Black Cat

by | Listen & Learn Music

During a recent music therapy session, a student’s mom mentioned that her daughter does well with “echo” songs (she used the “Mahna Mahna” song as an example, and even played a video of my student singing it with her sister).

I did some googling to find a few echo songs we could use in our sessions, and came across “The Other Day I Met a Bear” — that old camp song just about everyone knows. But after taking a look at the lyrics, I wasn’t crazy about them and decided to use the song as a basis for my own echo song.

Since Halloween is just around the corner, I traded a bear for a black cat and went from there. It’s a short, simple song with basic lyrics and an easy-to-sing melody: perfect for addressing the objectives of repeating after me and singing with me.

The Dolphin Song

by | Listen & Learn Music

I’m doing a little happy dance as I type this post, because I finally have a new song to share after a several months long songwriting hiatus. I can’t tell you how good it felt to go through the process of writing, recording, and most importantly, using this song in a music therapy session.

The Dolphin Song was written specifically for a student who is quite fond of these sweet mammals, though it could be easily adapted to feature any sea-dwelling creature. In the song, I pose the questions “where is the dolphin swimming to?” and “who is the dolphin swimming to?” because my student is working on answering “wh” questions.

When we sing the song, I use a stuffed dolphin to “swim” to different places and people, and then I ask my student to answer the questions posed in the song. There’s room for lots of creativity and endless verses, though in my version, I only included a few and left two blank for the listener to fill in.

The Body Song

by | Resources & Tips

I’m currently on maternity leave, and some of my colleagues have been kind enough to share their expertise through guest posts throughout the summer. The following comes to you from Michelle Erfurt, MT-BC.

This is the “Body Song” from Psalty’s Singing Song Book. Just like the name implies, the song talks about the purpose of a few body parts… the eyes, brain, heart, arms and ears. In this video, I share the song and an activity tip.

Listen to the recorded version here.

Michelle Erfurt

Michelle holds a B.S. in Music Therapy from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania as well as nationally recognized Board Certification. Michelle has also completed specialized trainings in Neurologic Music Therapy and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Music Therapy. She currently provides music therapy clinical services at Treasure Coast Hospice. Michelle also serves as the Membership Committee Chairperson and Student Advisor for the South Eastern Regional chapter of the American Music Therapy Association. Michelle also shares her tips for other music therapists through her blog, Music Therapy Tween.

 
 

Another Beautiful Day

by | Resources & Tips

I’m currently on maternity leave, and some of my colleagues have been kind enough to share their expertise through guest posts throughout the summer. The following comes to you from Wade Richards, LCAT, MT-BC.

“Another Beautiful Day” was a song improvisation I created for one of my groups consisting of young adults with special needs. It was just after lunch, everyone was trying to keep cool in the air conditioning, while the weather outside was sunny and hot. I noticed that some students seemed to have that “I have a headache” kind of look going on. You know, not as perky as usual, squinty eyes, hands over ears, insisting on putting their sunglasses on, or heads down on the lunch table.

I decided to lower the sensory bar a bit, so as the students came into the group, I turned off the lights (only letting in the lights from the window, and doorways to come through), picked up a frame drum, and decided we would work on a chant where each student would add in their own phrase about what they like to do outside when it’s a nice day. This was a great way to work on expressive language skills.

Throughout the song I encouraged participation by singing vowel sounds, taking breaths, and incorporating some tension/relaxation exercises. Each person was given a turn to play the drum softly and sing their line about what they like to do outside. After going around to 3 people, I would ask the group questions about what each person liked to do. This was a great way to bring attention and focus to each person in the group during the experience, and also work on memory skills. Using a simple drum pattern to accompany the voice is a great way to chill out on a hot day.

Another Beautiful Day

Another beautiful day.
Another beautiful day.
Let’s go outside and swing on the swing.
Let’s go outside and swing on the swing.

Another beautiful day.
Another beautiful day.
Let’s go outside and walk through the park.
Let’s go outside and walk through the park.

