I Can Show You How To Play – A New Instrument Playing Song

“I Can Show You How To Play” is my new song for instrument playing.  It gives children the opportunity to work on impulse control, following directions, naming body parts, playing rhythmically, respond to questions, and much more! I have loved using this song in the Listen & Learn Music Group I’ve been doing on Tuesdays. I hope you enjoy this song just as much as they have! Read More

We Are… Songwriters

If you have spent any time on my blog or follow me on facebook, twitter, or pinterest, then you certainly know that I love song writing!   Like many music therapists, I write several of the songs that I use in individual and group music therapy sessions.  These songs are written to address the specific needs of my client, but can be used with other individuals as well! Instead of writing a lengthy post about my song writing process, I thought it would be a appropriate to share a NEW song with all of you!  Happy Listening!   Hey! How Are You Today? by On A Good Note Read More

We Are… Resourceful

When I typed “resourceful” into google, this is the definition that popped up. re·source·ful riˈsôrsfəl,-ˈzôrs-/ adjective adjective: resourceful 1. having the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties. synonyms: ingenious, enterprising, inventive, creative; More   Music Therapists have a huge toolbox filled with ideas, instruments, interventions, etc.  Because we are a people-oriented profession we have to be flexible and are constantly pulling from our toolbox of resources. When we can’t come up with a particular solution on our own, we either create it (like many of the songs and interventions I post on the blog), improvise based on the knowledge we have and what is at our disposal, or we look to others for inspiration! I wanted to take a moment to share with you some of my favorite MT resources! CMTEs Sometimes, when I have to learn something new, the best way to do it is by taking a CMTE course like the ones over at MusicTherapyEd.com Songs When in doubt, youtube, google, and pandora (or spotify) are great options for finding songs on the fly!  However, if you are looking for songs geared toward Read More

We Are… Kinesthetic

I got the idea for this post from JoAnn Jordan’s post related to ABC’s of Music Therapy.  JoAnn posted a quote regarding the kinesthetic part of music therapy that I completely agree with! “I hear and I forget. I see and I understand. I do and I remember.” – Confucius Personally, I learn by doing, by moving, by trying things, and by playing around.  I have to explore and actually feel things in order to completely grasp a new concept.  I know this is the same for so many of my clients.  We do  A LOT of moving, playing, and exploring in all of our session.  The movement and activity are both a great way to engage my clients and help them learn new concepts.  You may have noticed by exploring My Music Page that many of the songs I write or the interventions I post on the Blog include movement, actions, or doing of some sort. Below are some of the links to interventions I have created.   Can You Play Like This? Kick It! 3 Songs for Movement Tiptoe Read More

Last Minute Music Therapy Intervention Ideas for the Holidays

We’re already in the middle of December! Can you believe it? If your clients are anything like mine, they all want to hear the same three Christmas songs over and over. If you’ve mastered Jingle Bells and sung all of the fa la la’s out of Deck the Halls, then it might be time for a a couple fresh ideas. Below are a couple of my wintery songs as well as links to some other amazing holiday resources posted by music therapists! Songs – It’s Christmas Time Counting Snowflakes    Free Christmas Sheet Music HERE Educational snow and winter chants from Tuned Into Learning 12 Goals of Christmas from Music Therapy = <3 Music Therapy Christmas Carols from Coast Music Therapy Holiday Piggy Back Songs also from Coast Music Therapy  Fresh Holiday Intervention Ideas from Sound Scape Music Therapy   Happy Holidays! Read More