It’s Fall Ya’ll!

I just returned from a two week road trip with my husband and 15-month-old (she did great!)

We drove from Miami, FL up to Fayetteville, NC, then to Silver Spring, MD, Rehoboth Beach, DE, Richmond, VA, and Hot Springs, NC (where there was no cell service or wifi; it was lovely!!). Then, we headed down to Jekyll Island, GA and back home!

This trip really made me miss “Fall.” We got to see some beautiful colors in the trees and crunch in the leaves.

Down here in Miami, the most we get is the palm fronds turning brown and falling off the palm trees.

So, I always make an extra effort to bring Fall into my music therapy sessions.

For the month of September, we were all about APPLES! I created my goal-oriented musical experiences around the apple theme and it sparked so many creative ideas for me.

Here are some of the experiences I included in my apple-themed sessions for September:

– Apple Books: I wrote songs to go with the following books: “Ten Apples Up On Top” by Dr. Seuss, “Manzanas” by de Ann Burckhardt, “From Seed to Apple” and “Apples” by Gail Gibbons.

– Letter A Song: A for Apple.

– Color Red (or Green!) Song: For the color of the apple.

– Counting Apples Song: Using apple visuals – each apple had a numeral 1-10. We counted the apples and identified the numbers on the apples.

– Pass the Apple Song: Using a real apple. Some children tried to take a bite!

– Parachute: We bounced apples on the parachute.

– Scarves: Using my original song “Wind, Wind” I adapted the lyrics and we moved scarves slowly like wind blowing through the trees, then we moved scarves quickly as if we were shaking apples from the trees.

Adapted lyrics:
Slow verse: Wind, wind, blowing through the leaves. (repeat)
Quick verse: Shake, shake, the apples off the tree; shake, shake, one for you and me. (repeat)

– Stretchy Band: After pretending to shake apples off the tree in the activity above, we listened to “William Tell Overture” (aka The Lone Ranger Theme Song) and pretended to we were riding horses on the farm.

– Apple piggyback songs: I typically use mostly original songs in my music therapy sessions to ensure they’re goal-oriented. However, I use piggyback songs in certain sessions for very specific reasons. I lead Mommy/Daddy & Me sessions where my main goals are interaction and connection between the parent and child. So, I like to use piggyback songs where the tune is familiar, and I can put the adapted lyrics up on a wipe off board or chalkboard. I do this to encourage parents to sing along with their child during the session and to sing at home!

Here’s an example:

(I didn’t write the lyrics to these songs, they were found online through a simple Google search! Isn’t Google just the best?)

I hope these ideas spark some creativity for you!

I went found some yummy apple crisp recipes after singing about apples all day long this week :)

I’m going to continue my “It’s Fall Ya’ll Series” in October and November by sharing more Fall-themed sessions ideas. Stay tuned!

Leave a comment below and let us know what apple songs you use during your sessions. We’d love to hear!

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