I cannot believe we have already arrived at the week of thanksgiving! Where has the time flown this year! Before you know it I’ll be posting about Christmas. All of the decorations are up, the turkey is soon to be thawing in the fridge, and families are getting ready to travel. If you’re anything like me though, you are still going to be working and doing sessions this week! So, in honor of Thanksgiving I’ve complied a few resources for music therapists. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving! 1. Four Educational Thanksgiving Chants from Tuned Into Learning These four chants work on a variety of concepts including naming colors, counting, sharing, telling time, turn taking, and social skills. I love these adorable chants and FREE printouts! I’ll be using two of them today in my own sessions! 2. Thanksgiving Song Writing Activity from Music Therapy = <3 This song writing activity is a great opportunity for older clients (teens & up) to discuss what they are thankful for, work on expression, identify feelings, and understand what the holiday Read More
Tag: Lincoln IL Music Therapy and Lessons
Blowing in the Breeze – Songs for Speech
“Blowing in the Breeze” is a new song I use with a couple of my clients working on speech and articulation goals. Practicing blowing through a straw or on a pinwheel are great oral motor exercises for my clients. Every time they hear the word “blow” in this song, they have to complete the action. It is a slower song with breaks for the client in each of the verses. This song can also help clients with attention, counting, following directions and many other goals, focusing on the song to find each time the word “blow” is repeated. I hope you enjoy this new song! Blowing in the Breeze by On A Good Note Read More
Top Music Therapy Moments
There is not a single day where I do not love my job. There are moments when it gets tough (i.e. getting instruments thrown at you, working with individuals with terminal diagnoses, when you feel you can’t get through to a client, etc.), but the positive moments FAR outweigh any of the little frustrations or rough situations. Last week I had some amazing music therapy moments that I want to share. Here is one of them! At the start of my shift the other day I was given a referral for individual that had not spoken to anyone in over 24 hours. They refused to say a word to any visitors or staff. When I met with the client, they were hesitant to speak with me, barely even making eye contact or acknowledging my presence. I began singing to the client, using their name and singing what I thought might be familiar songs. I noticed while I was singing that I began to get a few glances. When I asked if they wanted to look at any of the Read More
Apps I Love – Dust Buster
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts (DoReMemory, Piano Monkey, and Apps I love For Teaching), sometimes my students need a little extra help comprehending and practicing what we are learning in lessons. I use the iPad at the end of lessons both as a reward for doing good work and as an reinforcement of what we worked in the lesson. Dust Buster is an app both my students and myself love. Unlike the other apps I have posted, Dust Buster feels a little more like a game, uses full songs, can be used with or without a keyboard, and can be played by students who are not yet reading the staff. When you view the home screen you have the choice of using either an on-screen touch piano or using a real piano/keyboard. You will then be guided to a screen where you can chose from the simple “Germ Attack” game or the more advanced “Staff Master” game. In “Germ Attack” mode, the notes fall from the top of the screen on to the key that needs to be played. Read More
Free Printable Practice Chart
I encourage all of my students to practice. It doesn’t have to be a lot of practice, as long as my students make an effort to look at their materials a couple times a week. Some of my students need a little extra help when it comes to practicing. That is why I developed this simple Practice Chart for students and their families to use between lessons. Not only do students get to check off the days they practice, but they also get the opportunity to set a goal for themselves. Goals can relate to the number of days practiced each week or the amount of time spent practicing within the week. Many of my students like the idea of getting a small prize for achieving their goal. I work with each student to come up with a suitable prize. Some prizes I have used in the past include sharing a favorite song on YouTube, playing 5 minutes of a musical game on the iPad, bringing a special instrument to play, allowing the student to take home a small instrument Read More