Have you had a chance to catch up on the last two Session Idea Blasts?

The first was about a Musical Game called Music Man that allows you to easily insert your clients’ and students’ preferred singers, bands, and songs into it (leads to instant engagement!)

The second was a Pop Song Listening Game. This one is super fun to plan and facilitate – it allows you to incorporate your clients’ and students’ musical faves as well.

Today’s post is about how you can incorporate Popular Music and Art into your sessions, to facilitate creativity and self-expression.

The Tune In To Teens and Attention & Perception E-Courses are open for enrollment this week only, at a discounted rate AND with some incredible bonus material included:

The Ultimate Pop Song Bonus is a 12-page creativity pack with tons of ideas for how to use current pop songs by Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Jason Aldean, Miley Cyrus, Imagine Dragons, and many more, therapeutically.

In it, you’ll learn how to use one of Taylor Swift’s popular songs, along with an arts experience, to promote self-expression, increase self-esteem, and increase communication skills.

You’ll learn how to facilitate a lyric analysis for Kacey Musgraves’ beautiful song “Rainbow,” and create artwork that promotes communication and self-expression in your clients and students.

You’ll also learn my favorite song to use at the beginning of each year to get my students dreaming about their goals and plans for the year ahead. It involves a song discussion and art project that incorporates meaningful lyrics from the song.

The Ultimate Pop Song Bonus includes tons of other musical experience ideas that target speech and language, attention, executive function, and relaxation goals in ways that are engaging and cool for your teen clients.

It’s valued at $25, and is included FREE when you enroll in Tune In To Teens or The Attention & Perception E-Course by Sunday, January 19th.

Following that, the courses will no longer be available for purchase, as I will be focusing on other projects and offerings.

If you’re on the fence, hop off and enroll now!

The post Session Idea Blast for Tweens & Teens – Music & Art with Pop Songs appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

Happy New Year!

Things have turned chilly here in Pennsylvania. We have a snow storm on it’s way at the end of this weekend, which means my kiddos will inevitably have a snow day on Monday!

‘Tis the season of an erratic school schedule.

Nonetheless, I have big plans for later on in January – the Tune in To Teens and Attention & Perception E-Courses will be re-opened for enrollment!

So excited to be able to offer these popular courses again.

Leading up to the re-open launch, I’ll be doing a Session Idea Blast for Tweens & Teens by sharing some new ideas I’ve been implementing in my sessions recently.

The new year is the perfect time to gather and implement some fresh ideas, am I right?

Today, I’m sharing about a Musical Game called Music Man (a spin off of Hangman).

It’s as simple as this – choose a singer, band, song title, or song lyrics, and that will be what your students or clients need to guess.

Just as in regular Hangman, you’ll write on a wipe off board one blank line for each letter of the singer’s name, song title, etc.

Students can be in groups and guess letters until they can solve the Music Man puzzle and figure out the singer’s name, song title, etc.

(Check out the Tuneful Teens E-Book to see what I have students do if they guess the wrong letter, i.e. one that isn’t part of the singer’s name or song title!)

If they correctly solve the puzzle, we’ll then sing the song that they guessed and I’ll find a way to make it therapeutic based on those clients’ goals.

For example, if the song lyrics were “Baby now we got bad blood” by Taylor Swift, we might do a two-part movement pattern to the song.

If the band was Imagine Dragons, we might do instrument playing with cues.

This experience is awesome because tweens and teens LOVE it and are EXCITED about it, which means you have instant engagement.

But, you are working on social communication skills and expressive language, as students work together to solve the puzzle.

And, you can sprinkle in work on lots of other goals and objectives when you use the song therapeutically after the puzzle has been solved.

Tween/Teen engagement + work on therapeutic goals = WIN WIN.

If these ideas are sparking your interest, then you’ll be glad to know that the doors for the Tune In To Teens E-Course and The Attention & Perception E-Course will be opening on January 13th (at a discounted rate and for a limited time).

The session ideas and content in the courses are all geared toward school-age (K-8) and high school-age clients with disabilities, but can easily be adapted for other ages and clinical populations.

Each E-Course has three packages to choose from, ranging from 5-15 continuing education credits that are pre-approved with the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT).

Sarah Jarvis, a music therapy intern, had this to say about The Attention & Perception course:

“Would I recommend the course to others? Oh, absolutely. Your voice is easy to listen to, your videos are excellently edited, and your material is succinct and straightforward. For someone with ADD, this was AWESOME and so simple to stay attentive. 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. Thank you for making it a fun learning experience!”

