Happy Thanksgiving Eve!!

Thanksgiving is my new favorite holiday. I do my very best to go about my day in a state of gratitude and thankfulness, so this holiday is a perfect fit for me. (Oh and I LOVE turkey and apple pie! :)

In today’s blog, I want to share one of my favorite original songs to use in my sessions, “Let’s Make Some Music.”

{Click here to read why I am *adamant* about using original songs in my music therapy sessions with children.}

The beauty of using original songs is that I can be flexible and change the song any way I want based on the needs of my client.

I use “Let’s Make Some Music” during instrument jam sessions, but here are some ways I vary the song based on the differing needs of my clients:

  • Direction following ~ I change the lyrics of the song to “It’s time to shake side to side…It’s time to shake up and down…It’s time to shake really…..fast!”
  • Body part identification ~ I change the lyrics of the song to “It’s time to shake on your head….It’s time to shake on your knees…It’s time to shake on your toes!”
  • Motor skills ~ I can choose an instrument that allows my client to practice a certain type of motor skill. For example, I can give the client a jingle stick to work on the fine motor skill of grasping…or the rhythm sticks to work on bilateral coordination…or the drum to facilitate bringing arms to midline.
  • Sustained attention ~ I can extend the song by added extra verses to work on increasing the amount of time my client attends during the intervention.
  • Vocabulary words ~ I can change the lyrics of the song to teach various concepts like fast, slow, loud and soft. For example, “Just shake, shake, shake, shake really loud!”
  • Social skills ~ I can change the lyrics to “It’s time to pass to a friend” to facilitate the clients passing and sharing instruments.

Whew! Those are just a few ideas of how I can take one original song and vary it in a multitude of ways to target my client’s goals.

Want to use “Let’s Make Some Music” in your sessions? Click below to purchase the sheet music for just $1!

Sheet Music & Download

 Happy Thanksgiving!!