Todd Cardin's Therapy Components

The main part of Todd Cardin's music therapy is obviously music. This is a therapy method that relies on music in order to be effective. This of course means that anyone participating will be doing something that involves a musical experience. There are four main types of musical activities which are re-creating, listening, composing, and improvising.

• In re-creation sessions, a person will spend time playing or singing already composed musical pieces. This type of activity can be executed in a number of ways which include taking music lessons, acting in a musical play or show, learning to sing, producing instrumental or vocal sounds, practicing, and so on.
• The listening experience is a session type that Todd Cardin recommends everyone participate in since it can easily be done by the general public. In these activities, the client reacts to recorded or live music. The listening sessions can focus on any aspect of music: emotional, aesthetic, spiritual, physical, and intellectual. Clients may respond to music by meditation, movement/dance, free-association, drawing, etc.
• In composing sessions, a music therapist will help a client to create and write lyrics, songs, music videos, and so forth. Because of the missing formal training in many people, the therapist will normally handle the technical aspects involved with
• Improvisation is something seen in everyone especially in children. During these sessions, clients are encouraged to create their own music spur of the moment. It can be done freely or under specific directions from the therapist. In many cases this type of session is used to help portray events, feelings, or any other situations that need to be addressed. Todd Cardin recommends this and special attention should be paid to this step above all others.