And John Kneip, MT-BC, shared this with me about Tune in To Teens:

“I think this was the most organized and clearly presented online music therapy course I have ever taken. Thank you for so much for the valuable and useful information. I really appreciated the amount of specific, practical, and useful ideas.”

More than 400 music therapists, educators, and professionals have taken Wholesome Harmonies E-Courses and successfully put the ideas into use in their sessions and classrooms.

Stay tuned when they open for enrollment at a discounted rate and for a limited time next week!

The post Session Idea Blast for Tweens & Teens – Music Man appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

Nonetheless, I am peeking ahead to 2025. How about you?

I’ve had several people reach out and ask about joining one of the Wholesome Harmonies E-Courses.

Though these courses are currently closed, the GREAT news is that they will be open for enrollment in January 2025! 🎉

The new year is the perfect time for a fresh start, and a time to gather new ideas for your upcoming music therapy sessions and classes.

(Or to log some CMTE credits – each course has three packages available, ranging from 5-15 continuing ed credits that are pre-approved with CBMT).

​Tune In To Teens is designed for music therapists and other professionals who work with teens with autism and related disabilities and are passionate about providing sessions that truly rock.

It’s packed with creative intervention ideas, new songs, session planning inspiration, and strategies for success when working with teens with special needs.

​The Attention & Perception E-Course offers a multitude of creative intervention ideas for targeting auditory perception and attention skills. You’ll watch more than 30 video demonstrations. And, throughout the course you’ll learn creative intervention ideas, new original songs, and strategies for maintaining your clients’ attention throughout a session.

You’ll also have access to sheet music, colorful visuals, pop song rhythm sheets, listening guides, dance break MP3s, and creativity worksheets.

To be sure that you don’t miss out on the scoop for when the E-Courses are open for enrollment, you’ll want to hop on the wait lists now.

In addition to staying up to date on when and how you can enroll, you’ll get bonus material just for joining the wait list.

And remember, mark your calendar for January 2025 when both courses will be open for enrollment for a short window of time!

Enjoy your holiday season and I’ll see you in 2025!

The post 2025 E-Course Update (and get ready to mark your calendar!) appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

The Tune In To Teens and Attention & Perception E-Courses will soon be going on hiatus for the foreseeable future.

It makes me a little sad to say that.

These have been passion projects for me – putting my knowledge and passion about music therapy with tweens and teens into these E-Courses, hearing your positive feedback and stories of success, has been a joy.

As a continuing education provider for the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT), I pay to be a provider, and for each and every course offering so the credits will be pre-approved.

Since I’ll be putting my energy into new projects, like expanding the Elevate Email Idea Subscription, I’ve decided to no longer offer the Tune In To Teens and The Attention & Perception E-Courses.

BUT before I pull them, I’m going to offer them one last time at a discounted rate and with added bonus material, this week, January 15 – 19th.

Don’t worry! When you enroll, you’ll still have the full 3 or 6 months to complete the courses (depending on which package you choose), but the opportunity to purchase will end after Friday, January 19th (let me know if you have any questions on that!)

So…

if you’ve been on the fence about taking one of these courses,

if you need some pre-approved CMTEs (I’m talking 5-15 credits),

or if you need some cool and creative ideas for working with tweens and teens,

Now is the time to enroll.

​

Tune In To Teens is a resource designed for music therapists and other professionals who work with teens w/ autism and related disabilities, and are passionate about providing sessions that truly rock (think engaging AND cool).

The Basic Package includes the E-Course with video modules & demonstrations, session videos, GarageBand tutorials, sheet music, MP3s, and creativity worksheets.

Add on packages for additional CMTE credits include an article review in the Advanced Package, and email ideas and support in the Pro Package, all designed to set you up for success in your sessions with teens.

You can check out everything that’s included in Tune In To Teens and enroll here.

​The Attention & Perception E-Course was created for music therapists and other professionals who want to deepen their understanding of attention & perception, and use that knowledge to create engaging, effective, and FUN musical experiences to target those processes.

The Basic Package includes the E-Course with more than 30 video demonstrations, so you can see what the techniques look like in actual music therapy sessions.

Add on packages for additional CMTE credits include an article review in the Advanced Package, and email ideas and support in the Pro Package.

​Check out everything that’s included in the Attention course and enroll here.

