School Spirit

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I’ve been blogging for about a month now, but I haven’t talked much about the school where I work, the Hope Institute in Springfield, Illinois. I’ve been fortunate to serve as the music therapist there for the last year and a half, and it has been an extremely eye-opening and gratifying experience.


The Hope Institute is a residential school for children with multiple disabilities. Over 70% of our students have a diagnosis of autism; other diagnoses include Down Syndrome, Tourette Syndrome, severe behavioral disorders, and various cognitive, physical and emotional deficits. Hope has a staff of over 500, including teachers, educational and habilitation specialists, therapists, and administrative officials.

As the only music therapist, I work with each class as well as several students individually. We work on social skills, movement, following directions, interaction, and many other goal areas. I also get to do all sorts of fun “extras” such as leading school singalongs, organizing student performances, and sharing the music of Hope with the community.

Last year I was asked to write a new school song, which the students sang at this year’s pep rally. It was so much fun to write, but what I really love is hearing the kids sing it and showing their school spirit. Here it is:

We are the bulldogs,
We are the bulldogs,
The Hope bulldogs are we.
Mighty and strong,
At the top we belong,
Oh just you wait and see!

We are the bulldogs,
We are the bulldogs,
White and blue and proud,
We do our best,
Stand apart from the rest,
We sing our song out loud!

We are the bulldogs,
We are the bulldogs,
The Hope bulldogs are we.
Mighty and strong,
At the top we belong,
Oh just you wait and see!

Pitter Patter, Pitter Patter

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The sun has finally taken a day off, and it’s been replaced by storm clouds and raindrops. As much as I love sunny days, I am looking forward to singing a different weather song today. “Rainy Day” hasn’t had much airtime since the spring, so it will be fun to dig it back out. Take a listen:

Pitter patter, pitter patter
Down comes the rain today
Clouds are forming in the sky,
Inside we’ll have to stay.

Thunder crashes, boom boom boom!
We see lightning too.
Don’t go outside,
Until the storm is through.

Pitter patter, pitter patter
Down comes the rain today
Clouds are forming in the sky,
Inside we’ll have to stay.

Where Are Your Manners?

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Yesterday it was all about appropriate language…today we’ll continue in that vein with a song about using good manners. Children receive constant reminders to say “hello”, “please”, “thank you”, and “you’re welcome”, so after a while, they can start to tune them out. What better way to teach manners than with a song?

Manners, manners, what are they?
It’s the way you talk, act, and play.
Using friendly words and being nice
Is having good manners, take my advice.

Is crying and screaming the right thing to do?
No, that’s bad manners for me and you.
But smiling and having nice hands and feet
Is having great manners, and being sweet.

Saying please and thank you is great,
So is being patient while you wait.
Following directions and taking your turn
Is having nice manners, you will learn.

So always remember to do these things,
And you will see the smiles it brings.
Use friendly words and be polite,
And your manner will be just right!

Friendly Words

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An issue that comes up frequently when working with children is the use of appropriate language. I wrote this song for a student who had a habit of saying “pee-yew, you stink!” whether the person did or not (and most of the time, luckily, it was the latter). Now we sing this song together, and afterwards, I quiz her on which phrases are appropriate and which are not. After months and months of singing this song together, she has ceased holding her nose and uttering this phrase, and “Friendly Words” is her favorite song. Go figure!

Let’s sing a little song about the words we say
To make people smile every single day.
Friendly words are what we use
So think about the words you choose.

Hi and Hello and How Are You?
Are friendly greeting words through and through
Another friendly thing that you can say
Is “You look very pretty today.”

But if you say “pee-yew, you stink”,
That’s just not so nice, don’t you think.
Gross and yuck and disgusting
Are not friendly words for you and me.

So use nice words and then you’ll see,
It’s so cool to be friendly.
So use nice words and then you’ll see,
It’s so cool to be friendly.

Another Sunny Day

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It’s been a beautiful week here in central Illinois, and actually, with the exception of a few days here and there, the weather has been consistently sunny and warm all month. You know how excited I am about the advent of fall, but I am definitely enjoying these last few summer-like days.

There’s nothing better than a beautiful, sunny Friday, so to celebrate, I’ll share one of my most popular songs: “Sunny Day.” My students absolutely love singing along, especially the part that goes “la la la la la.” I wrote it early last year, and I have to say it is one of my personal favorites. So I hope you like it, too!

Sun-sun-sunny day, lalalalala,
Sun-sun-sunny day, yes sir!
Look outside and what do you see?
The sun is shining down on me.
Sun-sun-sunny day, lalalalala,
Sun-sun-sunny day!

The air is warm, and the sky is blue.
A beautiful day for me and you.

Sun-sun-sunny day, lalalalala,
Sun-sun-sunny day, yes sir!
Look outside and what do you see?
The sun is shining down on me.
Sun-sun-sunny day, lalalalala,
Sun-sun-sunny day!

Singing this song always puts me in a good mood. What songs do the same for you and your child or students?