I am on a mission to figure out how to use “not so therapeutic” songs therapeutically.

I know for me, it is really tough when my clients or students like songs that are not necessarily “appropriate” for school, or seem to me to have little therapeutic value due to the content and lyrics.

But it’s important to me to learn how to use these songs in our sessions as a way to: a) validate my clients’ musical taste (therefore validating THEM!), and b) better engage them to work on their goals and objectives.

My brain LOVES this creative challenge, so I am sharing what I’ve come up with in this blog series.

In last week’s post, I shared how to facilitate Name That Tune with a Twist – it’s a simple way to work in those songs that you don’t know how to otherwise use purposefully.

(And to work on attention perception skills).

Today, I’m sharing another way to use not-so -therapeutic songs therapeutically: use them in relaxation experiences.

I play most of the music used in my sessions live, but for relaxation experiences I’ll often use recorded music. This way, my hands are free to model movements.

Here are some of my favorite songs to use during relaxation experiences:

• “A Thousand Years” from Twilight – Piano Guys version
• “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran – Conkarah Reggae cover
• “Meant to Be” by Bebe Rexha on violin
• “Someday” from Disney’s Zombies ballad or reprise  – karaoke track
• “Bird Song” by The Wailin’ Jennys (I use this in my Spring-themed sessions)
• “America the Beautiful” (for my patriotic-themed sessions)
• “Buchanan Mist” by Paul Machlis (for St. Paddy’s day sessions)
• “Wintersong” by Ingrid Michaelson & Sarah Bareilles (for winter-themed sessions)

These songs are familiar to my tween and teen clients, so there is instant engagement, but they also lend themselves to stretching, breathing, and winding down at the end of a session.

Here’s how to make this super customized for YOUR unique clients:

Search for the instrumental versions of their favorite songs (like “Meant to Be” on violin) or the karaoke track of their favorite songs (like “Someday” karaoke).

If this idea has helped or sparked something for you, keep that spark alive! Now through August 31, 2025, you can sign up for Elevate at a discounted rate AND with some awesome bonus material.

Elevate is an email idea subscription designed to help you infuse creativity and FUN into your sessions with school-age & teen clients with autism & related disabilities. You’ll earn 10 pre-approved CMTE credits per package.

These resources will super charge you and get you ready for your music therapy sessions and classes this Fall.

There are three packages to choose from: the Teen Package, the Attention/Perception Package, or The Holidays & Themes Package.

Each package is approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) for 10 continuing education credits.

You’ll receive an email with new musical experience ideas in your inbox each month for six months.

Click here to sign up for Elevate now through August 31st, so you can take advantage of the discounted rate AND bonus material: Keeping Things Cool for Your Teen Clients in Music Therapy.

In this bonus PDF, you’ll get:

• Where to hang out to find new music for teens
• Great pop songs for movement with teens (2025 edition!)
• How to keep things age appropriate and cool
• Why & how to use client preferred music

The post Using Not-So-Therapeutic Songs Therapeutically: Pop Music Relaxation appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

It’s a snow day here in Pennsylvania – a far cry from the 80 degree Januarys we experienced when we lived in Florida!

Before I go outside to shovel and sled with my kiddos, I wanted to write up a quick blog to continue the Session Idea Blast Series I started last week.

In the last post, I shared about a musical game that my middle and high school students LOVE.

They love it because it’s competitive, allows them to work in teams, and incorporates their favorite music.

I love it because it allows me to easily customize the goals to fit the needs of each of my unique students.

Today, I’m sharing about a musical experience called Pop Song Listening Games.

Games that help our clients refine the auditory perception and listening skills that help them succeed in classroom and work settings.

Here’s how it goes –

Start by creating a list of popular and client preferred music.

Then, on your favorite video platform, look up versions of those songs played on different instruments.

For example –

“Havana” by Camila Cabello played on flute.

“We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Encanto on trumpet.

“Antihero” by Taylor Swift on clarinet.

You can also play live versions yourself!

Play the song for your clients, and they’ll guess the song AND the instrument that is playing.

You can turn it into a game by dividing your clients into two or three smaller groups, or have the group participate as a whole.

After they correctly guess the song and instrument, play the original version of the song and everyone can jam and sing along.