PLUS, in addition to getting a discounted rate and 5-15 pre-approved continuing ed credits, when you enroll in either course this week, you’ll receive The Ultimate (I mean it!) Pop Song Bonus.

In this 12-page bonus, you’ll learn how to use songs by Imagine Dragons, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, Jason Aldean, and so many others to address a variety of therapeutic goals.

I’m telling you, this bonus material is just SO GOOD!

Julia Sullivan, MT-BC calls Tune In To Teens a “lifesaver course!” She says “I am working with high school and post-grad students for the first time. I struggled to make relevant, age-appropriate activities, and your course was the first thing I turned to. I’m having an easier time now and I thank you for the great information!

And, after taking The Attention & Perception course, Sarah Jarvis, a Music Therapy Intern, said: “Would I recommend the course to others? Oh, absolutely. Your voice is easy to listen to, your videos are excellently edited, and your material is succinct and straightforward. 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. Thank you for making it a fun learning experience!”

Can’t wait to see you over in the courses!

The post The Tune In To Teens and Attention & Perception E-Courses are going away appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m learning new music therapy techniques, I love to see them IN ACTION.

It’s one thing to read about techniques in a book or hear about them in class, and it’s another to see them being implemented in an actual session with clients.

That’s why I created a Music Therapy in Action Page on my site (all shared with permission from the client families).

This page is for parents and administrators to see what music therapy could look like for their children or students.

And it’s for music therapists to get new ideas and see how they might implement techniques with their own clients and students.

I always get inspired and invigorated when I watch videos of music therapy in action.

On the Music Therapy in Action page, you can check out examples in the following areas (click on each picture below):

You’ll watch videos showing:

• An original song with gross motor MOVEMENT around the room to teach shapes (one of my faves!)
• An original song with MOVEMENT to teach -AT words
• An original song and colorful file folder activity to work on matching numeral to quantity
• A singable story about mixing colors
• And, two attention & perception techniques implemented in a fun, creative way

You’ll watch videos showing:

• Musical Sensory Orientation Training with the cabasa to provide tactile stimulation
• Several music therapy experiences to work on sensory integration (one with the therapy ball, one with paint brushes used during a singable story, one with the trampoline, and one with the gathering drum used for spinning) – all used for my clients on the autism spectrum and with sensory processing disorders

Here, you’ll watch videos showing:

• How I use my primary instrument from college, the clarinet, to facilitate on gross motor movements

There’s plenty more to see on the Music Therapy in Action Page, so be sure to check it out and let me know which techniques you’ll be implementing this week!

The post Music Therapy in ACTION! appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

To practice affirmations through rap with Bow Wizzle.

To work on attention and perception skills using songs by Imagine Dragons and OneRepublic.

To move and groove using songs by BTS and AJR.

And, to engage in lyric analysis and songwriting to an incredible song by Sia.

Using popular and client preferred music is the KEY to engagement. That’s why it’s a primary focus in my Attention & Perception E-Course (which is opening for enrollment next Monday, May 15th).

The goal of the E-Course is to offer a thorough overview of attention and perception, and share a multitude of creative intervention ideas for targeting auditory perception, listening skills, and attention. For each intervention you’ll learn how to implement them using popular and client preferred music.

There are three packages to choose from, ranging from 5-15 CMTE credits, which are pre-approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT).

Throughout the course, you’ll learn creative musical experiences, new original songs, and strategies for maintaining your clients’ attention throughout a session. You’ll also have access to sheet music, colorful visuals, pop song rhythm sheets, listening guides, dance break MP3s, and creativity worksheets.

Each and every intervention can be facilitated via teletherapy or in person. There are more than 30 demonstration videos included in the course, so you can see what the techniques look like in action during actual music therapy sessions (this is one of the most raved about features!)

Here’s a brief spotlight on some of the creative, grab-and-go ideas you’ll find in the E-Course:

Pop Song Rhythms – Did you ever think you could use songs by Bruno Mars, Beyonce, and Drake to work on therapeutic goals? It is 100% possible. In the course, you’ll learn how to do that AND integrate your clients’ favorite songs to work on auditory perception skills in a way that is super engaging and fun.

Auditory Discrimination Games – See how you can integrate unique instruments like the rain stick, gong, electric guitar, chimes, canary stick, or oboe into your sessions to facilitate work on auditory discrimination skills (which are critical for speech and language development).

Music & Movement With Your Primary Instrument – Watch multiple videos where you’ll see demonstrations of how I use my clarinet to work on auditory discrimination skills (you will not believe some of the responses from the children!)

