It has been two months since the launch of Tuneful Teens: Creative Ideas for Engaging Adolescents in Music Therapy. I could not be more pleased and humbled by the response to this (my first!) ebook. So thank you!

Today I want to share a Tuneful Teens success story! Yay!

I recently received an email from Jennifer Hezoucky of Life Song Music Therapy. She shared with me how she implemented one of the songwriting examples in Tuneful Teens with a group of preschool children that she works with.

She used the structure of Jack Johnson’s “The Sharing Song”  and assisted the children in rewriting the lyrics to create a song for their moms for Mother’s Day. She gave each child a copy of the song, recorded it, and posted it on Facebook. Here are the lyrics they came up with:

“The Mother’s Day Song”

Chorus 1: It’s always more fun to hug your family

It’s always more fun to hug your family

Verse 1:  It’s always more fun to help Mom make some pizza

It’s always more fun to help Mom cook noodles

Chorus 1

Verse 2: It’s always more fun to help Mom make cupcakes

It’s always more fun to help Mom with the laundry

Chorus 1

Chorus 2: It’s always more fun to spend time with your family

It’s always more fun to spend time with your family

Verse 1:  Play with your Mom, tractors and some trains

Play with Mom outside, play in the sand together

Chorus 2

Verse 2:  Mom and I like to run super fast

Help Mom with the chores like laundry and clean my room

Chorus 2

Who wouldn’t love those lyrics?

I was so incredibly touched that Jennifer would write back and share with me this song that her preschoolers had written. Although Tuneful Teens is geared towards adolescents, what I’m seeing from the feedback is that the ideas can easily be adapted for children and adults.

Check it out here for yourself and see if this resource might be beneficial to you…Tuneful Teens: Creative Ideas for Engaging Adolescents in Music Therapy. If you’re on the fence, scroll to the bottom of the page and see what others are saying about Tuneful Teens!

The post Here’s How Tuneful Teens is Working for YOU! appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

I was pondering this question last week as I watched one of my clients dig into my bag of goodies and start pulling out drums one by one. He began setting up drums of various shapes, sizes, and colors so it looked like a drum set: large gathering drum in the middle, surrounded by lollipop drums, hand drums, an ocean drum, and a tambourine. Then, he began playing and as I joined in, I would play a pattern (for example, lollipop drum, ocean drum, gathering drum) and he would repeat the pattern. Then we switched and he was the leader who created a pattern for me to repeat.

This was a creative way to work on basic improvising skills, imitation, attention, patterns, sequencing, etc, etc, ETC! Admittedly, I was upset I hadn’t come up with the idea. However, I was pleased that he felt comfortable enough to create this activity himself and that I allowed him the space to do it.

So this got me thinking…are we paying close enough attention to our clients and ‘playing off of them’ (so to speak)? Do we allow them to show us what works and what doesn’t? As someone who is Type A and uber-organized, it is sometimes difficult for me to break free from my carefully crafted session plan. However, time after time, my clients surprise me with a creative take on a movement activity or with a suggestion for a song I never thought to use.

So my question to you is…Do YOUR clients give you ideas?

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