Advocacy I find it quite appropriate that advocacy is the first word of this series, as I think it is one of the most important and first steps that a music therapist should take. Through advocacy, our profession gains recognition,

Have you been doing any virtual music therapy sessions? I’ve been doing virtual adapted lessons, but just had my first virtual music therapy session with a group of teens last week. I have to tell you – it was so good to see those faces on Zoom. I am really missing everyone, especially because we […]

Winter in Miami is palm trees, 75 degree weather and tank tops. It’s pretty blissful. But I have to admit I get a little envious when I see people on Facebook posting their pictures of the snow falling at night lit up by the street lights or kids playing outside in the snow. Because we don’t […]

Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham is helping travelers get their minds back on island time with complimentary music therapy.

We believe music therapy can empower clients to overcome barriers and live their best, most fulfilled lives!

Music therapy goals for a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) in special education support students with autism and other special needs.

Music therapy goals for a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) in special education support students with autism and other special needs.

Our experience with the Therapeutic Listening Program for autism and sensory processing disorder - the pros and cons, skills gained, and lessons learned!

Let's Make Session Planning A Breeze

ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – One man’s trash could be another man’s treasure. Anderson Music Therapy is holding an athletic shoe drive fundraiser to raise money for people with special needs who are in need of music therapy services but can’t afford them. “I don’t want my families to not be able to get services because […]

Continue reading to learn my top 10 songs to use to practice gross motor skills!

My second graders are prepping do but this week, with just getting back from Winter Break, we practiced la in addition to doing some aural and kinesthetic prep work for do. I wrote a post about Bounce High a while ago, but I never included the PowerPoint (note: that post has more specifics about the game!!!). The song "Plainsies, Clapsies" works well in the same lesson with "Bounce High, Bounce Low"- they both practice la and they both use bouncing balls so it makes for a nice transition. Here's Bounce High, Bounce Low: For the game, click here. Now, to "walk" through the PowerPoint. There's a lyric slide from which the students sing the song: There's an iconic beat slide, which can be used for the rhythmic preparation of ta & ti-ti. With my kiddos, we pat the beat with "spider fingers" while singing: An iconic rhythm slide for ta & ti-ti preparation. With my kiddos we clap the rhythm (two finger clap, makes it more musical!): There are two slides to practice ta & ti-ti reading, one with stick notation without note heads: And a stick notation with note-heads: Here are the first melodic preparation slides that they read. When we are preparing we will read these slides with body signs: hands on shoulders for mi, hands on head for so and hands in the air, just about the head, for la: When we are in late preparation of la, we read these slides. We are wanting to hone in on that there is a new note, that the new note is higher than both so and mi and that it's just a "little" above so: One these late preparation slides we sing the solfa we know and hum the unknown note. I have the kiddos use the so and mi hand signs and "shrug" on the unknown note: We also read it on the staff, this is a good visual prep for the relationship of la to so- they start to see that la is not in the same "family as so & mi. By this, we talk about so-mi being in the same family in that if so is on a space then mi is in a space and if so is on a line then mi is also on a line. This visual prep gets them thinking about how this note is different). I have it notated in the PowerPoint in two different keys so they can see the "space-line" relationship that I was just talking about: And here are the presentation slides, they are essentially the same as the preparation slides but now la is labeled: Additionally, the practice slides use "real" notes from which the students can read the song. I do NOT teach absolute pitch to my 1st and 2nd graders, we'll get into that in 3rd grade.: Now, the "Plainsies, Clapsies" PowerPoint is set up identically so that it's consistent vocabulary and presentation for the students. ** If we are working on la, we might or might not use the rhythm slides. . . it depends on the needs of the class. Here are examples (snippets) of the "Plainsies, Clapsies" PowerPoint: Lyric slide: Beat slide: Rhythm prep slide: Rhythm practice slides: Prep slides for la: Practice slides for la: These are available in one PDF on my Teacher Pay Teachers store. I'm going to be starting a monthly give away to all the followers on my Teachers Pay Teachers store, so please follow me there. I'm up to 100 followers on this blog, if you're not already following me, please do! I'd love the company! :)

I have been so pleased with my students' progress in my other two Muscle Builder Books (and have gotten great feedback from you readers, as well!), and I am so excited to be offering level 3 of the My Muscle Builder Book, available now in The Teaching Studio Store. (If you haven't had the chance

Impact We believe every child undergoing medical treatment has the right to receive music therapy as an integrated component to their medical care. By funding the medical research that improves treatment outcomes, and providing music therapy during a child’s hospitalization we are redefining the standard of medical care and supporting the whole child in the…

How do you keep your students in line in the music room-- both figuratively and literally? Here are some of my favorite phrases for classroom management!

EFT, known as the Emotional Freedom Technique, is an excellent emotional regulation and stress management tool for kids. It involves tapping on specific points in the body. By tappi…

Over the last two years, Liz has received individual music therapy sessions. She is an incredible human being, who always finds the strength to tackle whatever may be thrown at her. One of her biggest passions in life is advocating for others. She loves being able to tell her story and teach the community that even though she has physical limitations, she doesn't let that stop her from living her best life. During her sessions, Liz is able to express her emotions through song re-creation, as wel

Learn how relaxing music through music therapy is a stress management tool that can help reduce anxiety in kids and anxiety in teens.

