Living in Illinois (or anywhere in the midwest) often means coping with unpredictable weather: the kind of weather where one day it is 52 degrees and sunny and the next we have an ice or snowstorm leaving the roads basically impassible. Over a foot of snow is usually a pretty good sign to cancel lessons/sessions, but what about those times where the weather isn’t awful, but it isn’t great? What then? I have a couple ways to cope with situations like these: 1. Let the Family Choose – When in doubt, you can contact them to see what they are comfortable with. If you can make it to work but don’t know if families what to make the trek or go out in the -10 weather, simply ask them what they want to do. I find that families sometimes appreciate a phone call or text message to check-in when these circumstances arise. 2. Listen to Your Gut – Do you feel safe on the roads? Are you uncomfortable going to work in those weather conditions? If you don’t feel Read More
Tag: music therapy resources
The Traveling Music Therapist – Apps I LOVE part 2
When I posted about the apps I love to use on the road, there are a few of my absolute favorite that I forgot! Here are a few bonus apps to round out the bunch I listed yesterday! Enjoy! 1. On Song – A wonderful app for downloading, organizing, and creating lyric and chords sheets that you can always have on hand digitally. 2. Music Notes – I have an account with musicnotes.com where I download the majority of music for my students. What’s nice about the app is that once you purchase the song, you also have a digital copy available that can be transposed into most any key! You can also add any of the notes you need, highlight specific words, notes, or parts, and easily flip between pages. 3. Wordpress – Because my website it done through wordpress, I love having the app handy. This way I can write blog posts from Starbucks, my car, or hotel room (at conferences or on vacation) without having to lug my computer along! I can also make several Read More
Spontaneous Songwriting – Video Blog
To wrap up 2 weeks of songwriting resources, I put together a video blog with a couple tips, tricks, and examples. I hope you enjoy these ideas and you can use them in your sessions! Read More
Music Therapy Ideas for Valentine’s Day!
I wanted to take a break from thinking about all of the snow and cold we’ve have been surrounded by these past few weeks to talk about LOVE! Not the mushy, gushy kind of love, but the love we have for music therapy, our clients, and music. In honor of this season of love, I wanted to spread some of the love-ly ideas and interventions my fellow Music Therapists have shared throughout the years. Here are 7 resources from other amazing MT’s to help get your Valentine’s sessions off to a great start! Music Therapy Ideas- VALENTINE’S DAY MUSIC THERAPY IDEAS Two songs perfect for adults and older adults to discuss, dance to and play with. Wholesome Harmonies – More LOVE-ly Ideas for Valentine’s Day Amy Kalas offers a complete session plan for Valentine’s day as well as several other LOVE-ly ideas in previous posts. Music Therapy Services of Austin – Song for Valentine’s Day – “Teeny Tiny Valentine” This piggyback song is a wonderful way to address educational concepts while still sticking with the holiday theme. Coast Music Therapy – 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