how Take 5 came about



We began composing music & text for individual clients suffering from post-traumatic stress. Clients would talk about their favourite places to wind down, or imaginary situations which reduced their anxiety. With my background in both poetry and music, I composed music with low BPS (beats per minute) to slow down pulse and breathing. The text - impressionistic rather than narrative- was personalised so that we spoke directly to the client- an easy way to reinforce suggestions made in therapy and reduce stress between sessions. The first was "Beach". The clients loved it.
At the same time, like many teachers, I was using music as relaxation for students and visualisation to enhance both relaxation and learning.
We decided to experiment with both techniques as a regular part of my music and drama lessons. There was no intention for this to be therapeutic; just a chance for kids to calm down and chill out at the beginning of a lesson. The results were dramatic. Students who came in over-heated, angry or distracted calmed in five minutes. Over weeks, students learnt relaxation techniques, so that their concentration became longer and deeper.
In debriefing afterwards, it was obvious by their vivid descriptions that their imaginations had been stimulated. If we then moved on to music composition or script-writing, there seemed to be a greater focus than usual.
It was then that Carol and I realised that, if it was useful for me, thousands of other educators and students could benefit from it as well. Over a period of almost two years (not continuous- we both have fairly busy, demanding "day jobs"!), Carol researched the theory while I developed the music and the text. My students spanned R-7 (i.e. 5 to 13 year olds in a 950 -student public school in the southern metropolitan area of Adelaide, South Australia.) As a music-drama teacher in a progressive school, I have a high degree of professional autonomy in my learning programme. Consequently, with a new group of 20-30 kids every 45 mins, I was ideally placed to replicate, modify and fine-tune.



the music

I began using existing commercial CDs of various artists. The students liked some of them, but many found them "old fashioned". "My mum's got this!" "They played this at my grandpa's funeral!" We played dozens. There is a certain sameness in the genre, and the 80's-style synth got on the teacher's nerves very quickly! Anything with brass, electric guitar or a hiphop beat made the kids twitchy- great for dance & movement, but hopeless for relaxation! .It began to look like we needed music that was simple and acoustic, or, if electronic, ambient and highly original. The rhythm needed to be calming for the breathing and heart-rate. We didn't want to patronise with "kiddy music."
Many people use pure music solely for relaxation. Mozart & J S Bach is still, in my opinion, some of the most beautiful music ever created. A number of studies have also supported the idea that it enhances learning. But a significant number of children- and adults- visualise and relax better by also listening to the spoken word. Our idea was to produce original music and superimpose a text which would lead the listener through a spoken visualisation journey. Some of the themes would be complex, but the language direct, so both adults and children could benefit from listening.



the themes

One of the first exercises I did with my students was to discuss the idea of a safe place. ("You are safe and comfortable" isn't repeated on the CD by mistake!) Sitting in a circle, I would talk about secret places where we might go at home when we hide from siblings or want to be alone (for both positive and negative reasons.) Then we'd go round the circle sharing our secrets. I like to give the opt-out option for the shy & those who have a secret place they don't want to share with anyone! Once they get warmed up, few want to miss out, however! Include yourself, too. Kids love hearing where YOU used to hide as a kid. This kind of discussion is very validating for kids. They find out things they have in common with others they don't know well. Sometimes a friend's response will be wildly different from their own, which helps bring a little appreciation of diversity. They learn that most of us want to be alone sometimes, just to read, hear music or think. They also accept that we all get a little down at times and need solitude.
If this went well, I'd extend the discussion to IMAGINARY places we might like to go to escape. (Where's your perfect escape?)
Very articulate classes will discuss immediately. Others might be asked to give it some thought and report back next lesson. Usually it works best if we try it. Some kids are embarrassed by the unusual silence & start to giggle, but gentle music seems to give them a licence to just lie there.

In my experience, adults' "safe places" tend to be "the beach"- (or somewhere near water, tropical island), "on a mountain" (or anywhere high, looking down), or "in a forest" (or park or garden.) Kids seem to have all of these- plus more. They're generally less reticent to tell you what they think too. (Especially if you've practised listening skills & modelled respecting all views, so children don't feel compelled to give the same answer as the previous child, for fear of ridicule.)
The suggestions range from the practical -"under my bed"… "in my wardrobe" to the highly imaginative "a particle of spacedust" … "I'm an ant crossing the lawn"... "a dolphin at the Great Barrier Reef!". I accept all answers even if they are obviously retelling a previous child's ideas. There are no "wrong answers." You can't ask a child's opinion & then tell her/him it's WRONG!

There will always be some who will just shrug their shoulders; perhaps because of shyness, perhaps because they just listened to the music and didn't imagine anything. This is the raison d'être for guided imagery: to stimulate and enhance relaxation and the imagination.



the texts

(click here for complete texts )
The texts have been loosely graded from simple to complex You can play in any order you like, of course, but there are elements in the later ones which are better practised first in the early ones.

+ beach
impressionistic.
Heightened awareness of senses

+ candles
repetitive
a variation on a traditional relaxation technique. The original blows out the candles. We light candles so it keeps getting lighter..

+ falling leaf
concentrating on one falling leaf is easy, even for a beginner. Lots of space for your own thoughts. Very repetitive for meditative, hypnotic effect. The "see it stop" line is to practise your control over your visualisation.

+ forest
starts off on your back- same position but you're far away Aware of your surroundings & senses. Paradigm shift as you become the butterfly. Back to your own body. “Animals” is non-specific. (Discuss afterwards what kind of animals ("fur & whiskers"?- It’s amazing how each participant’s interpretation is unique.)

+ waterfall
Again, quite impressionistic, focussing on images with which everyone is familiar. Discuss: What is light? What is life? Does all life need water?

+ space
A fairly complex narrative which involves two levels of imagination. You see your body lying in a forest while your mind travels through space. In the middle of the music there are about 90 seconds without narration where you are invited to go wherever you wish in the universe. Allow time to discuss afterwards: Where did you go? How did you feel? Explain that when we use our imagination, it is like our mind leaving our body- and no-one can control our thoughts except ourselves.

+ seed
Intellectually the most complex narrative, although, like all the tracks, it can be enjoyed by anyone at a number of different levels. The listener is told that years will pass in the next 5 minutes. Then (s)he is asked to imagine "life" as a seed- not really alive or dead. Other concepts involve recycling, energy from the sun and (subtly), death. Despite the complexity, children as young as 6 have told me it's their favourite!



general notes

We all like some repetition, routine and predictability. Allowing a special time to practise Relaxation every day will bring rewards for teacher and students. Start small. Teach the techniques first. Stay patient and calm. Explain to students why they are doing it. Organise (beforehand) some form of Time Out with a buddy teacher if a student is uncooperative or disruptive. Explain that you are not going to allow one student to spoil our relaxation. If I do it after lunch, students know that relaxation starts at the door. Show the door to those who make noise! They will soon accept your rule and enjoy the 5 mins.
You will have some disasters. I have! Expect them, but persevere.
You might do "Beach" every day for a week. Most kids don't mind knowing what's going to be said- the younger they are, the more they love repetition!
At this rate, 7 tracks will last you 7 weeks. Then you can ask the "best relaxer" for a request.

After several months, you may wish to write your own…