by Rachel | Uncategorized
We’ve caught the spirit BIG TIME in my house, and spread it to all of our friends and family at our annual “Tis the Season” holiday party last night. It’s highly contagious, but in the best possible way ;)
Honestly, though, I’ve been filled with the spirit for a couple of weeks now, thanks to all of my wonderful students coming through the door brimming with excitement about Christmas break and presents and everything else that come along with the holidays.
They inspired me to write this week’s song, which is all about catching the spirit of this time of year, and then spreading it to others. It’s one of those songs that just makes me feel good inside; I hope it puts a smile on your face and some cheer in your heart.
How are you spending this Christmas Eve? After some serious sleeping in and cleaning up after the festivities last night, I’m enjoying a relaxing day at home before dinner, church, and more holiday parties this evening. Have fun, be careful, and Merry Christmas!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
I wrote this song over two weeks ago, but just now got around to recording it after getting sick and then going on vacation. It’s been running through my head all this time, so it feels good to get it out and share it with you.
Christmas is only days away, and yet this is the only holiday song I’ve written so far this year. It has a much different feel than others I’ve written in previous years; it’s more laid-back and sounds a little more grown-up to me. I think that fits with the subject matter, though — this song makes me want to take a stroll through my neighborhood and admire all the lights twinkling at night.
This is my last week with students before the holiday break, so I’m going to be getting as much use out of my holiday repertoire as possible. My original songs and all the traditional standards have been in high demand all month, not that I’m complaining!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Lots of kiddos with autism, including many of my past and present clients, have a hard time expressing how they are feeling both physically and emotionally. Some are non-verbal, while others don’t have the language to adequately explain their feelings. As we know, this can leave them feeling frustrated and even more upset, especially if they need help or are feeling bad.
One of my clients was struggling with this issue, so her mom came up with the idea to compose short, simple songs based on familiar melodies for her range of feelings. The hope was that when my client was feeling a particular way, she could express herself through song rather than words.
The approach to making these songs effective communicative tools involved first introducing them to my client, singing them again and again so she became familiar with them (she picks up songs very quickly). Then, when her behavior obviously reflected a particular feeling or emotion, her family members and teachers would begin singing the corresponding song and prompt my client to sing along.
She has already made some great progress expressing herself through these songs, and hopefully they are useful to others out there. Have you used a similar technique for helping non- or less verbal kiddos express how they are feeling?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
I work a LOT on names with my students. Saying, spelling, and identifying their names are common goals in music therapy, and I have songs for all three. However, I didn’t yet have a song for the latest name-related goal that was recently brought to my attention: identifying and knowing the difference between first and last names.
Up until now, the focus has always been on the first name…but one student in particular has mastered this and is moving on to bigger and better things. So I came up with a no-frills song about the different parts of our names.
Although knowing her middle name is not included in the current goal, I threw it in so that when I use this song with her or another student down the road, the option to include it is there.
I’ll be using “First and Last” mostly in individual music therapy sessions, but it could easily be utilized in a group setting, as well. For more name-related songs, click here and here.
by Rachel | Uncategorized
I really wanted to write another Thanksgiving-themed song this week, but I was feeling a bit stuck. After 4 years of churning them out effortlessly, I realized I was out of fresh ideas. But a little writer’s block never stopped me before; I was bound and determined to celebrate the holiday with one more new tune.
By Saturday, I still hadn’t come up with an idea. Later that night, I was over at my parents’ house having dinner and White Christmas (one of my favorite movies of all time) was on television. As Bing and Rosemary crooned about counting their blessings, I had a thought: what about a song that literally does just that?!
And that’s how Count Your Blessings came to be. Each verse gives an example of some of the blessings in our lives, and then comes the actual counting — by 1, 2, 5, and 10. You know I love a good multifunctional song, and this one definitely falls into that category.
I envision this song serving as a great conversation starter about the things in our lives for which we are thankful, although you could also just focus on the counting aspect. Another thought I had was having students draw pictures of their “blessings” to be counted, especially if they are just beginning to grasp the concept of counting by multiples.
As we get down to the wire, don’t forget about all the other Thanksgiving-themed tunes available to you. You can find my collection here, and there is still time to use discount code “givethanks12” to receive 20% off The 10 Days of Thanksgiving.