This game is a great way for students to practice those oh so important attention and perception skills!

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 next week, 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).

Lynda Miller, MT-BC, had this to say about The Attention & Perception 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 Anna Ruffle, MT-BC, shared this with me about Tune in To Teens:

“Thank you for sharing your tips and experience with this population!! The features I enjoyed most were the resources, session ideas, implementation tips – all of it!! I would definitely recommend to anyone struggling with building rapport, coming up with ideas, presenting engaging, relevant content to teen groups. It was a very organized, detailed, helpful course! It is such a great, thought-through, and thorough course that I have already recommended it to other MTs I work with.“

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 – Pop Song Listening Games appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

Summer is here!

Can’t you just smell the grill and taste the gooey marshmallows?

Last weekend, my kiddos and I went away with some friends. We rented a cabin in the mountains, went rail biking, and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the campfire.

My mouth is watering just thinking about how good the s’mores were.

This trip definitely put me in the mood for all things SUMMER.

So, I decided to do a little refresh of the Summer Music Therapy Session Planning Pack and put it on sale now through Friday, June 14, so you can get all prepped for your summer sessions.

In this E-Book, you’ll learn creative summer-themed musical experiences that are effective with school-age and teen clients.

You’ll learn ideas for singing and song discussion, creative movement, and songwriting; how to facilitate a Musical I Spy Game and Finish the Phrase; and how to use mini raps to engage and connect with your teen clients.

You’ll learn creative ways to use these ideas in summer, beach, and patriotic themed sessions.

Along with the E-Book, you’ll get: beautiful visuals, colorful picture cards, and lyric sheets that can be printed or pulled up on your device. You’ll also get: musical game templates, songwriting templates, and looped hip hop beat MP4s.

Everything you need to implement the ideas in your sessions right away!

If you feel like you’re in a creative rut, or are lacking in planning time, I’ve got you covered.

Nell Miller, MT-BC called the Music Therapy Session Planning Packs  “creative and wonderful” and says “I appreciate your ideas. You’ve helped me think of more varied things to try.”

Ashley Lewis, MM, MT-BC says “I of course love your resources and I think you are brilliant. Your visuals are the best I’ve ever seen! I’m a huge fan of yours and I can’t wait to see what you come up with next because I will be buying it.”

Check out everything that’s included and purchase your copy here while it’s still on sale:

The post The Summer Music Therapy Session Planning Pack is ON SALE! appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

I don’t know about you, but I love to take a peek at what other music therapists are doing, especially if they work with a similar population as I do (middle and high schoolers with autism and related disabilities).

It helps give me some fresh ideas, which are sometimes needed after nearly TWENTY YEARS in the field!!

I thought maybe you would like to do the same, so over the next few blog posts, I’ll be doing a summer series called Session Sneak Peeks.

You can take a peek into what I’m doing with my MT clients and students, and see if the ideas spark some new ones for you.

This past week, in my group sessions with middle schoolers, high schoolers, and young adults with autism and related disabilities, we did:

Movement Patterns to Pop Music – “Enemy” by Imagine Dragons (a crowd favorite for these clients) to work on gross motor skills and alternating attention

• Verses: Left Hand tap knee, Right Hand tap knee, clap, rest (repeat)
• Chorus: Pat knees, Clap, Snap, Clap (repeat)

Affirmation Rap by Snoop Dogg – I used a rap track that I’d created on GarageBand and rapped over top (yep, I rapped). The students clapped to keep the beat along with me, and echoed each affirmation back. Then, the students gave their own suggestions for affirmations and we added those to the rap. Afterwards, we  talked about why affirmations are important and how we can incorporate them into our daily routine.

This musical experience was designed to help improve self-esteem and self-image.

Auditory Perception Training (APT) with Pop Music – Again, I incorporated client-reported favorite tunes. On YouTube, I found versions of each song played on a symphonic instrument:

• “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”  from Encanto on trumpet
• “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi on marimba (check it out – it’s very cool!)
• “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift on flute
• “Levitating” by Dua Lipa on clarinet

Students were then asked to name the tune AND name the instrument playing that tune. Super fun and engaging, and a great way to work on those auditory perception and listening skills that are critical for success in the classroom.

