When I got my iPad in June, I was thrilled! I could not wait to dig in and start using it with all of my clients! There are so many useful apps out there that reinforce what I am already working on with my clients. To get a few more ideas and learn about new apps, I started taking a CMTE course through musictherapyed.com and have learned so much! NOW they have a new course, iPad TWO, that provides information on 140 apps and how to use them in music therapy sessions! Currently, the 9 credit CMTE course is only $99! That’s incredible! I cannot wait to take this course and learn even more ways I can incorporate some great apps into my sessions! All of the courses I have taken with musictherapyed.com have been fabulous! I hope you find this to be as useful a resource as I have! HAPPY MONDAY! Read More
Category: Music Therapy & Lessons
3 Quick Tips for a New School Year
Where oh where has summer gone? I feel like just yesterday we were at the end of May and now we’re almost half-way through August! School is just around the corner for many of my clients so here are a couple quick tips to get the new year off to a good start! 1. Establish a routine! Transitioning back to school can take it’s toll. There are so many new experiences, schedules, activities, and all around changes that it can make a person crazy! Having a set routine can help ease part of that transition and set up you up for a successful rest of the year. The fewer surprises and rushed tasks there are in the morning and evening, the happier the whole family will be! Plan ahead for the next day and let the kids know about any change that may upset this routine. 2. Set specific times/goals for practicing. If a child knows that at 5:30 every day they sit at the piano for 10 minutes or play each of their songs 3 times, it’s going Read More
7 Reasons I Love Using YouTube
I love YouTube for so many reasons! Here are just a few reasons why YouTube is something I use on regular basis as well as some idea of how you can use it! 1. Instant access to music, comedy, demonstrations, talks, and teaching videos! I use youtube to learn new songs, listen to things I forgot about, learn new skills, and listen to live performances. You can listen to/watch whatever you want and for FREE!! Also, there are probably multiple recordings of songs, so you get exactly what you are looking for. 2. Teaching What a great way to show my students new songs, encourage them explore new music, and show them what performers look like. Often my students can sing or play a song, but have no idea how to act or perform it. By looking at live performances, my students get a better idea of what they need to do! 3. Learning about my clients My clients love sharing their music preferences with me and I love learning about them. Often I want to know more about the Read More
Free Resource – In the…, A Fill in the Blank Song
When I’m working in with children in the hospital, sometimes we need to talk about what’s going on with a patient’s hospitalization, address any fears they might have, or answer some questions about their treatment. It’s often easier for a child to talk about these issues when they have a musical outlet and can frame their concerns in a light and sometimes humorous manner. One of the many interventions I like to use is a fill in the blank song set to the tune of “In the Jungle”. Children fill in the blanks in the song according to the part of speech that is designated. Not only is this a great way to engaged kids in addressing any issues they are having but it is also wonderful for learning/identifying different parts of speech. This intervention is not limited to the medical setting. It could be used in classrooms to talk about the roles the teacher, aids, principal, and students play. It could be used with a group to talk about each individual’s strengths. It could be used at home to Read More