Is it feeling festive where you are?

I’m about to celebrate my first cold Christmas in twenty years, and I’m pretty excited about that.

(It’s much easier to get in the holiday spirit when it’s snowing, rather than sweltering!)

I’m busy facilitating both in-person and virtual music therapy sessions, and planning a virtual holiday show. For my middle and high school students, I love to bring in a mix of classic holiday songs, as well as those sung by popular artists.

Here are some Christmas pop songs that you’ll want to check out if you work with tweens and teens:

Like It’s Christmas by Jonas Brothers – your clients can clap the rhythm pattern in the accompaniment

Cozy Little Christmas by Katy Perry

Mistletoe by Justin Bieber

That’s Christmas To Me by Pentatonix – I show my clients the official music video and then ask them to share their favorite holiday memory

God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman/We Three Kings by Bare Naked Ladies featuring Sarah McLachlan

All I Want For Christmas Is Your by Mariah Carey

You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Gwen Stefani featuring Blake Shelton

Fa La La by Justin Bieber featuring Boyz II Men

Make It To Christmas by Alessia Cara

Christmas Makes Me Cry by Kacey Musgraves – an important song to have in our toolbox, because the holidays may bring up a variety of different emotions for our clients

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays by NSYNC

And some Hanukkah Songs:

Candlelight by The Maccabeats

Happy Hanukkah by Matisyahu

Latke Recipe by The Maccabeats

All About That Neis by Maccabeats

These are some fun songs to sprinkle in with your more traditional ones. Happy Holidays!

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Christmas is right around the corner (do you even need me to tell you that?) and our holiday sessions are in full swing!

We’re jingling bells, ho-ho-ho-ing on the kazoo, and playing Holiday Musical Pictionary.

I recently started working at a preschool in Miami, where I provide music therapy for the 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old classes.

Tomorrow is their Holiday Show and I wanted to showcase something very special for the parents and families.

With preschoolers in the past, I’ve done a Holiday Spectacular that featured multicultural songs and a performance of the Nutcracker (complete with original choreography, music, and set design).

This year, the preschool children will be performing “The First Noel” on hand bells.

I wanted to share this because it’s a great choice for a holiday performance for a few reasons:

• First, if the children are playing the melody, it uses all eight bells. I love doing songs like “Jingle Bells,” but the chorus only uses five of the hand bells.
• Second, for the majority of the song, it moves in stepwise motion. There aren’t many leaps in the melody, which makes it easy for the children to anticipate when it’s their turn to play.
• Third, the melody repeats itself twice. This makes it easy for you as the teacher, because you don’t need to juggle multiple sheets of music. This also makes it easy for the children, because they’ve become very familiar with the melody due to its repetition.

I’m looking forward to our Holiday Show tomorrow!

We’ll be singing lots of holidays carols, but I’m most looking forward to the parents watching their children read real music notation and play the hand bells.

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I’ve been on a session planning kick lately.

Even though I have almost thirteen years (!!) of session plans saved up I still love coming up with new ideas, writing new songs and thinking of more creative ways to help my clients meet their goals.

Lately, my three-year-old daughter has been really into the Nutcracker. She’s been requesting we play the music to the ballet so she can dance in her ballerina costume. This inspired me to see how I can use the music of the Nutcracker to work on the attention and auditory perception goals I have for my school-age clients.

Coming up with the session ideas was easy. Coming up with ways to make them cool? Not quite as easy.

Here are some of the best ideas I came up with that were well received by my students:

Listening sheets:
Since my main goals are to improve attention and auditory perception skills, I thought focused listening would be a great way to start. After discussing nutcrackers and a bit about the storyline, I passed out listening sheets.

The first day we listened to: the Arabian Dance, Chinese Dance and Russian Dance. Students were instructed to answer questions about the tempo of the song, the mood of the song, and other questions that required them to listen carefully to the music. I was surprised how many students said they liked the pieces we listened to!

The second day we listened to: “March,” “Battle Between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” and “the Christmas Tree.” Since many of the students are learning about parts of speech, I provided them with different adjectives to describe the pieces and prompted them to circle the ones that fit.

If you’d like a copy of my Nutcracker Listening Guides so you can use them with your students and clients, click below:

Movement:
There are so many ways to incorporate movement in a Nutcracker-themed session plan. The ballet has pieces of varying tempo and style, each with a different feel to it. I had younger students march to the “March” and move scarves to the “Finale Waltz.” I had older students move the parachute with pre-set choreography to “The Russian Dance.” And completely unprompted, I had many students (male and female!) stand up and pretend to be ballerinas when we listened to the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.”

These activities were designed to work on gross and fine motor skills and give students to opportunity for creative expression.

