Singable Story: Miss Mary Mack

Miss Mary Mack - Children's Book

Hand clapping games were all the rage on the playground when I was growing up.  “Miss Mary Mack” was one of the first I ever learned, so when I came across this book on Amazon, I couldn’t pass it up.  I’m glad I didn’t, because Miss Mary Mack ranks right up there with Down by the Station, Going on a Bear Hunt, and Goodnight Sweet Butterflies as one of my favorite singable stories.

There are a few ingredients that make for a good children’s book in an educational setting.  Repetition, alliteration, and rhyme are key, and Miss Mary Mack is chock full of all three.  I found a fun little groove in Garageband to serve as accompaniment for the melody:

I know this isn’t the traditional “Miss Mary Mack” tune, but I found it to be a little more melodic (especially important since it’s sung over and over again) than the hand clapping version. No matter how you sing it, this is a great story for kids whether you’re targeting specific learning objectives or just reading it for fun.

Adventures in Music Therapy Internships

I still remember the feeling in my stomach as I headed to St. Louis to begin my internship with Midwest Music Therapy Services.  That same mix of nerves and excitement came rushing back today as I embarked on a new adventure: becoming a music therapy internship supervisor.

After months of coordinating, contract writing, and preparation, The Hope Institute is now a university-affiliated internship site for music therapy students at Illinois State University.  Getting to this point was a journey in itself, but now is when the fun really begins.

I’ll be writing about my internship experiences (both as intern and supervisor) frequently over the next nine months, and I’d love to hear about yours, too.  A few questions to consider:

  • What were your greatest challenges?
  • What do you wish you had learned more about during your own internship?
  • What were the most useful aspects?
  • What were your greatest successes or breakthroughs?

It would be interesting to hear the perspective of current interns, long-time professionals, and internship supervisors alike.  I’m going to be answering each of these questions individually, but in the meantime, please share your own thoughts in the comments!

Music Therapy Round Table: Podcast Episode 7

Happy Monday, everyone! If you’re like me, you probably need an extra dose of inspiration and motivation at the beginning of a new work week. In that case, I have the perfect thing: a brand-new episode of the Music Therapy Round Table podcast!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Round Table, it is comprised of myself and two other music therapists, Kimberly Sena Moore and Michelle Erfurt. Each month, we choose a topic related to music therapy and then share our thoughts and opinions for other music therapists (and anyone else who might be interested) to hear.

Episode 7 is available today by visiting the Music Therapy Round Table, or you can find us on iTunes.  This month we’re talking about how we keep up and improve our music skills, and we also share some input from our listeners, which they provided via Twitter and Facebook.  Lots of interesting and innovative ideas — the three of us were so inspired that by the end of the episode, we were ready to go play or sing!

Our podcast is the perfect lunch date, workout partner, and companion for commuting.  So go check it out, and hopefully it will inspire you just as much as it did us.

Back to School!

It’s that time of year: many students are returning to school, and so am I. After a nice long summer break, I’m heading back to The Hope Institute for my 4th (!) school year as a music therapist. It’s going to be an exciting one — I’ll be supervising my first-ever music therapy intern. Up until now, my department has been a one-woman show, so it will be nice to finally have some company!

In honor of the new academic year, I’d like to share some school-related songs. These can all be downloaded from my studio album, Time to Sing Hello, which debuted earlier this summer.  The first is all about getting there…on the bus, of course!

My favorite thing about going back to school (both when I was a student and now as an employee) is seeing old friends and making new ones. Socializing is a goal area that I address often with my students, so this song comes in handy:

I’m on a tight schedule during the school day! I have classes to see, meetings to attend, and planning to do, which means I need to keep a close eye on the clock. Many kids are learning how to read the clock for themselves, which is exactly why I wrote the next tune:

There’s one thing that must be done before it’s time to say goodbye and head home for the day, and that is cleaning up. Almost everyone knows the old “Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere” song, but I got tired of that one and came up with my own:

Check out the rest of my school-friendly tunes here. For those of you who are getting back into the swing of the school year, good luck!  It can be a stressful time, but it can also be lots of fun.

A Drum Song for Seth

Paddle Drum

Seth loved drums. It didn’t matter what kind – if he could use a mallet or his hand to make a big sound, he was a happy camper.  What Seth didn’t love was following his music therapy schedule and completing his work.  On the rare occasion that he did finish a task, he was rewarded with the chance to play a drum.  His face would light up and he would say “Boom, boom!” as he played, which is what gave me the idea for a song that would serve two purposes.

All this time, I had been using the drum only as a reward.  Why hadn’t I thought to incorporate the drum into Seth’s goal-based interventions?  (The answer to that question: because I was an intern, and I still had a lot to learn.)  One of Seth’s IEP goals was to count to 20, and I was determined for him to achieve it with the help of the drum.  At that point in my young career, I hadn’t written many songs of my own.  But this one worked, so I still use it today.

Boom, boom!
We can count to twenty.
Let’s start with number one.
Boom, boom!
We can count to twenty,
While we play our drum!

1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8,
9, 10, 11, 12,
13, 14, 15, 16,
17, 18, 19, 20!

I used a paddle drum just like the one pictured above when I sang this song with Seth.  He held the mallet, and I held the drum up only when it was his turn to play (during the “Boom, boom!” lines and as he counted).  Not only did Seth achieve his goal, but he wanted to count even higher so that he had more chances to play the drum!

This song took the work out of counting, just as music so often does for tasks that might otherwise be mundane or frustrating for children.  The key is figuring out the motivating factor.  I may have helped teach Seth to count to 20, but I owe Seth big time for teaching me this important lesson.