I still remember my first early childhood music therapy experience like it was yesterday, even though it was well over a decade ago during graduate school. My practicum client was a 2-year-old girl diagnosed with sensory processing disorder, and it was during our first session together that I knew I would end up working with children.
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As I’m sure you’ve noticed, MANY of my songs revolve around the use of props. They can be such a wonderful tool for addressing motor skills, coordination, group participation, turn-taking, and much more.
This month in my groups and sessions, we’re getting a lot of use out of one such prop: bean bags! A quick Google or Amazon search will show that there are many bean collections from which to choose, but my absolute favorites come from Bear Paw Creek.
(more…)The following is a guest post by Yaniza, a bilingual singer-songwriter based in New York City. Yaniza’s tunes bring joy and sunshine to its listeners through catchy lyrics meshed with acoustic guitar, ukulele, or piano base. Much like her home city, Yaniza’s music is a melting pot of calm, upbeat, and everything in between.
“Fly Away (Free Bird)” is a melodic little reminder for everyone to embrace their inner free spirit. When I wrote the song, I was feeling very stuck in a routine. The only way to get myself out of that rut was to write my feelings into a song!
(more…)Hot chocolate is the #1 most requested treat at my house during the winter months. My kids love the entire process, from helping stir in the chocolate, to adding marshmallows (and sprinkles), and then of course, drinking it.
They were my inspiration for writing this song, and we’ve been singing it nonstop for the last couple of weeks! It has been an instant hit with my students, as well. The repetitive, catchy melody is super singable, and it’s so much fun to pair with shakers as we act out the process of making hot chocolate.
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The following is a guest blog post by Lisa Barnett, a fellow music therapist and songwriter in Michigan. Thank you, Lisa, for sharing your wonderful resources with us!
One of the most versatile instruments in my musical arsenal is definitely rhythm sticks. There are SO many things you can do with rhythm sticks, and SO many goals that can be targeted, too!
Lucky for us, Listen & Learn Music has some great goal-oriented songs designed to be used with rhythm sticks, and included in the collection are songs suitable for the youngest of clients as well as middle schoolers.
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