Friday Fave: Skype

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The first time I Skyped (yes, this is a legitimate verb), it was with some of my family who live in Denver, including my 3-year-old niece and 1-year-old nephew.  It was so much fun; I got to hear Kaitlin sing some songs, and see how big Jacob had gotten since the last time they visited.  And the best part is that it was completely free.  Technology = amazing.

But it wasn’t until recently that I used Skype for professional purposes, and now I’m hooked!  I met two of my good music therapy friends, Kimberly S. Moore and Michelle Erfurt, through the internet, and got to spend time with them in person at the AMTA national conference last November.  While we were in San Diego, we decided to “get together” monthly to bounce ideas off one another and just talk MT.  We had our first Skype meeting in December, and another one last night.  As a result, we’re now working on an exciting project in which Skype will play an important role.

After last night’s meeting with Kimberly and Michelle, I spent some time Skyping with a music therapy student in Georgia who found me by way of Twitter and has since connected with me on Facebook.  (Gotta love social networking.)  Erin writes a blog that recently turned its focus to music therapy, so we had a lot to chat about.

So many aspects of my personal and professional life rely on technology and the internet, which makes me wonder: how did people ever get by without it?!  If you browse through my previous Friday Faves, you’ll notice that many of them are some piece or type of technology, from the iPhone, to Garageband, to my awesome microphone.  We’re living in the digital age, and I’m loving every minute of it!

Currently Covering…

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I found Little Miss Ann by way of iTunes last winter, and immediately fell in love with her song, “Clap For Love” from her CD of the same title.  I try to include at least one fun movement-focused tune in each music therapy session, and this one fits the bill perfectly.  The actions are simple, the language is straightforward and repetitive, and it is easily adapted to include additional or different movements, depending on the student or group with whom I’m working.  Not only do my music therapy students love it, but it has also been a hit with my Church Mice kids, all of whom are typically developing.

In fact, I make sure that all of the songs I write or cover would be appealing to any child, no matter what level of functioning, as well as the adults that accompany them.  If the parents, teachers and other caregivers have to listen to the same song over and over again, they might as well enjoy it…right?


How cute and fun is that?! That is why I think children’s music artists like Little Miss Ann, Justin Roberts, Laurie Berkner, etc. are so popular: they most definitely appeal to their target demographic, but adults like it, too.  And that is what I always strive for with each new tune.  I want to make sure it addresses the targeted goals and objectives properly, and I want it to be universally likable. Hopefully I’m achieving these two goals, at least, most of the time!

Making Friends: A Step-by-Step Song

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One of my favorite things about the holidays was getting to see all my friends who grew up with me in Springfield, but now live far away.  Katie (middle) and I have been friends since we got our identical winter coats mixed up after a show choir performance in the 8th grade.  She was my maid of honor in my wedding, and  she asked me to be hers following her recent engagement.  Jill (right) and I became friends way back in the 5th grade, when we were in a school performance of The Wizard of Oz together.  We were also in each other’s weddings.

These friendships came easily, but for many children, making friends can be a difficult and overwhelming experience.  Most of my students are diagnosed with autism, and social skills are a major area of focus in the classroom and in music therapy.  One of the teachers at my school asked me to write a song about making friends, and why having friends is important.  I kept it basic, using language my students can comprehend, though it can be easily adapted for individual children and social situations.

Step one: wear a smile.
Step two: say hello.
Step three: introduce yourself,
To someone you wanna get to know.
Step four: have a conversation,
Ask a question or two.
Making friends can be so simple,
All you have to do is just be you.

You gotta have friends to make you laugh,
Help you feel better when you are sad.
You gotta have friends to make you smile,
Help you feel calm when you are mad.
You gotta have friends so don’t be shy,
Go out and give it a try,
Anyone would be lucky, ooh-ooh,
To have a friend like you.

REPEAT ALL

I emphasized the importance of “being yourself” because many times, children in general, like adults, try to change certain aspects of themselves – be it their behavior, appearance, mannerisms, etc. – in order to fit in or befriend someone.  Self-esteem is a value that should be encouraged at any given opportunity, and this song is just another one of those opportunities.

This particular tune lends itself to role-playing, either between the student and therapist/teacher/parent or between two or more students.  Work together to establish comfortable conversation starters, appropriate dialogue, and body langauge.  If you were to write a song on this topic, what steps would you add?  If you’ve taught social skills and have any tricks up your sleeve, I’d love to hear about them.

Sunday Singalong: Time to Sing Hello

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You might remember that my New Year’s resolution is to do more of what I’ve already been doing in terms of blogging, projects, and music therapy – to step it up a notch, if you will.  There’s no time like the present to get started, so I’m excited to introduce a new weekly feature here at Listen & Learn Music.

Each week, I will choose a song to sing and play for my “Sunday Singalong” video (which will also be posted on my YouTube channel).  Most of the time it will be one of my own songs, though I am open to sharing covers, as long as it is something I might use in a music therapy session.  I’ll be open to suggestions throughout the week, which you can submit via the comments section of my blog or email.  If I choose the song you suggest, you get a free download of any Listen & Learn album. 

I thought it would be appropriate to feature a hello song as my first “Sunday Singalong” installment, so without further ado, here you go!


What are your thoughts on the new feature?  I’m still a novice at making videos, but I figure this will give me a good excuse to improve my technique.  It will also give me a reason to borrow the Ultra HD Flip Camcorder I gave my mom for Christmas!  So send your feedback my way, and enjoy the last few hours of the weekend.

So Long, 2009!

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I can’t believe that I am writing my last blog post of 2009. Where did the last twelve months go? This year seems to have flown by faster than any previous year, which I’m told happens as you get older. But as quickly as it went, 2009 was a fabulous year, in terms of both my career and personal life. Follow the links to read more about each month’s highlight:

January: One of my students had a breakthrough during music therapy.
February: I passed the joy of the Snowball Microphone on to my readers.
March: My husband and I closed on and moved into our new house.
April: We vacationed in San Diego and returned completely refreshed.
May: A new addition to the family arrived…our golden retriever, Sadie.
June: I turned 26 and got an iPhone, which did wonders for my productivity.
July: I launched my Kickstarter project, a three-month adventure.
August: My music therapy work was featured in a local news piece.
September: Listen & Learn was featured as a “Blog of Note” by Blogger.
October: The Model Me Kids DVD for which I wrote songs debuted.
November: I attended and presented at my first national conference.
December: I was featured in a radiothon for Children’s Miracle Network.

If 2010 is anywhere near as successful as 2009 was, I’m in for a great year. Thank you, everyone, for reading Listen & Learn Music, and for sending your feedback my way. I hope you’ll continue to do so in the new year. And come back tomorrow to hear a song you can sing for the next 365 days, as well as my new year’s resolutions. Cheers!