Guidelines for
CDG Facilitators

You will learn many of your duties and responsibilities from your lead-facilitators. Here are some important guidelines to consider up-front. Because the CDG is a premier clinical opportunity and learning experience it comes with high expectations and official duties.

You will find many documents in the CDG Google Drive. The CDG answers to a departmental advisor who is also available to consult for guidance along with the lead-facilitators. Your first line of contact is always your lead-facilitator. The CDG facilitator also has responsibilities to the Music Therapy Society (MTS) and these responsibilities are reciprocal. For example, the MTS is required to provide funding each semester to pay for marketing materials, equipment and repairs while the CDG is required to participate in many MTS volunteer outreach programs. These MTS programs are required for all facilitators and optional for CDG music therapy students. No outside programs are required of non-music therapy students.

Although performance opportunities will arise, it is strongly suggested to not discuss these during sessions. Because the group is not performance-based, what might be perceived as an “opportunity” for a musician, is generally seen as threatening to most participants. If a participant has shown interest in performing speak with them one-on-one. When a performance opportunity arises do remind music therapy students that performances are required as part of the MTS outreach aspect of the CDG, but again, only speak to them outside the CDG session.

Just as in any clinical observation hour group facilitators are required to plan sessions, devise activities, track data and report progress. For sessions it is imperative to arrive at least 15-minutes early to help set up the room and gather necessary CDG/MTS drums and percussion instruments from the locked storage room. Facilitators should also make sure that the GC Security phone number programmed is in their phone contacts.

In order to help you stand out for internship and career opportunities you will be expected to maintain and develop promotional marketing resources, develop advocacy guidelines and maintain connections with participants, university resources and existing volunteer organizations.

Tracking data includes recording the number of attendees, hours for participants who require documentation of clinical or volunteer hours on a pre-formatted sign-in sheet. It is also important to have participants sign this sheet during their first session because this sheet includes the CDG informed consent, media/photo waver and health waver.

Marketing pieces include flyers announcing the days and times of sessions, text message reminders, weekly Frontpage and social media announcements and online reminders. It is of the utmost importance to distribute and place flyers in university and public announcement locations as well as restaurants, coffee houses and music venues. Places that are very receptive to posting flyers have included Blackbird Coffee, Metropolis Café, Amici, Kirk's Jerk Kitchen, Oconee Outfitters, and Starbucks. Some places of worship will also allow posting of community events.

The CDG Google Drive folder holds many of our documents including previous flyers, sign-in/documentation form and clinical hour Google Sheet for tracking all attendees. The lead facilitator is in charge of managing the CDG Google Drive folder and documents, but all facilitators must share data collection duties for the sessions they facilitate.

Each semester volunteer and performance opportunities will come up. The CDG is required by the MTS to provide 2 volunteer outreach programs separate from regular MTS volunteer events. As of 2019 there are 2 standing volunteer outreach programs that the CDG presides over: Carlyle Place senior life-plan community in Macon and the Lake Laurel Community Drumming Event. These events are coordinated through Erin Jones, MT-BC (jones.erin@navicenthealth.org) at Carlyle Place and Liz Speelman, Director, Outdoor Center at Georgia College (liz.speelman@gcsu.edu) and should be planned before the start of each semester. It is highly recommended to set up all events at Lake Laurel at least 6 months in advance.

Other events that the CDG are expected to participate in include Relay for Life, the Art Healthy Festival, Deep Roots, Military Day at Brave Meadows and events at Comfort Farms Veterans Acute Crisis and Education Center when available.

Although not required, suggestions for additional outreach include finding other volunteer events aligned with music therapy such as drumming at other Central Georgia events, Baldwin county senior or rehabilitation facilities, providing facilitated drumming events at K-12 schools in the area, the Greenway and the Milledgeville Green Market.