Those of us who work with young children know how essential movement is to a successful music therapy session or music class. Although movement is necessary, sometimes when all of the kiddos get up to move, chaos can break out and spread like wildfire!

As a young music therapist, it was hard to manage gross motor movement songs effectively; it always seemed like my clients and students would become dysregulated, run around, and have difficulty following along. As the years go on, I’ve gotten a little bit wiser, and have learned to work smarter and not harder when it comes to movement interventions.

Sometimes I hear a song on the radio, and I think to myself, “Okay, how can I bring this into my music therapy sessions or music classes?” I’m sure that’s what was going through Rachel’s mind when she decided to use this 50-year-old song in her classes and sessions!

Today, I’d like to explain all the ways I’ve been using this song to reach the goals and objectives my clients and students are striving for in music therapy and music enrichment classes.

Although I’m not a huge fan of the weather in February, I am a massive fan of Valentine’s Day! I just love LOVE! The sweet heart-shaped decorations, watching children exchange Valentine’s cards, and getting a lovely bouquet of flowers from my man…I love it all.

Valentine’s Day presents a great opportunity to sing about love, and to discuss other emotions as well. Emotions can be such a challenging topic for many children, but set some memorable lyrics to a catchy melody, and talking about feelings can actually be fun! Read on to learn about two such songs for addressing emotions.

As a child, I spent lots of time with my grandparents, and one of my favorite activities my sister and I would do with them was go ice skating. After ice skating at the cold ice rink, my grandpa would always make us some hot chocolate to warm us up.

I have so many fond memories of my childhood, and when I was scrolling through the L&L catalog and stumbled upon the two songs featured below, I couldn’t help but reminisce about those moments that I will cherish forever. This post is inspired by my childhood memories of winter activities with my grandparents, and I hope these songs inspire you too!

Here in New England, the weather has plummeted to single digits and every few days, a fresh blanket of snow covers the ground. I think it’s safe to say that winter is firmly upon us! For many, the most exciting days of the year have passed and now the doldrums of winter have begun. But once the snow starts to come down, it’s always a nice change of pace to brave the cold and play in the snow!

Of course, I always incorporate winter weather songs into my music therapy sessions and music classes during these snowy months. I like to prepare my clients and students for the upcoming changes they might see during the season, and nothing is more fun than pretending to catch snowflakes on your tongue or rolling a snowball with a bunch of four-year-olds.

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As December goes on, we draw closer to the BIG DAY! The joy is visible on every little face in my music therapy sessions and music classes, and it is so contagious. Between the green Christmas trees, jolly Santa Claus, beautifully wrapped presents, and Christmas music, it’s impossible not to be filled with joy!

It’s always so much fun to incorporate goal-oriented holiday songs this time of year. My clients and students are even more motivated to sing, move, and play instruments when the songs include holiday themes.