Lyric analysis is one of my favorite interventions to facilitate, because it can be so versatile and lead into all kinds of other interventions later in a music therapy session. In lyric analysis, a music therapist brings in a song for a group to listen to, often asking the group to underline or circle lines of the song that stand out to them, and then discussing the song’s themes afterwards, talking about what stood out to the group and how individuals can connect the song to their own emotions and their own lives.
Lyric analysis is used fairly often in mental health settings, which is where I have personally used it most. I was able to choose songs to listen to that discussed specific themes that we could carry over into other interventions. For example, I have used the song “Under the Bridge” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which touches on some themes of loneliness and finding support in others around you. After that, I was able to do a songwriting intervention using the song “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers, so that we could talk where a client find their own personal support in their life, often from family and friends.
Although these themes are pretty set in stone based on the lyrics to the song that the music therapist picks out, there is still a lot of flexibility that this intervention offers the client, as they are able to direct the discussion based on what they want to talk about or what stood out to them. There are never two lyric analysis discussions that are the same!
-Maggie
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