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: music therapy resources
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
Favorite Resource – Pinterest
Sometimes I get stuck in a rut, doing the same things and singing the same songs during sessions. I know that if it’s getting repetitive and boring for me, then it is definitely starting to feel that way for my client. New material can not only reenergize your sessions but can support your clients needs in new and exciting ways. Often I create my own materials, write my own songs, and develop specific interventions for my individual clients. However, I sometimes need a little inspiration. That is where Pinterest comes into play. Pinterest is used by therapists, parents, teachers, artists, and musicians all over wanting to share their ideas, interventions, and songs! Whenever I’m looking for something new to use with a particular client, I know I can search pinterest and always find something helpful. After logging in for the first time, you can start to search for topics, ideas, people, and websites. One search I recently completed was for DIY instruments. After typing in the desired topic and hitting the search button, a full screen of pictures containing those 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
Can You Play It Like This? – Music Therapy Game
The other day I came across a speech therapy website that listed several wonderful interventions, apps, and word lists the therapist was using within sessions. Her lists and ideas got me thinking about some ways I could apply the same ideas within my music therapy sessions. I took the idea for The Action Bag, gave it a musical twist, and used it within my sessions to target the following goal areas: following directions, reading, articulation, eye contact, creativity, expression, gross/fine motor, turn taking, and exploring new vocabulary. You can also adapt this musical game to meet your clients’ specific need! Materials needed: Brown paper bag, markers, paper, scissors, 1 durable instrument (I used an egg shaker) Directions: Decorate the bag however you like. Print out the list of actions available for free download on The Action Bag webpage or create your own list of actions. (I did a little of both and did not include all of the actions listed on the printable page. Use your best discretion when planning for your particular client) Cut apart the actions and place them in Read More