🥁🪇 Children ages 5-12 of all abilities are welcome, and will rotate through three groups: Music Therapy | Art | Yoga

This is a drop off event. Parents are invited to a session on nurturing creativity with your child, followed by coffee at a local shop to connect with other parents. Co-hosted with my friends and colleagues at Tonality Music Therapy.

Sunday, February 8, 2026 from 1:00-4:00pm at 123 Baltimore Street, Suite 208 in Gettysburg

We cannot wait to come together as a community to make music, move, and create art!

Reach out via our contact form or email Amy@WHmusictherapy.com for more information and to register your child!

The post Kids Creativity in Gettysburg, PA appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

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 to work with preschoolers!

We are up and moving around the room to music, playing instruments under our chairs, using music and movement to learn academic concepts, like you can see in these videos here, and sometimes we’re even inside a drum (check out videos here!)

After working mainly with teens for several years, it’s refreshing to be back to using some “oldie but goodie” original songs I’d written, printing out new visual aids, and of course, getting in some exercise as I keep the students engaged with lots of movement.

If you’re a music therapist looking for creative ideas for working with children with disabilities, check out the entire collection of ideas here for FREE. There are over 100 posts with session ideas, as well as ideas for enhancing your clinical practice!

And if you are looking for virtual or in-home music therapy services around the Gettyburg, Hanover, Littllestown, or Fairfield areas in Pennsylvania for individuals with autism and related disabilities, reach out to me via email or by phone: (305) 349-3680.

The post New Sessions and Service Offerings In Hanover, Pennsylvania appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

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 parents.

My girls were excited about the milkshakes and balloon art, and I was excited to host my very first vendor booth so I could make connections with people in the community.

There’s something about being in Pennsylvania, and more specifically Gettysburg, that makes me want to dive in and be part of a community.

We’ve been here less than a year, and at the event I saw countless people I knew and recognized – librarians, families from my girls’ soccer teams, art therapists I’ve co-treated with.

This year’s theme was Oceans of Possibilities, so all the activities offered at vendor booths were ocean-themed.

I decided to have four activities that demonstrated how music therapy works (and boy was it hard to narrow those down!)

Here were the activities I offered:

Rainbow Hand Bells – Demonstrating how music therapy can improve cognition and academic skills.

Children were instructed to follow a color coded notation sheet and play the corresponding hand bell, and then Name The Tune (which was the ever popular “Baby Shark”). Then, they were encouraged to create their own song on the bells.

Goals: To improve sustained attention, improve color recognition, and increase executive function skills.

Q-Chord Playing & Singing – Demonstrating how music therapy can improve communication skills.

Children were instructed to follow a notation sheet and play the corresponding letters on the Q-chord.

Then, they were encouraged to sing (to the tune of “Wheels on the Bus”): The fish in the sea they swim, swim, swim; swim, swim, swim; swim, swim, swim. The fish in the sea they swim, swim, swim, all day long.

Goals: To increase receptive communication (direction following), increase expressive language, and improve articulation.

Multisensory Beach Basket – Demonstrating how music therapy can provide multisensory stimulation.

Children were instructed to pick up and play the instruments and items in the sensory basket. Items included: plush fish, spiky fish, sea shells, squirt bottle, bubbles, sun screen, and ocean drums.

Then, they were encouraged to sing (to the tune of “Shoo Fly”): What does the shell feel like? What does the shell feel like? What does the shell feel like? Is it rough or is it smooth?

Goals: To provide multisensory stimulation.

Drumming and Ocean Waves with the Parachute – Demonstrating how music therapy can improve motor skills.

Children were instructed to play the drum, then pick up the parachute and make waves as they sing: The ocean waves go up and down, up and down, up and down; the ocean waves go up and down, all day long.

Goals: To improve fine and gross motor skills, improve bilateral coordination, and increase strength and endurance.

I had a continuous stream of families visiting the booth, reading and learning about music therapy, and trying out all the instruments and activities.

What a wonderful way to introduce myself to the community and share about the benefits of music therapy!

