No, not really! It's just the name of the newest release for my Saturday Song Share series! Hello and Goodbye Songs are an important part of my music therapy sessions for children with special needs. They are not necessarily right for all populations and settings, but for my children's groups, they provide structure and predictability, as well [...]
We have a *newly updated* Songs for Kids web page! There you'll find a variety of my original songs that that can be used in your music therapy sessions or music classes! The songs address a variety of goals and fall under the following domains: Academic, Communication, Move & Groove, Social Skills, and Sense-ational. When you visit the page, [...]
This week I am on vacation from my job as a music therapist at UCP's Early Beginnings Academy. Yay! But, I'm not off from my work at Wholesome Harmonies! So, I decided this would be a great opportunity to share some new songs with you! Each day this week I will share a new song, [...]
When I come up with new activities for my sessions at UCP's Early Beginnings Academy, I often consult the teacher's lesson plans. Not only do they give me lots of great ideas for new song topics, but it ensures that my sessions are directly lining up with and supporting the classroom curriculum. This week, some [...]
I was recently contacted by the editor of Specialneeds.com, an online resource for parents of children with special needs. The editor asked if I would take part in Autism Awareness Month by writing an article about music therapy and autism. I was more than happy to do this! This topic is near and dear to [...]
Auditory Stimulation In honor of the beginning of Spring (although it always feels like Spring in Miami!) I'm continuing my series on Sense-ational Activities. Sense-ational activities are those that target the five senses. I've shared activities that provide olfactory stimulation, tactile stimulation, and multisensory stimulation. Today's post will focus on an activity I use to provide auditory stimulation. [...]
I love my job. I'll just say it. I have been employed full-time as a music therapist at UCP's Early Beginnings Academy since 2006. I remember when I first started the job thinking "This feeling will pass. It will become mundane." But it never did. I still wake up in the morning and am excited [...]
"Every week had 7 days, every week has 7 days!" The 'Days of the Week' Song is often heard being sung through the hallways of UCP's Early Beginnings Academy. For my preschool and Kindergarten children, this song teaches some very important concepts: - Every week has 7 days - The names of the days of the week [...]
What do you do? The idea for this song came about when I was working with a child with autism, providing individual music therapy. I found that it was easy for her to learn academic skills (numbers, colors, lettters) because of the rote memorization involved to learn the information. However, when it came to questions about how [...]
One of the places where I provide music therapy is the Chabad Center of Kendall's Friendship Circle. Friendship Circle is a place where children and teens with disabilities can come to take part in a variety of activities: karate, yoga, gymnastics, dance, art, music therapy, and more. Each child [...]