Instrument Exploration:
Students and teachers alike were intrigued by the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. I showed them the dance on YouTube and they were captivated. Following that, I showed them a picture of a tuba and celesta and took a poll to see how many students could guess the instrument that was playing. Then we watched a video of someone playing the celesta so the students could see exactly what it looked like.

Following that, I created a sheet with the rhythm for Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and each student played it on the triangle along with the song. These activities definitely sustained their attention.

Nutrocker:
Finally, we ended with the “Nutrocker” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra (truly the best way to make the Nutcracker seem “cool” for school-age students). Since one of my main goals for the students is to work on auditory perception skills, I told them that we’d be playing air keyboard and air electric guitar as we listened to the piece. Every time they heard keyboard, they were to pretend to play air keys. Every time they heard electric guitar, they were to pretend to play guitar. Not only did they have to listen to the instrument changes in the song, but they got to rock out and really have fun with it.

I was pleasantly surprised by how many students told me they liked the music of the Nutcracker. It may not be JT or Bruno Mars, but they were open to it, and that is the most important thing!

If you’re looking for even more creative ideas for working with teens, school age clients or adults, I’d love for you to check out the E-Course I created, Tune In To Teens. It’s approved by CBMT for 5 continuing education credits and is packed with creative session ideas and strategies for working with teen clients:

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If you follow my blog (and E-Book series), you know I love a good musical game.

As soon as I mention we’re playing a “game” at the start of a session, I immediately have my clients hooked and excited. Musical games are great in that you can sneak in work on lots of different goal areas while clients are engaged in playing the game.

Now that the holiday season is in full swing, I’ve created two musical games inspired by the Game Show Network. Here’s how they go ~

Holiday Pictionary:
Create a list of holiday songs that have titles which evoke imagery (email subscribers were sent an email with the list of songs I use!) For example, “Oh Christmas Tree” might make you picture a tall pine tree covered in snow. Or, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” might make you picture people boogying around a Christmas tree (or mannequins if you’re into Home Alone!) Write each song title on a separate index card and laminate the cards. Include a sample picture under the song title if your clients need a visual guide.

In the session, divide your group into two teams. One client from Team 1 takes a card and draws a picture of the song title without giving any verbal cues. Team 1 must then try to guess the song title based on the picture. Once the song has been guessed, lead the entire group in singing that song. Following that, Team 2 takes a card and follows the same instructions. This musical experience targets self-expression, group cohesion, and expressive language skills.

{If you’re not already on the email list, hop on here. I shared the complete list of songs I use for Holiday Pictionary with my email list and will be sending out more goodies soon!} 

Holiday Name That Tune:
This musical experience is just like it sounds. Play the opening melody line to familiar Christmas songs and have clients guess the songs. Perfect for addressing auditory perception and listening skills. You can also work on group cohesion and communication skills by splitting the group into two teams and instructing them to choose a group leader who will ring a jingle bell when their team knows the correct answer.

BONUS if you use your primary instrument, which will engage clients and motivate them to participate. I use my clarinet and it’s always a hit!

If you’re looking for even more creative ideas for working with teens, school age clients or adults, I’d love for you to check out the E-Course I created, Tune In To Teens. It’s approved by CBMT for 5 continuing education credits and is packed with creative session ideas and strategies for working with teen clients:

The post Game Show Network-Inspired Musical Games for the Holidays appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

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 able to catch on quickly.

Plus, I’ve also incorporated some movements to go along with each line.

Watch here:

As an added bonus, I’ll be sending out the sheet music to my newsletter list at the end of this week, so be sure you’re subscribed by clicking here.

The post I Am Santa {VIDEO + Free Sheet Music!} appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

I cannot believe Christmas is right around the corner!

I have to admit I’m pretty excited about that.

This is the first Christmas with our new baby and I’ve been having way too much fun singing carols with her and jingling bells together.

I’ve also been singing carols during my sessions with my clients who celebrate Christmas.

I typically make a very conscious effort to use original songs in my music therapy sessions with kids, but sometimes I do use pre-existing songs when there is a very specific reason.

This year, I thought of a creative way to use the song “Up On the Housetop” to teach the kazoo.

I had been trying to teach my group of 3- and 4-year-olds how to play the kazoo to work on lip closure. It’s actually pretty tricky! They want to blow on it like a whistle, but actually the way to make a sound on a kazoo is to make a “huh” sound that comes from deeper in the throat.

Immediately my mind went to “ho, ho, ho!”

I could prompt them to say “ho, ho, ho” into the kazoo and that would be the perfect way to teach this concept!

So, we sang “Up On the Housetop” and during the part that says “Ho, ho, ho, who wouldn’t go?” I prompted them to “ho, ho, ho” into the kazoo. I repeated it a few times so they had multiple opportunities to make the “ho” sound and play the kazoo, thus facilitating lip closure.

It worked beautifully!