If you are interested in music therapy services for your school or program, please reach out to me via our contact form or by email: Amy@WHmusictherapy.com

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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 E-Courses.

They allow me to demonstrate what a technique might look like, so students and other music therapists can see how they might implement it with their own clients.

I continually receive feedback about how helpful these videos are in E-Courses.

Sarah Jarvis, a music therapy intern who took The Attention & Perception E-Course, said: “The edited videos of client interventions seamlessly fit into the instruction videos. It made it so easy to mentally jump from what a therapist can do to use this information and these techniques.”

Ashley Grampp, also a music therapy intern said: “I loved the videos! It allowed me to see everything from the the slides being put into action. Which helps me a lot!”

Julie De Keyzer, MM, MT-BC who took the Autism E-Course I previously offered on Music Therapy Ed, said: “I couldn’t stop watching the videos, I just got so excited. Now I’m going to go back and watch them all again and complete the action steps!!!”

And Kim Beck, MT-BC said: “The videos are awesome – it is so helpful to be able to watch you in action, Amy! I am SO loving the course! I hope that you will do more courses in the future! This course has been fantastic! :)”

Last week, I shined a spotlight on some of the cool attention techniques that participants learn in The Attention & Perception E-Course.

And the week prior to that, some of the cool auditory perception techniques that participants learn in the course.

This week, I’m going to share a small sampling of the 35 videos that course participants get to watch in The Attention & Perception E-Course.

The video demos teach:

How to incorporate your primary instrument (whether it’s the clarinet or the cello!) into your sessions:

How to use specific musical elements to obtain and maintain attention:

Tips and tricks for engaging teens:

And of course technique demonstrations…

…and more technique demonstrations…

…and MORE technique demonstrations!

My formula is: teach the technique, then show a demonstration of the technique.

If this sounds like the way you like to learn, then you’ll be glad to know that the doors for The Attention & Perception E-Course will be opening very soon (later this month). Yay!

Join the waitlist by entering your name and email below, so you don’t miss when the doors for enrollment are open (and close again).

When you join the waitlist, you’ll hear about special discounts and promotions, and how you can access free bonus material.

Plus, you’ll get a Pop Song Rhythms freebie right away, so you can get a sneak peek of the materials you’ll get inside the course.

Over the next few weeks on the blog, I’ll continue to highlight some of the special features of The Attention & Perception E-Course that make it stand out from other continuing education courses.

Carolyn Perkins, a music teacher, had this to say about the course: “Chapter 2 and 3 were extremely informative. I found the section regarding addressing multiple levels of ability very helpful as well as the science background as it applies to perception and retention of information. Very informative and clear information from a real world perspective. Thank you again for such a great course, well organized too. I was telling my husband today that you are a gifted instructor and I think anyone who presents information could benefit from your content.”

More than 350 music therapists, educators, and professionals have taken Wholesome Harmonies E-Courses and successfully put the ideas into use in their sessions and classrooms.

If you’re interested in learning more about the E-Course, be sure to hop on the wait list now!

The post {A&P E-COURSE SPOTLIGHT} Using Videos To Teach appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

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 the excitement I’ve seen around learning the techniques.

Creating this course really helped get the wheels turning and creativity flowing when it came to generating new interventions in this area.

On the blog, I’ve shared many ideas for how to creatively target attention and perception with your clients.

There was A Pirate Creative Listening Experience and Can’t Stop The Feeling Rhythm Pattern Jam.

There were Halloween-Themed Attention & Perception Training Exercises (using The Ghostbusters Theme Song and The Monster Mash!)

And most recently, Using Carnival of the Animals to Target Auditory Perception with Children.

Attention and perception techniques are some of my favorite ones to facilitate: a) because they target fundamental skills that underlie ALL the other goal areas we work on with our clients, and b) because there is so much room for creativity and FUN with these techniques.

With that in mind, I created a few add-on packages for The Attention & Perception E-Course, to give people the opportunity to dive deeper into these topics and earn additional CMTE credits.

