Here at Wholesome Harmonies we love, love, LOVE the library!

We have been partnering with the Miami-Dade Public Library System since 2010 to offer Baby Rock, Toddler Rock, and Rockin’ & Readin’ at the Library.

Now that I’ve moved up north to Pennsylvania, I’m partnering with the Adams County Library System to offer these same programs.

It’s a dream come true to facilitate these sessions in the same place where I checked out Babysitters Club and Goosebumps books as a kid!

I’ve had a great time facilitating themed Rockin’ & Readin’ sessions at various library branches, and facilitating Baby & Toddler Rock during storytime.

Our summer program at Carroll Valley Library had 65 attendees surfing to songs by the Beach Boys, singing and making ocean waves with the parachute, doing an ocean animal freeze dance, playing the ocean drum, shaking maracas to “Under the Sea,” and enjoying the singable story “There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell.”

I loved hearing those little voices singing along with me, and watching the joy on the faces of their caregivers.

In case you were wondering…

Baby Rock & Toddler Rock are developmental music classes for babies (ages 0-2) and toddlers (ages 2-4), and their caregivers. Classes are designed to provide musical experiences that enrich development.

In our sessions, we utilize developmentally appropriate songs and activities to encourage interaction between caregivers and their little ones and to work on basic developmental skills.

Little ones explore a variety of musical instruments and props such as scarves, parachute, stretchy band, and puppets. We sing songs in English and Spanish, enjoy singable stories, and move to music to work on growth in the areas of social, communication, physical, and emotional development.

In our sessions, we use both original and familiar songs so caregivers are singing along in no time! Live musical accompaniment is provided on guitar, keyboard, and omnichord, and we utilize a variety of musical styles like samba, country and rock and roll!

Rockin’ and Readin’ at the Library is a music therapy program designed for children of ALL abilities, including those with autism and related disabilities.

In the music therapy sessions, children have the opportunity to participate in musical experiences to work on goals that are non-musical. For example:

• Singing an original song to the book “Head To Toe” by Eric Carle to work on expressive language skills (identifying animals) and motor skills (moving like the animal)
• Playing rhythm instruments with stop and go cues to work on attention skills and impulse control
• Moving rainbow colored scarves to work on academic skills (identifying colors), motor skills, and direction following (“Move your scarf in a circle! Now move it side to side!”)
• Taking turns to play the xylophone or rain stick to work on social skills and impulse control

A special focus is placed on songs and singable stories that promote literacy.

We also have some exciting NEW programs scheduled with the Miami-Dade Public Library System – Holidays with Wholesome Harmonies.

Holidays with Wholesome Harmonies is a festive holiday sing-a-long that encourages participants to sing, play instruments, and celebrate. The program is open to individuals of all ages and abilities, and is designed to bring together family members and community members.

A board-certified music therapist leads families in singing holiday songs in English and Spanish. Everyone receives an instrument to play as we sing and dance together.

We can facilitate the program for any of the following holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Winter holidays, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter/springtime, and patriotic holidays like Memorial Day and Fourth of July.

We love making music at the library and look forward to keeping these partnerships strong!

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Yesterday, was a literal dream come true for me!

I got to facilitate Rockin’ and Readin’ at the Gettysburg Library in Pennsylvania, where I attended storytime and checked out books as a kid.

Talk about coming full circle.

My family and I moved back to my hometown in Pennsylvania in 2021, and though I continue to run my business in Florida and lead virtual sessions with clients in Miami, I’ve also been establishing in person contracts here in PA.

One of the most exciting contracts is with the Adams County Library system, where I’ve been leading Toddler Rock and Rockin’ and Readin’ sessions.

Rockin’ and Readin’ is a program I created to bring music therapy to the library for children of all abilities to experience.

Yesterday at the Gettysburg branch I led a beach-themed session, so we:

• Surfed to songs by The Beach Boys
• Sang and made ocean waves with the parachute
• Read the singable story “There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell” (this got TONS of belly laughs)
• Did an ocean animal freeze dance
• Played the ocean drum
• Shook our maracas and sang “Under the Sea”

I loved hearing those little voices singing along with me, and watching the joy on the faces of their caregivers. I am blessed and thankful to do a job I absolutely love!

We have more Baby and Toddler Rock sessions and Rockin’ and Readin’ sessions coming up at both the Miami Dade Public Library System in Florida and the Adams County Library System in Pennsylvania.

Stay tuned to Wholesome Harmonies’ Instagram for upcoming programs, which are free and open to the public.

