Help clients explore and express the emotional and dynamic qualities of a song before performing it. By discussing mood, mapping energy changes, and connecting musical choices to feelings, clients build awareness, confidence, and expressive control.

Instructions:

1. Prep (1-2 min)
   • Materials: Printable worksheet, writing utensil, playback device or instrument for live music play
   • Goal framing: “We’re going to figure out this song’s vibe or energy so we can play it with purpose.”
2. First listen (no playing)
   • Either play live or listen to a recorded version of the song
   • Music therapist prompt: “Take note of feelings, pictures, energy shifts, dynamics, etc.”
3. Capture the song info
   • Fill in the title/artist/date on the worksheet
4. Guided discussion
   • Use the worksheet questions
     • You can either ask the questions out loud and use the discussion to fill in one sheet all together or have each client fill out their own sheet and then discuss each client’s experience of the song afterwards as a group.
   • Music therapist prompts:
     • “If this were a movie scene, what’s happening?”
     • “Where does the energy jump or dip?”
     • “Name 3 feeling-words that you hear.”
5. Draw the Energy Map
   • Determine and label the sections in the graph
   • Have clients sketch a simple line showing energy across the form
   • Music therapist prompt: “Trust your feelings; there’s no wrong map – just your map.”
6. Translate to performance choices
   • Use the worksheet to discuss where energy shifts within the song and how you would play that on instruments:
     • i.e. faster or slower, louder or softer, etc.
7. Try it two ways
   • Play the song all together with the intended vibe as determined by the clients
   • Play the song all together with the opposite vibe to feel the contrast
   • Music therapist prompt: “Which felt more like the story the song is telling or that you want to tell?”
8. EXAMPLE:
   • For a Valentine’s Day-themed session, “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole was used to model how to complete the Song Emotion Mapping Worksheet, guiding clients through identifying emotional cues, mapping energy changes, and applying those insights to intentional musical performance.
   • Check out the downloads for both a printable copy of the worksheet to use in sessions as well as a filled out example worksheet for this song.

Adaptations:

• Younger clients: swap feeling words for emoji checkboxes; shorten listening to 45-60 sec loops.
• Alternative choice making: add visual icons for soft/medium/loud; offer choices instead of open-ended questions.
• Anxiety/voice fatigue: speak the lyrics with inflection first, then sing on a neutral syllable, then full text.