Stay tuned as I share more Session Sneak Peeks this summer! My kiddos are home with me for summer break, but I want to stay on top of blogging and sharing, because I love doing it.

If you’d like more creative ideas for your sessions this summer, check out the Summer Session Planning Pack (Previously the “Virtual Session Planning Pack for Summer). The E-Book is packed with creative, summer-themed session ideas for your school-age and teen clients.

And, this week only, June 10-14, it’s ON SALE so you can get all prepped for your summer sessions!

Ashley Lewis, MM, MT-BC says “I of course love your resources and I think you are brilliant. Your visuals are the best I’ve ever seen! I’m a huge fan of yours and I can’t wait to see what you come up with next because I will be buying it.”

The post Session Sneak Peek: Imagine Dragons + The Affirmations Rap appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

I used to start all my music therapy sessions with teens the same way I would start my sessions with kids – a Hello song.

I cringe now because for many of the teen clients I worked with, I think this made them feel like a child.

This was definitely not my intent.

My intent was to have a way to bring everyone together and mark the start of the session.

So, I moved away from Hello Songs and began using Group Rounds.

Here are some of the group rounds I’ve used that have been effective with middle and high school students with autism and related disabilities:

Drumming Round – Each student selects a drum. Together, we keep a steady beat and each student takes a turn to chant “My name is ____________, I like ___________ (favorite singer or band), and here’s my beat.” They then play a rhythm on their drum and the next student goes.

Instrument Round – I place a variety of rhythm instruments at the center of the table. Each student chooses an instrument and plays it in a way that demonstrates how they are feeling in that moment. For example, if they’re feeling tired, they might select the guiro and play it softly and slowly. The other students then try to guess how that student is feeling.

Song Round – I print out a list of songs on a piece of paper. Each student circles the song that best describes how they’re feeling that day. As they feel comfortable, they can share with the group and briefly state why they’re feeling that way.

Here are some of the song lists I’ve used:

“Complete Mess” by 5 Seconds of Summer

“Problems” by DeathbyRomy

“OKAY!” By KayCyy

“Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish

“Superstar” by Beach House

Other: ___________________________________________

“Falling” by Trevor Daniel

“Super Gremlin” by Kodak Black

“In My Head” by Lil Tjay

“A-O-K” by Tai Verdes

“Dynamite” by BTS

“Let’s Get It Started” by The Black Eyed Peas

Other: ____________________________

I hope these ideas get the wheels turning for you about how you can move from a Hello Song to group rounds with your teen clients and students.

If you need more ideas for how to infuse creativity and FUN into your music therapy sessions and music classes with middle and high schoolers, check out the Elevate Email Idea Subscription.

It’s now approved by CBMT for 10 continuing education credits per package (previously it was 7)!

And, each Elevate Package (there are three to choose from) will be on sale the week of April 15th.

The post Group Music Therapy Rounds for Teens 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.

A few days ago, I don’t remember how it happened, but it came across my radar that Snoop Dogg has a kid’s album.

Yep, you read that right.

I wasted zero time in YouTubing this so I could hear exactly what the album was all about.

Much to my surprise, the album is not only adorable, but the songs can be used therapeutically in our sessions!

The first one I listened to was the two-part Affirmations Rap. It’s simply sweet, effective, and has a cool back beat that I know my middle school clients and students will love.

Just search “Snoop Dogg Kids Album” in YouTube and your ears will be blessed with the sounds of Bow Wizzle telling you “Anything is possible.” And “Every problem has an answer.”

Further on in the album, he takes “Row Row Row Your Boat,” adds a back beat, and raps that “Yap yap you’re the winner of the first race. Repping girl power coming in first place. Perseverance is power!” Genius.

“Everybody’s Different” with it’s rap about “wearing our differences loud and proud” gives me warm fuzzies.

I don’t know about you, but my wheels are turning not only about how these songs can be used therapeutically, but also how I could turn other kid’s songs into these fun little raps (I talk about this a lot on the blog).

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.

Debi Kret, MM, MT-BC had this to say about the course:

“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!”

And Laura Pruett, MT-BC shared this with me:

“I think the course is great. I didn’t realize there was so much to dissect about attention and perception, it was very informative. My favorite feature of the course was how organized everything was.”