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Earlier this week, I was Rockin’ and Readin’ at the Carroll Valley Library branch in Fairfield, Pennsylvania.

The library invited me to lead a session during toddler and preschool story time, and we had a blast!

Today, I’m sharing a few ways I turned a typical holiday sing-a-long into an interactive, goal-oriented session for the children and their family members.

See which ones would work for your clients and students!

Sign Language – Prompt children to sign along with the songs. We did the signs for “antlers,” “nose” and “glows” while we sang “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” And, the sign for “snow” as we sang “Let It Snow.”

Props/Manipulatives – I always love to bring in hand held items for sensory stimulation and to give children something to hold onto. Encourage children to move the parachute while singing “Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah.” During the upbeat rhythmic part of the song, bounce the parachute quickly; during the slower part, move it up and down slowly to match the tempo.

Instruments…with directions – Children can choose an instrument and are given instructions to follow during the songs. For example, I added a freeze portion to the song “Santa Claus is Coming To Town.” And for “Frosty the Snowman,” children were instructed to listen closely and raise their instrument high in the air every time we sang “Frosty.”

Add a Book – It wouldn’t be Rockin’ and Readin’ at the Library if we didn’t have a singable story added to the mix. For this session, I brought in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” by Jane Cabrera (she’s got other great singable story books as well). Her adaptation of this familiar song is adorable, and lends itself to a music session perfectly. For example, there are drumming dogs and a party in a pear tree!

These few additions turned a regular ol’ sing-a-long into an interactive session that gave the children the chance to practice developmental skills (i.e. moving the parachute with the group to practice social skills; and listening for cues and following direction to work on impulse control and attention skills.)

I love Rockin’ and Readin’ at the Library and will be back at the Carroll Valley Library in Fairfield, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, January 4th from 10:00-10:30am for Baby Story Time!

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Library sessions are some of my favorite to facilitate.

I love the calm atmosphere and getting to know the librarians and patrons through our classes.

We’ve been offering Rockin’ and Readin’, Baby & Toddler Rock and Holidays with Wholesome Harmonies for various branches of the Miami Dade Public Library System since 2010.

And recently, we expanded to branches of the Adams County Library System in Biglerville and Carrol Valley, Pennsylvania.

Mark your calendar because we would love to see you at an upcoming session in Florida…or in Pennsylvania!

Holidays with Wholesome Harmonies
Facilitated by Ms. Lorena at Lakes of the Meadow Branch (FL):
Halloween Session was on October 13, 2022 @ 4:30-5:00pm
Thanksgiving Session – November 21, 2022 @ 4:30-5:00pm
Christmas/Winter Holiday Session – December 22, 2022 @ 4:30-5:00pm

Toddler Rock
Facilitated by Ms. Lorena at South Miami Branch (FL):
November 22, 2022 @ 12:30-1:00pm

Toddler Rock
At Lakes of the Meadow Branch (FL)
January programs are being scheduled now!

Rockin & Readin
Facilitated by Ms. Amy at the Carroll Valley Branch (PA):
December 13, 2022 @ 10:00-10:40am

Sessions are FREE and open to the public, but you must call the library branch to register.

We look forward to seeing you there and making music together!

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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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Last summer, I moved back to my hometown in Pennsylvania and it still feels like a dream come true!

My kiddos get to play soccer on the same fields I did, attend the same school I did, and go to the same library where I used to check out Baby-Sitters Club and Goosebumps books (90s kids raise your hands!)

We love spending time at the libraries in Gettysburg and Bigerville – whether we’re checking out dino books, attending crafternoon, or just chatting with our librarian friends.

It is an added bonus that I now get to offer my music therapy programs at my hometown libraries too!

I created Rockin’ and Readin’ at the Library waaayyyy back in 2010, and have offered this program and others to the Miami-Dade Public Library System both virtually and in person since then.

Rockin’ and Readin’ is a music therapy program for children ages 5-12 of ALL abilities, including (and especially!) those with autism and related disabilities.

Children will be moving to music, singing, and playing instruments to work on increasing social and communication skills, and improving attention. A special focus is placed on singable stories to promote literacy.

This coming Friday, July 15th I’ll be presenting Rockin’ and Readin’ at the Harbaugh-Thomas Library in Biglerville, PA. I hope my local friends will join as we take a tropical vacation to Hawaii!

In our session we’ll be:

Singing “Aloha” to our friends

Moving and dancing to songs by The Beach Boys

Singing and making ocean waves with the parachute

Reading a singable story “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell!”

