by Rachel | Uncategorized
The timing of this song is a little ironic, since we haven’t had rain here in central Illinois for what seems like weeks now. But I wrote the lyrics a couple of months ago and felt inspired to finish the song over the weekend, so maybe if I sing it a whole lot, we’ll actually get some sprinkles? Wishful thinking, I know ;)
The lyrics came to me in the midst of a huge thunderstorm, during which it thundered so hard my whole house shook. I like a good rain from time to time, so it didn’t bother me, but the storm got me thinking about how bad weather affects people — adults and kids alike.
I wanted to put a positive spin on the weather by acknowledging that it can make us feel blue, but we can look to those we love to make us feel better. This is especially true for little ones who need some comforting during scary storms.
Now, if only I had a reason to share this song with my students. Come on, rain!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Now is a better time than ever to be a music therapist, I tell ya! The blogosphere is chock-full of amazing music therapists who are willing to share their ideas and resources with the rest of us.
Last week I told you about Amy Kalas and her wonderful e-book, Tuneful Teens, and this week I have another great resource to fill you in on. Rachel Smith is a music therapist in Texas who has a private practice, Music Therapy Services of Austin. I’m always impressed by her blog, and am loving her latest series: ABC Music Therapy Ideas.
Each post in this series is based on a letter of the alphabet and related in some way to music therapy. Topics so far have included Advocacy, “B” songs, CMTEs, Drumming, Explore Music Therapy, Facebook, Guitar, Horseback Rider and Hula Hoop, iPad, “Jump in the Line”, Kickstarter, and Loopz. Phew! There’s so much information and so many great ideas for the practicing music therapist, it will definitely take you a while to get through them all.
In addition to her blog series, Rachel also offers musical e-books, inspiration kits, and freebies. This is definitely a site to bookmark and come back to again and again. Thanks, Rachel, for offering such an array of useful tools for the rest of us!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
It didn’t take long for me to learn that as a music therapist working with children who have special needs, one goal area I’d be addressing often is bathroom routines.
Handwashing, teeth brushing, bath taking…those are the easy ones. But toileting is a little more tricky, not to mention a little less fun. However, it’s a goal I’ve been working on with students since my first day on the job, and I’m still at it five years later.
The key to a good “potty” song is that it must be detailed yet tasteful enough so that parents, teachers and others feel comfortable singing it. To the Bathroom I Go is repetitive and the melody is simple, as you’ll hear below.
This is a reworking of the original potty song I wrote years and years ago, and since it’s proven to be effective many times, I didn’t make too many changes. While some of the lyrics may induce a giggle or blush, I think they strike the balance I mentioned earlier.
Plus, it’s a catchy little song that — like it or not — you’ll probably be singing all day long. What are your favorite songs on this unavoidable topic?
by Rachel | Resources & Tips
When I first started out as a new music therapist, the population that intimidated me the post was the tween and teen crowd. I felt very comfortable working with children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, but it took me awhile to feel just as comfortable with the older students.
Even today, it takes more effort to plan a music therapy session for teens than it does for my younger kiddos. They can be just a little harder to engage, not to mention they don’t always think my interventions and activities are “cool” enough!
That’s why I was so excited when my friend and fellow music therapist Amy Kalas launched her e-book, Tuneful Teens: Creative Ideas for Engaging Adolescents in Music Therapy. It is chock full of intervention ideas, song ideas, sheet music, and templates for a variety of activities that are appropriate and engaging for teens.
The book is divided into categories (musical games, instrument jams, social skills, songwriting, move and groove, relaxation) and Amy provides everything you need — step by step procedures, templates, sheet music, etc. — to implement the interventions in your music therapy sessions.
I highly recommend Amy’s book, and also want to give her a shout-out for celebrating the first year of her wonderful blog, Wholesome Harmonies. It has grown leaps and bounds since last year, and I’m excited to watch it continue to do so!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Like so many others, this song was written specifically for one of my music therapy students. She is working on identifying her name from a field of several others, so now we sing Find Your Name at the beginning of each music therapy session.
The visual I use is pictured above, and was super easy to make. I just printed a simple sign I made using Pages, slipped it into a page protector, and then attached Velcro dots to the front and back where you see the name cards. There are also Velcro dots on the other side of each card.
I made several cards so that I can switch them out each week, which makes finding her name just a little bit more challenging for my student. The simple song is short and lets her know exactly what is expected of her.
I have started using this song with quite a few of my other students as well, though for some, a field of 4 is a little too overwhelming. But that’s an easy fix — I just remove 1 or 2 cards as needed, and will gradually increase the field as they start to recognize their names more easily.
What songs, visuals, and other resources do you use to help your students pick their names out of a crowd?