One of the add-on packages that I’m making available to anyone (regardless of whether you’ve enrolled in the E-Course or not) is called the Elevate Package.

The Elevate Package is a 6-month Email Idea Subscription with Support.

(Pro Package Purchasers – you already have this! This is the Email Idea Subscription that you’re getting along with the E-Course and Article Review).

Here’s how the Elevate Package works – 

You’ll receive one package of session ideas that target attention and/or perception straight to your inbox at the beginning of each month, for a total of 6 months. The ideas will be in PDF format and include step-by-step instructions, as well as all the information you’ll need to prepare and facilitate the musical experiences. This includes lyrics, MP3s, visuals, musical game templates, or listening guides.

Each month will target a different attention or perception skill and you’ll receive brand new ideas to spark your creativity, such as:

• Pop Song Rhythm Games
• Themed Rhythmic Combos
• Making a Band
• Pop Star Rhythmic Combos
• Listening Guides & Listening Games

With each month’s idea you’ll also receive a Creativity Worksheet that prompts you to plan out goals, objectives, and musical experiences to work on that attention or perception skill with your own unique clients. You’ll also have email access to the Amy, the course instructor to ask any questions regarding topics and techniques related to attention and perception.

You’ll earn 7 CMTEs (pre-approved by CBMT) when you complete and return the Creativity Worksheets.

You can sign up for the Elevate Email Idea Package regardless of whether or not you’ve enrolled in the Attention & Perception E-Course.

You might be feeling like you need a little kick start to your creativity.

Or, like you need some fresh ideas for teletherapy (ALL the ideas that are shared can be used in teletherapy or in person).

Bri Walstra, MT-BC had this to say about the Email Idea Subscription and Support Package for the Tune In To Teens E-Course:

“I thought the email portion was helpful! I actually really like the creativity worksheets because it forces me to sit down and think about the six ways to adapt one intervention. I think as music therapists we often get so busy and we read about intervention ideas but never figure out how we can implement them best.”

You can click here to sign up for the Elevate Email Idea Package.

The post Want To Elevate Your Clinical Practice? appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

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 “oldie but goodie” techniques.

And, I generated brand new ideas to target these processes.

Honestly, it reminded me of how fun and engaging these techniques can be to create and facilitate.

So recently, to keep up the momentum, I came up with a brand new idea to work on developing auditory perception and listening skills with my clients.

I’m using it in my teletherapy sessions with children with autism and other special needs. I wanted to share it here in case it would be beneficial to your clients, regardless of their age.

Here’s what we did:

I introduced the lovely Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns.

I told the clients it was their job to listen to the selected pieces – Kangaroos, Aquarium, Aviary, and The Swan – and tell me the animals they thought each one was portraying and why.

The WHY is key here, because I want them to be listening closely to the piece and paying attention to specific musical elements that make it sound like the animal.

I gave my clients the vocabulary to describe what they were hearing – slow, fast, short, spooky, happy.

Working on these auditory perception skills in music therapy has a direct transfer to the classroom setting and social situations.

This will help them listen to their teachers’ instructions in school or pick up on the emotional tone of what a friend is saying during a conversation.

I’m already planning more creative listening experiences that will help my clients and students develop their auditory perception and listening skills.

Will you be doing the same?

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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 Florida can really make you miss the crisp weather and coziness of Fall!

We will be in Pennsylvania and Maryland for the next few weeks.

In addition to enjoying apple orchards and pumpkin patches, I am also going to be offering virtual services in the area.

This includes group and individual music therapy services and adapted music lessons on piano, guitar, ukulele, drum set, and voice, to children and teens with special needs.

The beautiful thing about teletherapy is that it doesn’t matter where you are (as long as you have a strong internet connection, am I right?)

If you are in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and are interested in starting virtual services, feel free to reach out to me here.

We already have several group sessions for children and teens starting up and would love to start more!

The post Music Therapy in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and D.C. appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

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 attend!