We “ho, ho, ho’d” over and over again.

I hope this little idea will spark some more ideas for you on how to use Christmas songs to target specific goals in your music therapy sessions!

The post Ho-ho-how To Teach the Kazoo at Christmas time appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

It’s December and I can feel the excitement for the holidays building!

This is my favorite time of the year. I love the decorations, the holiday songs, the food, the get togethers ~ all of it!

To spread a little holiday cheer, I want to share with you a brand new offering ~ a Holiday Package I’ve put together.

This would be a perfect gift for a music therapist or music teacher in your life….or a gift for yourself!

The Holiday Package is $25 and includes:
* Tuneful Teens E-Book
* Sensational Songs & Activities E-Book
* Pop Song Mini Pack

This is a steal really! The Holiday Pack is valued at $42 and is available until December 31 for only $25!

Get your new year started out right with these resources by clicking the button below to purchase!

You don’t have to take my word for it ~

Here’s what Rachel Rambach has to say about Tuneful Teens:
“When I first started out as a new music therapist, the population that intimidated me the most was the tween and teen crowd. That’s why I was so excited when my friend and fellow music therapist Amy Kalas launched her E-Book, Tuneful Teens. Amy provides everything you need — step by step procedures, templates, sheet music, etc. — to implement the interventions in your music therapy sessions. I highly recommend Amy’s book!”
– Rachel Rambach, MM, MT-BC

Here’s what Megan Collins says about Sensational Songs & Activities:
“The most useful part of Sensational Songs & Activities for me was the themed session plans and the outline of ideas for each session, equipment required, etc. This E-Book has specifically helped me by providing some fresh ideas on how to incorporate non-musical equipment into sensory stimulation during music therapy sessions. For example, using water spray bottles, cotton balls, candles, and other non-musical equipment alongside musical instruments such as thunder tubes, ocean drums, etc to provide additional sensory stimulation and to enhance the soundscapes created. Thank you for sharing your ideas with other music therapists and for your wonderful customer service also! I will be sure to recommend you to other music therapists here in Australia.”
– Megan Collins

Ready  to purchase? Click the button below!

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Today it’s a rainy morning in Miami. I can’t help but think that if we were up north, that precipitation would be snow!

Luckily my fiancé and I will be spending the holidays visiting family in MD, VA, and WV, so I’m crossing my fingers for a little of the white stuff!

Despite the mild temperatures here in Miami, we had a full blown Holiday Celebration yesterday at UCP’s Early Beginnings Academy (that’s where I work with children birth – age 7 with special needs!)

Part of the holiday spectacular (as I like to call it) was a performance of the Nutcracker, which I adapted into a musical. This was so much fun to prepare!

Here is how we presented this to the children in Kindergarten and 1st grade:

1) First, I brought in a book of the “Nutcracker” and read them the story while the musical soundtrack played in the background. We looked at pictures of all the characters and discussed what was happening in the story.

2) Next, I brought in a real Nutcracker doll so the children could see what it looked like.

3) Then, we took the children to a real, live performance of the Nutcracker ballet (geared specifically towards children). Field trips are always fun, but this one was amazing. The music, the colorful scenery, the dancing, the costumes – the children could not stop talking about what they had experienced.

4) Then, we got to work on rehearsing the musical that I had created specifically for them.

5) Finally, they performed for the families.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Our narrator who struck a triangle to get the crowd’s attention before he announced the Act and Scene number.
• The children learning how to wrap presents for props under the Christmas tree.
• The children learning a choreographed dance to the “Nutcracker March” – complete with marching and spins.
• The children remembering their lines and positions on stage with only minimal prompting – yay!
• Our Clara who danced beautifully with the Nutcracker doll and our live Nutcracker who owned his role by marching, straight faced across the stage.
• The children creating background scenery – this included painting a large window and adding curtains.
• The little girls who danced with tutus to the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” (including another girl from the audience who was taking ballet and decided she wanted to get up on stage and dance, too!)

The children gained a lot from the experience, and we all enjoyed seeing them shine yesterday!

But, that wasn’t all for our Holiday Spectacular!

After the Nutcracker was over, one group of children played “Carol of the Bells” on tone chimes, triangle, and rain stick. One group performed a reggae version of “Little Drummer Boy” on homemade drums. Another group performed instrument solos on xylophone to “Jingle Bell Rock.” We concluded the show by ALL singing festive holiday songs to get in the spirit before Santa made his appearance and handed out gifts.

Days like these make me even MORE grateful than I normally am to work in such an amazing place with children who truly are special.

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Wednesday December 14th was our holiday spectacular show at United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) Miami! We had a fabulous turnout from the families and the children sang so well! Here was the lineup for the show…

“Do You Hear What I Hear?”

