I am back to working with preschoolers and I am LOVING it! I recently started a new contract, providing group music therapy at Amazing Kids Club Autism Center, part of True North Wellness Services in Hanover, Pennsylvania. I provide weekly group music therapy for the preschool program, and.... I had forgotten how physical it is [...]
I recently participated in the Adams County Library's FunFest. Doesn't the name FunFest just sound like a good time? It really was. FunFest is a free event hosted by the library system that celebrates the kick-off of their summer reading program. Community organizations and businesses host vendor booths with activities for children and information for [...]
One of the things I cherish most is the collection of session videos I have from my time working with children and teens in Miami over the past sixteen years. I've used these music therapy videos, with written permission from the parents and clients, as teaching tools on my website, in presentations, and in my [...]
Two weeks ago, I launched The Attention & Perception E-Course, a course I am exceptionally proud of. It's about 10 years in the making, considering I started filming some of the technique demonstrations while working at United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) Miami back in 2010. I'm thrilled by how many people have joined the course and [...]
Last week, I launched The Attention & Perception E-Course. It was a huge project that took years to finally come together (since it involved filming more than 30 demonstration videos). Throughout the course creation process, I was knee-deep in attention and perception techniques. I spent time looking through old files and session plans to remember [...]
In August, my girls and I made a long trek from Miami up to Maryland. Our plan? To stay in Pennsylvania and Maryland for a few months to get away during hurricane season and avoid any kind of evacuation-during-a-pandemic situation. It has really been wonderful getting to experience Fall again. Twenty years living in South [...]
Tomorrow, Friday, September 11th I'll be Zooming in to offer brand new VIRTUAL Rockin' & Readin' sessions for the Miami-Dade Public Library System. Typically, the music therapists on my team and I travel to library branches across the county to offer our program. Now, we're able to offer these sessions virtually, so "virtually" anyone can [...]
Regardless of whether your clients are doing homeschooling, distance learning, or in-person learning, we can all agree that this school year is going to look different than what we're used to. While sitting outside in the backyard watching my girls play and thinking about this, a song about this topic just came to me. [...]
I don't have to tell you that last week our world was turned completely upside down. My business stopped all in-person services and moved as many clients and students as we could to virtual sessions and lessons. Definitely NOT what we had expected or planned for. But, music therapists are by nature creative, innovative, flexible, [...]
Last week, I started a two-part mini-series on the importance of transitions when working with children. Quick refresher: 1) Transitions help children know an activity is ending; 2) They help recap and review; 3) They let children know another activity will be starting; 4) Transitions help reduce challenging behaviors; and 5) They help children feel [...]