(Rockin’ & Readin’ at the Library is one of the topics I receive the most emails about from music therapists & educators. Read this post and this post to find out more information about how I started these programs at the library).

These sessions are so much fun to lead.

Tomorrow, we’ll be doing an Apple Theme, so we’ll be:

• Singing apple songs (lots of apple songs!)
• Rising horses on the farm to William Tell Overture Finale
• Singing and counting apples in the tree
• Doing a singable story called “The Small Seed”
• Playing instruments
• Moving and dancing

The musical experiences are designed to target attention, academic, motor, and communication goals in ways that are engaging and FUN!

Here are the upcoming dates for 2020 –

Rockin’ & Readin’ for Preschoolers
Friday, September 11th @ 11:00am
Friday, September 25th @ 11:00am

These sessions are open to children ages 3 – 5 of all abilities for FREE, but you must call the Coral Gables Library to register and receive the Zoom login information.

Stay tuned for more upcoming session dates and I’ll see you over on Zoom!

The post Rockin’ and Readin’ (Virtually) At The Library appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

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 furiously wrote and wrote, and within minutes the song – called “This School year Will Look a Little Different”- was complete.

I used the song yesterday in a music therapy session with teens and it was incredibly effective.

Take a listen and see if it would be useful in your sessions with children or teens as we begin the new school year:

We sang through the song as an echo song, with the lyrics pulled up using Zoom screen share. We did a pat and clap pattern throughout the song.

After singing, we made a list (using the white board feature on Zoom!) of all the things that would be different this school year. For example, school is online, or we’ll need to wear masks if we’re doing in-person learning.

And, we made a list of all the things that would remain the same this school year: math, reading, art, music, seeing friends (even if online).

Then, we talked through each of the three steps in the song and how we can follow those steps to have an awesome school year, regardless of how different things are right now.

The post Back To School Song: “This School Year Will Look a Little Different” appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

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, and resilient! So, we are already coming up with unique and engaging ways to work with our clients and students.

Here are a few ideas to engage our clients when using technology:

Use Lots of MOVEMENT – Your client on the other end of the computer doesn’t need any materials or instruments to be able to move and groove along with you. Incorporate lots of movements to wake up their body and the brain (and yours too!) – jumping, twirling, hopping, skipping, running, and stomping. Add in cues to “Freeze!” to work on attention and impulse control. Ask for their ideas for kinds of movements to do, so they have a chance to practice executive function skills like decision making.

Homemade Instruments – If your client families don’t have traditional rhythm instruments at home, give them ideas for how to make homemade instruments. (Even if they do already have instruments, it’s a fun project for them to make their own – everyone’s homeschooling now, right?!) Oatmeal and coffee containers can de decorated and turned into drums. Beans or rice can be added to soda cans and paper towel rolls to make shakers.

Songwriting – Simple songwriting can be done with clients of all ages. Think of topics that are relevant to them – St. Patrick’s Day…Feelings…Favorite things to do at home…Something they choose?

Body Percussion – No rhythm sticks at home? Try rhythm patterns using body percussion. It’s a great way to work on attention skills, impulse control, and auditory perception skills. You give a four-beat pattern, and they imitate it. Or, write out a four-beat rhythm pattern for them to learn and play along with your singing.

Fun pop songs – Have you heard of “The Git Up” by Blanco Brown? This would be a great song to teach older kids and tweens. The song is super upbeat and there’s a series of dance steps to learn, which is great for working on sequencing and memory.

Incorporate the Whole Family – This is a wonderful opportunity to engage parents, caregivers, and siblings in the session. This gives them a chance to bond with their child in a positive way AND learn musical experiences they can do once the computer is shut down.

These are just a few simple ideas.

I have a feeling we will all learn as we go, and begin to generate more and more ideas as time goes on.

I cannot wait to get back to my in-person sessions. I miss hearing a whole class of children singing along with me and getting big hugs at the end of a class. But for now, we will make the best of what we have.

If you’re in need of some session planning inspiration for your virtual music therapy sessions, check out this brand new resource (it’s 50% off until April 30th):

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