Running small group music therapy sessions
Closed groups, a few places, the same children each week: how music therapists can set up small group sessions, book the group for a cycle and handle absences.
6 min read
Run each group as its own service, create its weekly slot with a capacity equal to the group size, and book every member yourself for the whole cycle. A closed group works because the same people meet each week, so it shouldn't be open to anyone browsing your page. Once all members are booked, the slot is full and disappears from your public page. Open groups, such as a monthly drumming circle for adults, are different: there you can let people book their own place online.
Closed groups and open groups
| Closed group | Open group | |
|---|---|---|
| Who comes | The same members every week | Whoever books that week |
| How members join | After an assessment and your decision | Online, directly |
| Who books | You, for the whole cycle | Participants, one place each |
| Example | Four children, social skills, 10 weeks | Adult drumming circle, one evening a month |
| Example price | €25 per session | €15 per session |
Prices and formats are examples. On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page, and each slot belongs to one service with its own start and end. Name closed groups clearly, such as "Group, by invitation", so a visitor understands it isn't open.
Setting up a closed group
- Create a service for the group, with a description that says members join after an assessment.
- Create the weekly slot with a capacity equal to the number of members, for example four.
- Repeat it on that weekday until the end of the cycle.
- Book each member into every session from your calendar, with the parent's name and email, and the child's first name in the note.
When every place is booked, the slot is full and hidden from your public page, so no one else can take a place. If a member hasn't been booked yet, a free place remains visible: book everyone before sharing your page, or set the capacity to the number of members already confirmed. Each parent gets a confirmation email and calendar file for each session if you enter their email.
How many in a group
The size of a group is a clinical choice, not a booking one. It depends on the people in it, the goals of the group, and whether you work alone or with a co-therapist. The room matters too: space to move, instruments within reach for everyone, sound that doesn't overwhelm. Book simply enforces the number you choose.
Room and instruments
Group sessions need more setting up than individual ones: chairs in a circle, a set of percussion instruments for each person, sometimes a keyboard or guitar. Make the slot long enough to include setup and tidying, or leave a gap before your next session. If you rent a room by the hour, the slot length also tells you how long to book the room for.
Absences in a closed group
When a child is ill, the parent tells you; nobody can cancel online. You can leave the booking in place, since the group continues and the child keeps their place for next week, or cancel that one booking from your list. If you cancel it, the place becomes free and the slot shows again on your public page. For a closed group, it's simpler to keep the booking and track the absence in your own session records.
If you cancel a whole session, cancel the bookings from your list and tell each family yourself: Book doesn't email clients about changes.
Open groups for adults
An open group, such as a drumming circle, a singing group for adults or a relaxation-through-sound session, can take bookings from anyone. Set the capacity from your room and instruments, describe the session and who it's for, and let people book one place each online. The session disappears when it's full. Book doesn't take payments, so say how people pay. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.
How do I stop strangers booking a closed group?
Can I book a group for a whole cycle?
What happens when a member is absent?
Can adults book an open group online?
Does my page show how many places are left?
- Online booking for music therapists — €5/month | Book
- Weekly music therapy sessions and parent meetings