Friday Fave: Remo Hand Drums

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Remo Hand Drums

Last summer, I received an email notifying me that a former student’s family had donated $2,000 to my music therapy program at The Hope Institute.  Needless to say, I couldn’t wait for school to start so that I could take inventory of our current instrument collection and decide what to add to it.

Rainsticks, jingle bells, tambourines, cabasas, and a Q-Chord were immediately added to the list, as were all 5 Garageband Jam Packs.  And then, a few months later and with a little over $1,000 of the donation remaining, my music therapy intern suggested that we order some new hand drums.

I took the drums with me to classrooms for the first time this week, and they definitely did not go unnoticed.  Students and co-workers oohed and aahed when they spied them on my cart in the hallway, and it was apparent that the drums had quickly replaced the shaky fruit as their instrument of choice.

Karen (my intern) and I are using these drums to address all kinds of objectives, including the concepts of slow/fast, soft/loud, counting, 1:1 correspondence, imitation, and more.  But I don’t consider myself a drumming expert at all, so for those of you who are, what are some cool ways I can incorporate these drums into my music therapy sessions? (I’m looking at you, Kat Fulton!)

 

All Keyed Up!

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NFMC Piano Festival

It’s that time of year again…my chapter of the National Federation of Music Clubs’ Junior Festival!  As a member, I have the opportunity to invite my students to participate; I’m super excited for the 9 who will be playing in the piano solo category on Sunday.  I kept the group small this year being a relative newcomer (this is only my 2nd year as a member), but I plan to enter most of my students in 2012.

Last year was a learning experience for both my students and I — in fact, I’m pretty sure that I was more nervous than they were.  (For the record, each of them received a superior rating.)  But now that I know what to expect, I’m looking forward to two weekends full of beautiful piano playing.  I have the best job as auditor, since my work happens after each performance.

My studio has been Festival-focused since October, and we are all ready to move on to new music.  But all of the hard work will be 100% worth it when I have lots of new pictures on the bulletin board of my students holding their certificates and wearing big smiles on their faces :)

Why Playing Music is Like Housecleaning

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Why Playing Music is Like Housecleaning

I made this unexpected connection in the middle of teaching a piano lesson last week, and my nine-year-old student looked at me like I was nuts.

Honestly, though, I couldn’t blame him. I was surprised to hear the comparison come out of my mouth, but as I started to explain what I meant, it made perfect sense to both him and myself.

When you learn a song on the piano, or any instrument for that matter, the first order of business is getting the notes right. But so many of my students think that once they’ve got the notes down, their work is done. Really, though, that is just the beginning. Kind of like how picking up the clutter on the floor, counters, and tables is just the beginning of cleaning a house.

Next comes tempo and dynamics. That means going through the piece and looking for markings like crescendos, diminuendos, ritardandos, and other directions (not just playing it however you feel like playing it, another common misconception among my students). The housecleaning equivalent? Looking at which major areas need attention, like the kitchen floor or the bathroom. Of course, you want your whole house to be clean, but you’ll need to spend some extra time working on these particular areas.

Now the piece is really starting to come together, and our house is starting to look presentable, too. But we’re not quite ready for the recital or Superbowl party yet. It’s time to go through with a fine-tooth comb: that measure is being played legato but need to be stacatto, the pedal should be held down one measure earlier, play those sixteenth notes more evenly, and so on. As for the house, the end tables need to be dusted, the baseboards need to be wiped down, and the mirror could use some Windex.

But once we’ve addressed all of those issues, we’re left with a beautiful piece of music and a beautiful home. Attending not just to the big picture, but also to the small details, have made both shine. Had we stopped with learning the notes and picking up the clutter, our final product wouldn’t have been nearly as impressive.