Themed Rhythmic Combos – Learn how to incorporate pizza toppings, favorite ice cream flavors, superheros, sports teams, and Disney princesses in a musical experience to give your clients practice with pattern imitation.

I Spy/I Hear – Learn how to facilitate a patriotic-themed I Spy/I Hear musical experience – this one is perfect for Memorial Day and Fourth of July.

Form a Band – Do you have a student who wants to sing or rap? What about drummers? Maraca players? Learn how to set up a band to engage your students in developing different kinds of attention. In the Course Docs, you’ll get sample scores, rhythm sheets, and blank score templates.

Pop Songs – See how I incorporate songs by Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, and Ariana Grande in my sessions in a variety of ways. You’ll learn how to incorporate your clients’ favorite music into these experiences too. They’ll be having so much fun they won’t even know they’re developing sustained, selective, and divided attention skills.

Listening Guides – Learn how you can incorporate listening guides as a way to not only work on developing your clients’ attention skills, but also to introduce them to a wide variety of music. Pop on over to the Course Documents to download PDF Listening Guides for Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, the Nutcracker Suite, and Spooky Halloween Music. And, you’ll learn how to create your own Listening Guides that are tailored to your students’ and clients’ musical interests.

Jazz Up Your Instrument Playing Activities – Learn creative ways to jazz up a bland instrument playing activity so your clients are more engaged and better able to meet their attention goals.

This is just a small sampling of what you’ll learn in the course.

All the ideas shared are considered “cool” by my school-age and teen clients (which is a plus if we want them engaging in the experiences to work toward their goals).

And, they’ll give your clients multiple opportunities to refine their auditory perception skills (which are KEY for being able to listen in the classroom and in social situations).

Although the ideas in the course are designed for school-age clients (Grades K-8) and teens, they are easily adaptable for older or younger populations.

If these ideas piqued your interest, then you’ll be glad to know that the doors for The Attention & Perception E-Course will be opening next week, on Monday, May 15th.

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

When you join the waitlist, you’ll hear about special discounts and promotions so you can access all those CMTEs at a discounted rate, and get access to free bonus material.

You’ll get a Pop Song Rhythms freebie right away when you hop on the waitlist, so you can get a sneak peek of the materials you’ll get inside the course.

More than 400 music therapists, educators, and professionals have taken Wholesome Harmonies E-Courses and successfully put the ideas into use in their sessions and classrooms.

Sarah Jarvis, a music therapy intern, had this to say about the course:

“Would I recommend the course to others? Oh, absolutely. Your voice is easy to listen to, your videos are excellently edited, and your material is succinct and straightforward. For someone with ADD, this was AWESOME and so simple to stay attentive. 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. Thank you for making it a fun learning experience!”

And Kaitlyn Southgate, a music teacher, said:

“I found that everything was clearly explained and loved the examples that followed. I would definitely recommend the course to others. I personally feel much more prepared to work with these young clients and feel that this course would provide anyone with fantastic new approaches. Thank you for another wonderful course!”

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

The post Pop Song Spotlight: The Attention & Perception E-Course appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

Have you been keeping up with the Pop Song Spotlight posts?

The past two blogs have been about the best songs for working on attention skills with instruments (Imagine Dragons and OneRepublic are part of this spotlight) and the best songs for movement (a few are perfect for the upcoming summer months).

Today, I’m spotlight-ing Sia’s “Unstoppable.”

Not only is this song fantastic for a lyric analysis and song discussion, it also lends itself to fill-in-the-blank songwriting.

From the very first line, where she sings “All smiles, I know what it takes to fool this town,” you can tell this is a powerful song.

“I put my armor on, show you how strong I am. I put my armor on, I’ll show you that I am…”

Following that is an opportunity for fill-in-the blank songwriting.

Your clients and students can switch up the words “I’m unstoppable / invincible / powerful / confident” with uplifting adjectives to describe themselves.

If Sia is a “Porshe with no brakes,” your clients can explore and envision, what are they? Use a figure of speech to depict what that is.

There are so many directions you can go with this song. Let your students’ and clients’ goals and areas of need guide you.

I’m looking forward to using this in the Healing Arts Program I’ve been facilitating at our local high school’s autistic support classroom here in Pennsylvania.

If these ideas are sparking your interest, then you’ll be glad to know that the doors for The Attention & Perception E-Course will be opening soon, on May 15th (at a discounted rate). The session ideas are all geared toward school-age (K-8) and high school-age clients.