Alex’s class – children ages 4 – 6 with severe & profound intellectual disability

I changed the words to this familiar carol to make it a sensory-based song:

“Do you hear what I hear? A bell, a bell, ringing in the night.
Santa’s sleigh is on its way here. Santa’s sleigh is on its way here.”  (children play jingle bells)

“Do you hear what I hear? A drum, a drum, little drummer boy,
He’s come to play his song for all. Come to play his song for all.” (children play the drum)

“Do you see what I see? Lights, lights, red, and blue, and green,
They will shine for all to see. They will shine for all to see.” (Christmas  lights are placed on their laps and over their heads)

“Do you see what I see? A reindeer, a reindeer, prancing through the night,
He will show Santa the way. He will show Santa the way.” (pass around a large stuffed reindeer)

“Do you feel what I feel? A hat, a hat, Santa’s red hat,
It is velvety and soft. It is velvety and soft.” (pass around a Santa hat for children to feel)

“Do you hear what I hear? A sound, a sound, voices in the night,
Saying Christmas wishes to all. Saying Christmas wishes to all.” (program voice output device to say “Merry Christmas!”)

“Chinese New Year”

Jenny’s class – children ages 4 – 6 with severe and profound intellectual disability

I would like to thank the fabulous ladies of Mundana Music Therapy, as well as their former intern Hilary Yip for sharing this idea. Although Chinese New Year isn’t celebrated until January, there is one student in this class who is Chinese. I thought it would be nice to celebrate his heritage at our holiday spectacular. Here’s how we organized the song:

Group 1: children play C, G, or high C on hand bells with hand over hand (HOH) assistance

Group 2: children play cymbals with HOH assistance

Group 3: children play drums with HOH assistance

Group 4: children play gong with HOH assistance

Each group took a turn to play as follows:

Group 1 plays while I sing: “Happy Chinese New Year, Gong Hay Fat Choy, May you prosper, year of the dragon”

Group 2 plays while I sing: “A lion dance to bring good luck, a dragon dance to bring good luck, red to bring good luck, a feast to bring good luck”

Group 3 plays while I sing: “Happy Chinese New Year, Gong Hay Fat Choy, May you prosper, year of the dragon”

Group 4 plays while I sing: “A lion dance to bring good luck, a dragon dance to bring good luck, red to bring good luck, a feast to bring good luck”

ALL play while I sing: “Happy Chinese New Year, Gong Hay Fat Choy, May you prosper, year of the dragon”

End with gong strike!

 “The Santa Song”

Deborah and Maria’s Class – children ages 3 – 5 with autism & other special needs

This is an original song where the children sing and act out a little scene. One child was chosed to be Santa. Deborah’s class dressed up as elves and Maria’s class dressed up as reindeer. Here’s how the song goes…

“Santa is looking for his reindeer (children put hand to brow and pretend to look)
Santa is looking for his reindeer
It’s Christmas Eve so where could they be? (children put arms out in questioning form)
He looks this way and that way (children put hand to brow and pretend to look)
He looks this way and that way
Santa is looking for his reindeer where could they be?” (children put arms out in questioning form)

“Those reindeer stomp their feet (children stomp their feet)
Stomp, stomp, stomp
They stomp their feet (children stomp their feet)
Stomp, stomp, stomp
They stomp their feet and say ‘Here we are!’ (raise hand in air)
Santa says ‘Ho, ho, ho! Here we go!”

(Repeat for elves; elves clap hands)

“Feliz Navidad”

Hilda and Paola’s Class – children ages 4 – 6 with autism & other special needs

The children sang the Christmas classic, “Feliz Navidad”

“Umoja”

 Hilda and Paola’s Class – children ages 4 – 6 with autism & other special needs

 Umoja is one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, and it means “unity.” I brought in library books about Kwanzaa and taught the children about the very basic concepts of the holiday. We talked about  what unity means and their children drew pictures of their family, to tie in the theme of togetherness and unity. I found a funky beat on the keyboard and taught the children the song “Umoja” with sign language…

“Umoja means unity (sign for ‘unity’)
You and me (sign for ‘you’ and ‘me’)
Living together in one (sign for ‘one’)
Big family (sign for ‘family’)
Umoja! (clap, clap, clap) Umoja! (clap, clap, clap)
Umoja! (clap, clap, clap) Umoja! (clap, clap, clap)

Hand bell Choir: “Jingle Bells”

Children played rainbow hand bells using color coded notation.

Band: “I Hear the Bells”

Our band consisted of: ukulele, piano, hand bells, and a singer.

All instruments played following color coded music notation: C chord (red) and G chord (blue).

Sing-a-long!

“Jingle Bells”

“Deck the Halls”

 “Here Comes Santa Clause” – this led to Santa coming in to visit the children and give each one a gift!

It was a fantastic, festive day! What are YOU doing for your holiday performance this year?

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