So as my students prepare to play in the Illinois Federation of Music Clubs’ Junior Festival next month, I think I’ll share this comparison with all of them. And it doesn’t hurt to hear it a few times myself…especially when I’m having guests over to my house :)

Jumping for Joy

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Jumping for Joy During Music Therapy

Sometimes I wonder if I’m really making a difference.  That question ran through my head just last night, in the middle of a music therapy session.  I’ve been working with this particular child since she was 4 months old; she’ll turn 4 years old in May.  She’s making big strides, but how much of that progress can be attributed to music therapy?

Towards the end of the session, I decided that we needed to get up and move a little.  I could see that she had energy to burn, and I wanted her to use it productively.  So I sang the following song, which I adapted from the wonderful Cathy Bollinger:

I’ve got a wiggle wiggle wiggle in my feet
And I wiggle wiggle wiggle to the beat
I’ve got a wiggle in my toes, a wiggle in my knees
And when the music stops everyone freeze!

I’ve got a march march march in my feet
And I march march march to the beat
I’ve got a march in my toes, a march in my knees
And when the music stops everyone freeze!

I’ve got a jump jump jump in my feet
And I jump jump jump to the beat
I’ve got a jump in my toes, a jump in my knees
And when the music stops everyone freeze!

I’ve got a tiptoe tiptoe in my feet
And I tiptoe tiptoe to the beat
I’ve got a tiptoe in my toes, a tiptoe in my knees
And when the music stops everyone freeze!

I’ve got a tap tap tap in my feet
and I tap tap tap to the beat
I’ve got a tap in my toes, a tap in my knees
And when the music stops everyone freeze!

I’ve got a hop hop hop in my feet
And I hop hop hop to the beat
I’ve got a hop in my toes, a hop in my knees
And when the music stops everyone freeze!

My student’s big sister was participating in the session, so both girls danced, jumped and marched (and played the nearby tubano drum, which wasn’t part of the song but added a nice beat!) while I sang and modeled the movement.

After the song ended, my student motioned for her mom to bring my music stand over to our rug. (For some reason, my little ones really enjoy standing in front of it while they sing.) As I strummed my guitar and sang the goodbye song, she sang right along with me, pronouncing the words as best as she could.

After she had taken “goodbye” off of the schedule and chased after her sister into the hallway, her mom turned to me — and that’s when I realized she had tears in her eyes.

She told me that today was the first time she’d ever seen her daughter jump, which surprised me immensely, considering she’d made it look so effortless. She also told me that the way she sang the goodbye song was leaps and bounds above her usual level of word pronunciation, not to mention the length of time for which she sang. And then she told me that it was all because of music therapy.

So much for those doubtful thoughts I’d been experiencing just minutes earlier. If my next student hadn’t already been waiting for me in the next room, I might have run outside and jumped for joy myself!

Friday Fave: Back in the Saddle

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Jake & Rachel Being Silly During Piano

There’s no better way to start the first week back to work after a long vacation than with a student who can barely contain his excitement at the sight of you :)  “Miss Rachel!  Miss Rachel!”  Jake exclaimed as he sprinted to the front door of my studio with his piano books in hand.

(Jake recently graduated to the next level, so after we took his picture for the studio bulletin board, we took some silly shots…including the one above, which I artsied up a bit.)

I’m a person who appreciates routine, so it felt good to slip back into the one I’m so used to — as hectic and exhausting as it might be!    Of course, it took a little more adjustment for many of my students, but I think after almost a full week, we’ve all found our groove.

And this morning, as I slid through the snow all the way to work, I mentally took stock of the first 7 days of 2011, which have included:

  • Writing at least one blog post per day (one of my goals for the year!)
  • Welcoming several new members to Listen & Learn Plus
  • Introducing countless new songs and interventions to my music therapy students
  • Penning my first custom song of 2011
  • Adding several new students to my studio waiting list
  • Recording episode 12 of the Music Therapy Round Table (it will be out soon!)
  • Preparing for a big presentation, to be given this Tuesday

Yep, I’d say I’m back in saddle, all right.  Although I do have to admit, as wonderful and productive as this week has been, I’m certainly glad it’s Friday!  How was your first week of 2011?