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

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

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

Ashlyn Riley, MT-BC, had this to say about the course:

“I really liked how you showed so many examples of the techniques and interventions being use in actual music therapy sessions. I would recommend this E-Course to others! The course gave great information on how to engage clients in attention activities in a variety of different ways.”

And Nicole Birmaher, MT-BC, shared this with me:

“I think the videos were the most helpful and enjoyable! It is one thing to have something verbally explained to you and totally different experience when you can actually see an example of what you are being taught. I would recommend the course to others! I think this course has so many benefits for not only children with autism. I think it can be applied to other populations and great to have this information in your back pocket! It is something great to add to your MT tool box. It was wonderful, thank you Amy!”

More than 400 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 Pop Song Spotlight: Songwriting with Sia appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

My pop song spotlight series started with a look at Snoop Dogg’s kids album (it’s a treasure, I promise you!), followed by a look at some cool, current songs I’m using to work on attention skills with instruments.

Today, I’m focusing on the best current pop songs that can be used for movement.

I usually facilitate two types of movement experiences when working with tweens and teens: movement patterns to music and dancing to music.

‘Movement patterns to music’ means I come up with two main movement patterns for the song, usually one for the verses and one for the chorus. They movements can be ANYTHING you can dream up, and any movement patterns your clients would benefit from. For example:

pat, pat, clap

stomp, clap

tap right, tap left, clap

roll arms, arms up in the air

wave /wiggle arms

Here are some great songs to put movement patterns to:

“Blinding Lights” and “Take My Breath” by The Weeknd

“A-O-K” by Tai Verdes

“Dynamite” by BTS

“Levitating” by Dua Lipa

“Summer Vibe” (Pegato Remix) by Walk Off the Earth – cue this up for summer!

“Savage Love” (clean version) by Jason Derulo

“Bang!” by AJR

“Jalebi Baby” by Tesher and Jason Derulo

And, here are some great songs to dance to:

“Wake Up America” by Miley Cyrus (included because I used it recently as part of an Earth Day-themed session)

“Sunroof” by Nicky Youre and Dazy

“I Ain’t Worried” by OneRepublic

“Love Never Felt So Good” by Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson

“The Family Madrigal” from Encanto

“Love On Top” by Beyonce

If these ideas are sparking your interest, then you’ll be glad to know that the doors for The Attention & Perception E-Course will be opening on May 15th (at a discounted rate). The session ideas are all geared toward school-age (K-8) and high school-age clients.

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

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

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

Sarah Jarvis, a music therapy intern, had this to say about the course:

“Would I recommend the course to others? Oh, absolutely. Your voice is easy to listen to, your videos are excellently edited, and your material is succinct and straightforward. For someone with ADD, this was AWESOME and so simple to stay attentive. 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. Thank you for making it a fun learning experience!”

And Debi Kret, MM, MT-BC, shared this with me:

“I worked in Special Ed for almost 25 years and you and I are on the same page. I loved the way you used your clarinet. I keep telling my interns to use their primary instrument. I have also tried to explain several of the concepts like the way you described the instrument and had them count the pieces while you put it away. Great to have video examples for my interns!”

More than 400 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 Pop Song Spotlight: Best Songs for Movement appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

Today’s blog post title is a bit of a mouthful, I’ll admit.

But stick around, because this pop song spotlight is a good one.

After taking a look last week at how Snoop Dogg’s new kids album can be used therapeutically, I’m going to share some songs today that can be used to work on those ever-important attention skills.

Attention skills are a primary area of focus when I’m working with middle and high school students because these skills transfer directly to the classroom.

They’re needed to ensure our students can maintain focus on a  quiz through to completion (sustained attention!), or tune out chatter in the hallway so they can focus on their teacher’s instructions (selective attention!)

One way I work on this in my music therapy sessions with tweens and teens is to sing a popular or preferred song and give them a word or phrase to listen for. When they hear that word or phrase, they’re instructed to raise their instruments in the air (or switch instruments with a friend, or whatever instruction you’d like them to follow).

This gives students the opportunity to practice selective attention by focusing in on and listening for a specific word or phrase.

Here are a few of the recent songs I’ve used for this experience:

Taylor Swift “Shake It Off”

OneRepublic “I Ain’t Worried”

Tai Verdes “A-O-K”

Beyonce “Love On Top”

Imagine Dragons “Enemy”

For each of the above songs, students are listening for the word or phrase that is the title, so this makes it pretty straightforward. These words are repeated throughout the song, giving them plenty of opportunities to practice the objective behavior.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share more popular songs and how I’ve been using them to meet therapeutic goals in my sessions with tweens and teens, middle and high schoolers.

