs they will be performing, our music therapists have been preparing our clients for various social and emotional aspects of the event.

Some of our clients have never performed in front of a live audience. To help them prepare for the experience, we rehearse their role step by step. We practice waiting for their name and bio to be read aloud, walking quietly on stage, playing their full piece without stopping, bowing to applause, and walking off stage.

One of our clients becomes easily distracted by many sounds in an audience. To prepare him for his performance, we have rehearsed his piece with recorded simulations of laughing, crying, coughing, or other distracting sounds an audience might make. Our goal is to generalize his sustained attention skills from the session to the performance.

Performing in front of a live audience can be nerve racking. To set our students up for success, we talk our clients through emotions they feel surrounding the event. We empower them with strategies to process and express these emotions, as well as cope with them. We teach our students to listen to their bodies and take a deep breath when they need to calm down.

We are so excited to share the musical talents of our amazing students! We hope to see you on the big day!

-Emma