As April is winding down, so is the school year here at University of Miami (UM), where I've been teaching this past school year. It has been an incredible year and I have learned so, so much! I'm looking forward to the coming months, where I have a few major life changes coming down the [...]
Bravery - This is a theme that's reappeared quite frequently in the last year or two....in Disney movies and in songs. I think this theme is very relevant to teens and so I decided to incorporate it into my music therapy sessions last week. These are sessions for teens with autism and other special needs and [...]
As music therapists we are skilled at using various musical elements to systematically help us achieve or bring about a desired behavior. In my work with children with autism and other special needs, I use the V7 chord to build anticipation and prompt a verbal response. ("It's a....it's a.....dog!") I use a 6/8 meter to [...]
Last week, I shared some of my favorite St. Paddy's Day session ideas for my middle school and teen music therapy groups. Check that post out HERE! Today I want to share a few more ideas. I always love having a theme or holiday to inspire my session planning! Movement to an Irish Jig There [...]
Sensory-based interventions are some of my favorite to incorporate into my music therapy sessions. Many of the children I work with who have special needs are also sensory-based learners. This means they learn about their world through their senses - sight, touch, hearing, even taste! Here is an original song I wrote to use in my sensory sessions [...]
Those of you who have purchased Tuneful Teens: Creative Ideas for Engaging Adolescents in Music Therapy know that there is something cool I added to the package a few months ago. A FREE update! As I continued to work with teens with autism and other special needs I began seeing that the songs I used [...]
Two weeks ago I wrote a blog post that generated a LOT of comments! I love when this happens because it helps me feel like I'm not alone with some of the things I'm going through in my sessions. This particular blog post was about breaking free my obsession with session planning. And realizing that [...]
I have to say that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! Although it's usually still pretty hot and sticky here in Miami, I always enjoy singing songs about pumpkins, ghosts, and goblins. Last year I shared two videos of special Halloween singable stories: "Big Pumpkin" and "Nightsong" (these were a little different than my usual [...]
Well hello there! I wasn't able to blog last Wednesday because I was out "in the field," so to speak, observing my practicum students. I had the opportunity to visit the Debbie Institute, the Veteran's Administration Hospital, and back to United Cerebral Palsy! It was exciting to see the students working in the field and [...]
Friday was my last day with the children at UCP!! I can't believe it! I'll be leaving United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) to start my new position as Interim Professor of Music Therapy at University of Miami. There are many things that I'll miss about UCP, but most of all will be the children. Don't worry ~ [...]
