Stand by Me

Today we explored various music-centred activities. Music-centred is a music therapy approach where the emphasis is on experiencing music as a group and sharing in music together. The concept behind music-centred music therapy is that music offers an opportunity to express and process our emotions. We began by warming up with various structured rhythmic activities. Everyone was invited to select an instrument and play together alongside various musical cues. As more group members arrived, we shifted into a listening exercise. Lyric sheets for the song Stand By Me by Ben E. King were distributed among the group members. We all engaged in listening to the track while following along with the lyrics. This was followed by a verbal discussion about any lyrics that stood out or resonated with group members at the time. Group members were then invited to select an instrument and together we played and sang Stand By Me as a group. It was wonderful to hear all of our voices and instruments join together in a song about support, connection, and relationship. Some group members shared that it felt powerful and motivational to sing and play with one another. This power and motivation was reflected in the lyrics, together we discussed how impactful it is to be supported by other people. We sang through the piece again, this time with a section in the middle devoted to instrumental playing where group members were encouraged to play louder and more dynamically than they had before. To close, we shared in one final improvisation based around the themes discussed in Stand By Me, the theme of being supported by others, motivated, and empowered.