Teaching children to answer and understand questions can expand their communication and relieve frustration. With a few simple tips this area can be much easier to tackle in speech therapy than you might think!

Music works in both magical and clinically substantiated ways in communities with rich musical traditions that span bluegrass, country, gospel, and more.

When we don't allow ourselves to fully experience sadness (or judge ourselves for it), that bottled-up energy often evolves into anger.

When I had my first son, I began singing to him almost immediately. This seemed natural since I had been singing to him before he was even b

I learned about this wonderful set of CD’s created by music therapist and educator, Margie La Bella, when she submitted them and won a PAL Award. According to her website, “Her CD series Move! Sing! Play Along and Learn! is a collection of original participation-based songs and dances designed to spark the imagination, playfulness, and […]

HGTV’s travel pros survey the latest programs that replenish guests’ mental health.

I did a super simple partner composition activity with my grade 2 and 3 students and by just spontaneously calling it a "secret handshake" rather than a body percussion composition, the kids were sooooooooo excited! It also led to some very interesting and creative compositions. Step 1: In pairs, students write an 8 beat rhythm pattern (two measures) using ta, ta-a, ti-ti, rest, and/or ti-ka-ti-ka. Step 2: Students decide on body percussion together that matches the rhythm pattern that they wrote. When demonstrating this, show different ways partners can connect. When students are composing their body percussion, watch for a group that clearly shows their rhythm and have them demonstrate for the class. Step 3: Have pairs perform their compositions for the class, having the rest of the students demonstrate their audience behaviour skills! Possible Extensions: Have students write out their compositions with graphic notation. Have pairs teach another group their handshake. It sounds simple, and maybe you already do something like this, but the kids loved it! I will forever be using the term "secret handshake" for this activity!

The APDA Missouri Chapter works tirelessly every day to support and empower those in our community who are impacted by Parkinson's disease (PD). We promote hope and optimism through innovative services, programs, education, and support, while also funding vital research. We are here to help you and your loved ones every step of the way.

The weather was so beautiful that we just couldn't stay inside! After my students had performance class indoors on the real piano, we took the digital piano outside for some fun interval activities! Several years ago, I drew a large piano keyboard onto a bed sheet. Today, I spread it out over the front walk. I marked off a C major scale on the sheet by placing green index cards on each note of the scale. I stood one student on C and instructed another to stand a 2nd higher, then we did the same to demonstrate a 3rd, a 4th, and so on. As we did this, we sang the intervals 1-2-1, 1-3-1, 1-4-1, etc. I'm big on singing! In order to recognize an interval aurally, students need to be able to audiate it - to hear it in their head without having it played first. Singing helps. After reviewing the basics, we learned that intervals can have "flavors." Since this was an introduction to this concept for all of my students, I limited today's lesson to major, perfect, and minor. We placed cards on the notes of a D Major scale (one everybody knew and one which would fit on my short keyboard) and sang through the major and perfect intervals again. (Hey, intervals can use black keys!) They learned that intervals are major or perfect when they stay within the key signature of the lower note. Then, we changed the major third from D to F# to a minor one - D to F-natural. We learned that if we make a major interval a half-step smaller, it becomes minor. We did this with all of the major intervals, making major 2nds, 6ths, and 7ths minor and singing them in major and minor to show the difference. The success of this activity was heavily dependent on students' understanding of half and whole steps and their solid knowledge of at least a few key signatures and corresponding scales. We had done many, many activities with those concepts prior to today. As a younger teacher, I made the mistake of thinking I could just mention a few times what a half or whole step was and that students would remember. Some do, but I've discovered that most of them need LOTS of opportunities to apply that knowledge and reinforce their understanding before there's a foundation firm enough to build on. Next, I had them pair off, and each group drew a card from a stack of index cards on which I had written instructions. For my two really young ones, the instructions simply gave numerical intervals - 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc. They were instructed to always make their first note C so that the intervals would all come out major or perfect. For all the others, the instructions indicated "D and up a minor 3rd," or "F and up a perfect 4th" or something similar. (No diminished or augmented intervals.) The pair had to place cards on the big keyboard to show the interval, explain their answer, and then play it on the digital piano. Everyone did very well! I had also intended to have the students place magnets on my magnetic staff board to show the intervals in notation, but we were having so much fun with the bed sheet keyboard and our singing that I forgot! I'll have to be sure and follow up next week by emphasizing intervals on the staff in our lessons. Afterwards, we did some ear-training drills. I played intervals and they called out the answers. I was impressed at how well everyone did! We all enjoyed our outdoor interval class!

Our mom blogger's son is enrolled in music therapy and she loves it. Here are the reason why music therapy works for her school age son with special needs.

As an art therapist, it's my mission to help people understand what art therapy is and what it is not. I'm lucky to be passionate about my work. It's not just a nine to five day job for me. I find art therapy to be an amazingly powerful option for anyone and everyone. Not only can the art therapy process be healing...

Organized Chaos: helping music teachers embrace the chaos of creativity through purposeful organization and simple ideas!

Teaching music with fun, tried & tested lessons, DIY classroom projects & ideas your students will love with Tracy King, the Bulletin Board Lady.

Materials: - White Drawing Paper - Tracing Paper - Pencils - Erasers - Extra Fine Point Sharpie - Skinny Markers (optional) - Ink for...