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: Snoop Dogg’s New Album appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

In music therapy, the music is what we use to captivate and engage our clients so they can work on attention goals, social goals, communication goals, or whatever the goal areas might be.

But as music therapists, we have to find and use the music that our clients actually like.

That music might be Drake, Billy Joel, or Ariana Grande. Or, artists we’ve never heard of!

What happens, though, when the music your clients’ like doesn’t appear – at first – to have therapeutic value?

I’ve come to learn that there are many ways we can therapeutically use the music that our clients enjoy.

Even if we can’t analyze the lyrics or find a deep, take away message to discuss.

Here are some creative ways I use music that doesn’t appear (at first) to have therapeutic potential – 

Movement – All you need is a good beat! I’ve used songs by the Jonas Brothers, Beyonce, and many others to get my clients up and moving together. You could have them dance, or do preset movement patterns to go along with different parts of the song.

Musical Games – Include the songs in games like Name That Tune or Music Jeopardy. Or, include the artists in games like Guess Who. I also love to do Mini Musical Bios about my client’s favorite singers and bands (more about that in the Virtual Music Therapy Session Planning Pack!)

Pop Song Rhythms – Create rhythm patterns to go along with the songs – one pattern for the verse and another for the chorus. I create colorful rhythm sheets and introduce my clients to notes and rests so they can clap or tap along to the music.

The Tune In To Teens Email Idea Subscription and The Attention & Perception Email Idea Subscription, each worth 7 CMTEs, include descriptions of these musical experiences, supplementary materials like rhythm sheets, and ideas for how to incorporate your clients’ favorite songs into the experiences.

When we use the music that our clients are into, what does this communicate to them?

I see you.

I hear you.

What you say matters.

You matter.

If I had a music therapist who used Backstreet Boys songs in a session with me back in the early 2000s, I would have been THRILLED (insert monkey covering eyes emoji)!

If this post sparked a few ideas, stay tuned! The Tune In To Teens E-Course will be opening for enrollment at a discounted rate very soon.

In Tune In To Teens I share more creative ways you can use pop music and your clients’ preferred music in your sessions.

More on that here:

Madeline Feenstra, MT-BC had this to say about the course:

“I would recommend this course to others! I feel as though this course gave me new and exciting interventions to try with several of my teen groups that I had been struggling to come up with new interventions for. Also, I personally was struggling with how mundane those sessions felt; so this course got me excited to go to those sessions and try some new interventions. “

And, Anna Ruffle, MT-BC said:

“Thank you for sharing your tips and experience with this population!! The features I enjoyed most were the resources, session ideas, implementation tips – all of it!! I would definitely recommend to anyone struggling with building rapport, coming up with ideas, presenting engaging, relevant content to teen groups. It was a very organized, detailed, helpful course! It is such a great, thought-through, and thorough course that I have already recommended it to other MTs I work with.“

I’d love to see you over in the course, too!

The post How To Therapeutically Use Songs That Don’t Seem To Have Therapeutic Value appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

Today, I want to share a second song I wrote, called “Today I Will,” to help this student stay in the Green Zone of Regulation (meaning they are calm, focused, and ready to learn).

I incorporated a phrase that the team and parents frequently use:

“Today I will ________________.”

Then, filled in the blank with phrases such as “listen to my teachers,” “follow my schedule,” and “do my work.”

Listen to the song (I added a beat and movement pattern too!) and see if it might be helpful for the students with whom you work:

Customize it for your students and clients by filling in the blank with phrases that will help them stay focused and ready to learn.

Leave a comment below to let us know what those phrases are!

The post Song Share for School-Age Clients: “Today I Will” appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

I provide group, individual, and consult music therapy services for their middle and high school students with autism and related disabilities (which I absolutely love doing).

During the consult for one student who has music therapy on their IEP, the team shared that it would be helpful to have a song to remind this student of how to stay in the Green Zone.

This refers to the Zones of Regulation.

Staying in the Green Zone means you’re feeling happy, calm, and okay; you’re focused and ready to learn.

The team shared several other phrases that they repeat for this student, such as “School is for learning,” and “Quiet and safe hands,” all of which I incorporated into the song.

Have a listen to “Let’s Stay In The Green Zone” and see if it might be helpful for the students with whom you work:

And, you can click below to download the lyrics so you can use the song in your sessions this week:

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