Back to School!

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

It’s that time of year: many students are returning to school, and so am I. After a nice long summer break, I’m heading back to The Hope Institute for my 4th (!) school year as a music therapist. It’s going to be an exciting one — I’ll be supervising my first-ever music therapy intern. Up until now, my department has been a one-woman show, so it will be nice to finally have some company!

In honor of the new academic year, I’d like to share some school-related songs. These can all be downloaded from my studio album, Time to Sing Hello, which debuted earlier this summer.  The first is all about getting there…on the bus, of course!

My favorite thing about going back to school (both when I was a student and now as an employee) is seeing old friends and making new ones. Socializing is a goal area that I address often with my students, so this song comes in handy:

I’m on a tight schedule during the school day! I have classes to see, meetings to attend, and planning to do, which means I need to keep a close eye on the clock. Many kids are learning how to read the clock for themselves, which is exactly why I wrote the next tune:

There’s one thing that must be done before it’s time to say goodbye and head home for the day, and that is cleaning up. Almost everyone knows the old “Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere” song, but I got tired of that one and came up with my own:

Check out the rest of my school-friendly tunes here. For those of you who are getting back into the swing of the school year, good luck!  It can be a stressful time, but it can also be lots of fun.

A Drum Song for Seth

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

Paddle Drum

Seth loved drums. It didn’t matter what kind – if he could use a mallet or his hand to make a big sound, he was a happy camper.  What Seth didn’t love was following his music therapy schedule and completing his work.  On the rare occasion that he did finish a task, he was rewarded with the chance to play a drum.  His face would light up and he would say “Boom, boom!” as he played, which is what gave me the idea for a song that would serve two purposes.

All this time, I had been using the drum only as a reward.  Why hadn’t I thought to incorporate the drum into Seth’s goal-based interventions?  (The answer to that question: because I was an intern, and I still had a lot to learn.)  One of Seth’s IEP goals was to count to 20, and I was determined for him to achieve it with the help of the drum.  At that point in my young career, I hadn’t written many songs of my own.  But this one worked, so I still use it today.

Boom, boom!
We can count to twenty.
Let’s start with number one.
Boom, boom!
We can count to twenty,
While we play our drum!

1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8,
9, 10, 11, 12,
13, 14, 15, 16,
17, 18, 19, 20!

I used a paddle drum just like the one pictured above when I sang this song with Seth.  He held the mallet, and I held the drum up only when it was his turn to play (during the “Boom, boom!” lines and as he counted).  Not only did Seth achieve his goal, but he wanted to count even higher so that he had more chances to play the drum!

This song took the work out of counting, just as music so often does for tasks that might otherwise be mundane or frustrating for children.  The key is figuring out the motivating factor.  I may have helped teach Seth to count to 20, but I owe Seth big time for teaching me this important lesson.

Saying Goodbye with Peace & Love

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With school starting a week from today, you’d think I’d have “hello” songs on the brain. But yesterday, out of the blue, I was hit with the memory of a song from my high school years. Blessid Union of Souls was a popular band back then, and I listened to their self-titled album nonstop.

My favorite track was Peace and Love, and when it came to mind yesterday, I realized it would make a great “goodbye” song. I’m thinking “goodbye” in more of a long-term sense; perhaps I might sing it at a final music therapy session (prior to termination of service) or even a graduation ceremony.

May every star you wish upon
And every hope you’re hangin’ on come true
Out of everybody in the world
There’s no one who deserves it more than you
I hope you find
Everything you’ve been dreamin’ of
Only good things
No in betweens just
Peace and love

These words did not come easily
Still you know I had to write them down
You must know what you mean to me
I wish that you could always be around
I hope you find
Everything you are worthy of
I’m gonna miss you
But I only wish you
Peace and love

Peace and love
Tears of joy
Kindness of strangers
All of your roads
Paved in gold
By guardian angels
Wherever you may be in this world
My salutation says it all
May you always have enough
Peace and love

I let you go unselfishly
Cause everyone needs time to be alone
Well maybe time will bring you back
And if it does you’ll always have a home
I sign my name
No one to blame it on because
I’m on your side
No question of pride

Peace and love
Tears of joy
Kindness of strangers
All of your roads
Paved in gold
By guardian angels
Wherever you may be in this world
My salutation says it all
May you always have enough
Peace and Love

I use the chords provided here (incidentally, Ultimate Guitar is where I find almost all of the chords and tabs for cover songs I perform).  I’d love to hear how you might apply this song to your music therapy practice or otherwise.  Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Kids With Cats: This Song is For You

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized


Writing a song about dogs came quite naturally to me, since I’m a dog owner and have always considered myself to be a “dog person”.  But I have nothing against cats (that’s my mom’s cat, Izzy, in the picture) and since many of you let me know that you’d like a feline version of the song, I was happy to oblige!

C – A – T, my C – A – T,
My cat’s a part of my family.
She has such soft and pretty fur,
I love to hear her meow and purr.
C – A – T, my C – A – T,
My cat’s a part of my family.

People ask me questions, like
“What’s your cat’s name?”
And this is what I say: __________
They also want to know,
“What kind of cat do you have?”
So I answer in this way: __________

C – A – T, my C – A – T,
My cat’s a part of my family.
I give her water, food, and toys,
Luckily, she doesn’t make much noise.
C – A – T, my C – A – T,
My cat’s a part of my family.

People ask me questions, like
“How old is your cat?”
And this is what I say: __________
They also want to know,
“Can I pet your cat?”
So I answer in this way: __________

C – A – T, my C – A – T,
My cat’s a part of my family.
She likes to chase her toy mouse,
‘Round and ‘round and ‘round the house.
C – A – T, my C – A – T,
My cat’s a part of my family.

I used Izzy as an example in this version, but just as was offered when I posted “My D-O-G”, I’ll record a special version for your family’s cat if this is a song your child might enjoy.  All you have to do is send me an email, and be sure to include your answers to the questions asked in the song!

A Sweet Singable Story

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Goodnight Sweet Butterflies Children's Book

Last month’s inaugural Singable Story garnered quite a few comments and requests for more singable story ideas, so I’m excited to be back with another one today.  Good Night, Sweet Butterflies, written by Dawn Bentley, combines sensory input through touch (the butterflies on each page are 3-D and glittery, no less), sight (bright colors spill off of every page) and sound (well, assuming it is read or sung out loud).

I recorded this singable story for one of my music therapy groups yesterday, and rather than pre-compose the melody, I improvised the entire thing.  I love that the music is calm and soothing, just like the story itself.

I purchased quite a few new children’s books earlier this summer, all of which lend themselves nicely to being sung. Slowly but surely, I’ll be sharing more of those (plus some oldies but goodies). For now, enjoy this sweet, lullaby-like story and have fun making it your own!