I used to come into the classrooms at UCP’s Early Beginnings Academy and I talk a LOT.

“Okay everyone let’s sit down in the circle.”

“Oh you have new shoes – awesome!”

“Ok everyone sit down. Stop pulling her hair. Don’t pick your nose. Come on let’s all sit down!”

This year, I am making a concerted effort to use less spoken directions and more sung directions.

Why? It’s different. It gets the children’s attention. It’s simple, it’s organized, and it’s rhythmic.

“Criss Cross Applesauce” is a song I came up with on the spot for those times when the children’s legs are wiggling in the middle of the circle and they should be “criss-crossed.”

That’s me drumming the guitar! I’ll use the rhythm to organize the children OR I will pat my knees to demonstrate how their legs should be crossed, and usually the children start patting along with me.

The results are noticeable – when I use sung or rhythmically spoken directions, the children seem to stop what they’re doing more quickly, shift their attention to what’s going on in music therapy, and follow the directions to criss cross their legs. Magic? Nope, it’s music!

Now I want to hear from YOU! Do you use sung or spoken directions when working with young children?

Image courtesy of [Stuart Miles] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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In addition to this life changing event, I also had another two articles come out that highlight music therapy. Back in March, I shared about two stories that ran in the Miami Herald and the Miami Hurricane (University of Miami’s newspaper). Today, I’ll share another two stories!

The first article I wrote for Directions Magazine, a publication written specifically for parents of children with special needs. Click on the magazine picture below and scroll to page 10 to read the article I wrote called Exploring Music Therapy for Children and Adolescents with Special Needs:

I hope you enjoyed these articles from my neck of the woods!

The post It Takes Two….Again! appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.