Doing an ocean animal freeze dance

And, of course, playing the ocean drum

Rockin’ and Readin’ sessions are free and open to children ages 5-12 of all abilities. We just ask that you call the Harbaugh-Thomas Library at (717) 677-6257 to register and save your spot.

Can’t wait to see you there!

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The holidays are upon us, and here at Wholesome Harmonies we are still providing a mix of both in-person and virtual programming.

Many of the music therapists on our team are following CDC guidelines and providing in-home, individual music therapy sessions and lessons across South Florida.

And many (myself included!) are continuing to offer group and individual sessions and lessons virtually.

One of our upcoming virtual programs, which is presented by the Miami-Dade Public Library System, is called Holidays with Wholesome Harmonies: A free virtual sing-a-long for young children and their families.

We will be singing a variety of holiday tunes, both in English and Spanish. Festive attire is welcomed!

The program will take place via Zoom on Monday, December 21, 2020 from 5:00-5:30pm.

The program is free, but you must call the Northeast-Dade Aventura Branch to register.

I can’t wait to see you there!

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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!

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In addition to the music therapy services and adapted lessons we offer to children and teens with special needs, there’s another side of my business that I love: our developmental music classes.

We’ve been working together with the Miami-Dade Public Library System since 2010 to offer these early childhood music classes at library branches throughout Miami-Dade County.

(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).

The classes are completely free (thanks to generous grant funding) and open to children of all abilities.

We offer Toddler Rock for toddlers ages 19 months – 2 1/2 years old and Rockin’ & Readin’ for preschoolers ages 3-5.

These sessions are so much fun to lead.

At any given session, you might find us:

• Giving high fives to work on social skills
• Shaking maracas to work on gross and fine motor skills
• Reading a singable story like “Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You Hear?” by Eric Carle to work on expressive communication
• Moving the parachute and stretchy band to work on receptive communication and direction following
• Singing songs about colors, letters, and body parts

We’ve had a blast this month facilitating sessions, meeting families, and sharing with them about how they can use music at home to enrich their child’s development.

If you’re in Miami, and would like to attend an upcoming class, we would love to see you. Here are our upcoming session dates in 2020 –

Rockin’ & Readin’ for Preschoolers
January 27th @ 10:30am: Claire will be at the Northeast Dade Branch

Toddler Rock
February 3rd @ 11:00am: Claire will be at the Key Biscayne Branch

February 4th @ 10:30am: Clarice will be at the Miami Beach Regional Branch

February 13th @ 11:00am: Amy will be at the Lakes of the Meadow Branch

March 5th @ 10:15am: Clarice will be at the Miami Springs Branch

March 20th @ 11:00am: Amy will be at the West Dade Regional Branch

All sessions are free and open to children of all abilities, but you must call the library branch to register as space is limited.

We look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming classes!

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April was Autism Awareness Month and I had the opportunity to do something I LOVE to do: travel to different library branches throughout Miami-Dade county and lead Rockin’ and Readin’ music therapy sessions.

Rockin’ and Readin’ is a program I created to bring music therapy sessions to the libraries in our area.

Our focus in April was on toddlers and young children with autism and other special needs and for this round of sessions, all my activities were spring related. I incorporated a butterfly movement song, a musical egg hunt, a spring-themed instrument playing activity, and of course a singable spring story.

I chose the book “Five Little Ducks” because many children and adults are familiar with this song and can sing along (which helps them feel successful!)

I’ve used this singable story before, but this time I decided to incorporate one thing that made it stand out from all the other times I’ve done it. One thing that grabbed the attention of the children who were distracted and reengaged them in our activity.

What was that one thing you ask?

(drumroll.…)

The duck quacker!

If you are not familiar with the duck quacker, I highly recommend you check it out.

This silly sounding instruments sounds JUST LIKE A DUCK. The toddlers and children I work with absolutely love it. Every time we got to the part in the song where the mother duck says “quack quack quack quack,” I played that quacker as loud as I could. The group erupted in laughter because I had hidden it behind the book and they couldn’t see what was making that noise.

Was it a real duck?!

The key takeaway here is this: think about what you can incorporate into your sessions that will grab the attention of your clients and refocus their attention back on you. If you work with toddlers and young children like I do, you know we need to have an endless amount of reengagement strategies in our back pocket.

Maybe it’s the duck quacker, maybe it’s the thunder tube, maybe it’s the castanet. Leave a comment below to let me know what’s worked for you and your clients!

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