I'm gonna cut to the chase. Session planning for my teen groups used to stress me out big time. I stressed out because I was missing a big piece of the puzzle. I was planning a session around what I thought was cool and what I thought the teens wanted to do. Because of this, I [...]
Recently, I've fallen in love with my business. Sounds strange, I know. Don't get me wrong, though, we've had our share of rough patches, but right now things are pretty darn good. Let me explain. I used to work a "9-5." Most of my friends work a 9-5. There are lots of perks to working a 9-5. [...]
Did you grab your FREEBIES yet? I'm talking about the Rap Track MP3 & PDF of the Friendship Rap that you can use in your sessions with elementary or middle school students, or with teens. I love sharing the new ideas that I come up with and test out in my sessions. What I love [...]
I always look forward to Mondays. On Mondays I have a full day of sessions and lessons, ranging from mommy & me groups with babies and toddlers to adapted guitar lessons with teens on the autism spectrum. I also facilitate a music therapy group called Sing, Speak & Socialize. This group is specifically designed for children on [...]
I'll admit firsthand that I've been a little hesitant to incorporate improvisation into my sessions. I never knew quite where to start or how to musically support my clients. Also, my clients (who are mostly on the autism spectrum) need a lot of structure, so I didn't know how they would handle the "musical freedom," [...]
On Monday, I did something that I've never done before. I forgot my entire bag of instruments and props. All of it. Maracas, bells, scarves, stretchy band, letter cards, books, microphones, animal pictures, bubbles, kazoos, and a drum. Yep. In my private practice, I have a variety of music therapy sessions scheduled on Mondays with [...]
Happy new year! This holiday season has truly been wonderful. It was full of family, friends, cooking, traveling, and music - all the things I love and cherish. With the holiday season coming to a close and the new year unfolding before me, I wanted to be sure to take time to start the year right [...]
Happy Holiday season! I'm so happy to be writing this post with the lights from our Christmas tree twinkling next to me. While brainstorming new ideas for my sessions with young children, I came up with this simple little song about Santa. It's an echo song and the melody is repetitive, so kids will be [...]
I intended to write this blog post last week (ie. before Thanksgiving), but sometimes when you're working from home with a 1 1/2 year old, things don't always go as planned, am I right? So here we are a few days post-Turkey day and I want to share some of the songs and musical experiences I've [...]
Last week on the blog, I shared my favorite movement song to use in my sessions with babies. That inspired me to want to share with you today some of the key components I include in my music therapy sessions with babies and their caregivers. 1. The first, of course, is movement! Movement is so important [...]