If these ideas are sparking your interest, then you’ll be glad to know that the doors for The Attention & Perception E-Course will be opening very soon (mid-May). Yay!

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

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

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

Lynda Miller, MT-BC had this to say about the course:

“Thank you for creating The Attention and Perception E-Course!  I have been encouraged, inspired, and moved to action by the way you presented this subject.  Instructions to “Stop now and fill out creativity worksheet” were effective and I used several of the ideas that same week.  My clients have responded positively to both the interventions and my renewed excitement.  Your E-Course has been worth every penny and my clients  and I thank you!”

And Kaitlyn Southgate, a music teacher, shared this with me:

“I found that everything was clearly explained and loved the examples that followed. I would definitely recommend the course to others. I personally feel much more prepared to work with these young clients and feel that this course would provide anyone with fantastic new approaches. Thank you for another wonderful course!”

More than 400 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 Pop Song Spotlight: Best Songs for Working on Attention Skills with Instruments appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

I couldn’t be more excited to share with you that The Attention & Perception E-Course is OPEN for enrollment (and available at a discounted rate), this week only, January 24 – 28th.

Attention and perception are fundamental abilities that underlie all the other skills we work on with our clients and students.

Our clients can’t improve social skills or practice motor skills until they can attend.

Our students can’t increase communication abilities or learn new academic concepts until they can attend.

The Attention and Perception E-Course was created for music therapists, educators, and other professionals who want to deepen their understanding of attention and perception, and use that knowledge to create engaging and effective musical experiences to target those processes.

The E-Course is open for enrollment THIS WEEK ONLY, 1/24 – 1/28, and during that time I’m offering a discount on all three packages:

Basic: E-Course
5 continuing ed credits (pre-approved)

The E-Course offers a thorough overview of attention and perception, and gives a multitude of creative intervention ideas for targeting auditory perception skills, and sustained, selective, divided, alternating, and joint attention.

You’ll watch more than 30 video demonstrations (!!), so you can see what the techniques look like in action during actual music therapy sessions.

And, throughout the course you’ll learn new original songs, as well as strategies for maintaining your clients’ attention throughout a session. You’ll have access to sheet music, colorful visuals, pop song rhythm sheets, listening guides, dance break MP3s, and creativity worksheets.

♪ Advanced: E-Course | Article Review + Reflection Questions
8 continuing ed credits (pre-approved)

For the article review, you’ll read “Joint Attention Responses of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder to Simple Versus Complex Music” (I’ll provide it to you!) and answer reflection questions. This will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of joint attention and the kind of music that is most effective in eliciting responses to joint attention.

Pro: E-Course | Article Review + Reflection Qs | Email Idea Subscription + Support (most popular!)
​​15 continuing ed credits (pre-approved)

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

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 ask me any questions regarding the topics and techniques you’re learning in the course.

BONUS: Each package above comes with fun and engaging bonus material that’s perfect for use during teletherapy or in-person sessions: An Uptown Funk Listening Guide for your Bruno Mars fans.

I would love to have you join me in the course! It’s been so much fun to put together and is packed with great information.

As a quick recap, when you enroll this week, 1/24 – 1/28, you’ll get all of the following:

• A discounted rate
• An E-Course jam packed with creative and fun ideas for targeting attention & perception skills
• Three packages to choose from, pre-approved by CBMT for 5 – 15 CMTE credits
• Creativity Worksheets that will prompt and inspire you to create your own musical experiences based on what you’re learning in the course
• Bonus Material: Uptown Funk Listening Guide​

Here’s what course participants are saying:

“I enjoyed watching the course instructor demonstrate the different techniques and how she offered additional ideas for sessions. I would recommend the course to others. The information was straightforward and very easy to follow, and it provided a great overview of the topic. Great course, thank you!”
– Sara Williams, MT-BC

“I loved the videos! It allowed me to see everything from the the slides being put into action. Which helps me a lot! Would I recommend the course to others? Yes, because it is a great way to learn and understand about the clients you are serving and some great ideas for interventions on how to serve them.”
– Ashley Grampp, Music Therapy Intern

You ready to join The Attention & Perception E-Course?

Can’t wait to see you over in the course!

The post The Attention & Perception E-Course is OPEN For Enrollment appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.