Another beautiful day.
Another beautiful day.
Let’s go outside and swim in the pool.
Let’s go outside and swim in the pool.

Another beautiful day.
Another beautiful day.
Let’s go outside and play in the backyard.
Let’s go outside and play in the backyard.

Another beautiful day.
Another beautiful day.

Wade created “What a Rainy Day” as a follow up experience to “Another Beautiful Day”. Members of Listen & Learn Plus! can read on to hear the song and find out how it can be used to address expressive language skills.

Wade Richards, LCAT, MT-BC received his Bachelor of Science degree in music therapy and applied voice from S.U.N.Y at Fredonia. He completed his internship at the Broome-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) in Binghamton, New York. He has been providing music therapy services in the Greater Rochester, New York area for close to 20 years.

Wade has served as Chair of the Music Therapy Department and Orff-Schulwerk Department at the Hochstein School of Music & Dance, and Program Director of the Trinity Assistance Corporation Blue Ridge Music Therapy Center. Currently, he is an instructor in the Music Education Department at the Eastman School of Music. Wade has pursued additional training in Orff-Schulwerk, Neurologic Music Therapy, and Performance Wellness.

Sensational Ideas for Working With Children With Autism (Part 1)

by | Resources & Tips

I’m currently on maternity leave, and many of my colleagues have been kind enough to share their expertise via guest posts throughout the summer. The following comes to you from Amy Kalas, MM, MT-BC.

Child on therapy ball

I am constantly on the lookout for ways to improve my skills as a music therapist, aren’t you?

I find it fun and motivating to discover more and more effective ideas for engaging children in music therapy and connecting with them through music.

The children I work with at both my full-time job at UCP’s Early Beginnings Academy and in my private practice, Wholesome Harmonies, are primarily diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

One of the main things that enhanced my work with these children is co-treating with occupational therapists who specialize in sensory integration. Through these co-treatments, I began to learn about the unique sensory needs of children with ASD and brainstorm how I can address those needs in a therapeutic music experience.

In a session where I have children who are “sensory-seeking” (those are the ones jumping and crashing into things, seeking sensory input), I always ‘start with sensory.’I’ve found that if I “feed” that sensory need by providing the children with a sensory integration experience such as jumping on the trampoline or bouncing on the therapy ball, they are better able to attend to and engage in the subsequent music therapy activities.

Here is a video showcasing an example of one sensory integration experience I use in my sessions with children with ASD:

In this video, the children are receiving proprioceptive and vestibular input by bouncing on a therapy ball, while the music is organizing the whole experience. The lyrics cue the children to bounce and stop; and the rhythmic beat and tempo tell the children how fast to be bouncing. All these elements work together to create an experience that is appropriate and beneficial to the children.

This activity can be extended by having the children move in different ways on the therapy ball: they could lay on the ball on their stomach and bounce up and down, or they could lay on the ball on their stomach and roll front two back, using their arms and legs to push themselves back and forth (I hear a nice 6/8 accompaniment in my head for this one!)

The ideas are endless…why not meet with an occupational therapist and find out some other ways you can utilize the therapy ball in your music therapy sessions?

This is just Part One of a series I am starting on Music Therapy & Sensory Integration on my blog, Wholesome Harmonies. Want to stay up to date on the next installments? Click here to hop on the list!

Amy Kalas, MM, MT-BCAmy Kalas, MM, MT-BC is a board-certified music therapist with eight years of experience working with children and adolescents with special needs. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy (2005) and Master’s degree in Music Therapy (2010) from University of Miami. Amy has been employed at United Cerebral Palsy of Miami as a music therapist, practicum supervisor, and internship director since 2006. She recently accepted the position of Interim Professor of Music Therapy at University of Miami.

Amy is also the owner of Wholesome Harmonies, LLC, where she provides music therapy services in the Miami area. She is the author of two E-Books: Tuneful Teens: Creative Ideas for Engaging Adolescents in Music Therapy and Sensational Songs & Ideas: Sensory-Based Ideas for Music Therapy. You can visit the website and blog for Wholesome Harmonies at www.WHmusictherapy.com.