The ink has barely dried on my Beach Themed blog posts and already I'm realizing people are posting first day of school pics of their kids. That can only mean one thing - it's back to school time! Looks like it's time to shift gears. I'm excited, though, because at the end of August I'll be [...]
I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to put my summer session plans away just yet! I love using my uke and singing about relaxing days at the beach. There are so many creative ways to design sensory, cognitive, and movement activities around a beach theme (click here to check out some of those [...]
I love a good themed session, don't you? I like using themes because they help me think outside the box to find new ideas to use, and really inspire me to be creative in how I help my clients meet their goals. This month, it's all about the BEACH! Here are some of the experiences I [...]
'The lazy days of summer are here." Whoever came up with that saying has not met a music therapist in private practice! Although we may tend to have a lighter caseload when clients are out of town, it seems there is never a shortage of things to do. One thing I'm doing this summer is [...]
Today is the final post for my video series on Music Therapy + Cognition. I've had so much fun putting these videos together! You can catch up on the past posts and videos here: Part 1: Using the clarinet to work on localization Part 2: Using rhythm instruments to work on auditory perception skills Today [...]
Two weeks ago I started a new blog series that I was SUPER excited about: how we can use music therapy interventions to address cognitive function. And then... ...my website decided it did not want to play nice anymore. I had a few little glitches occur, which is why the blog post for last Wednesday [...]
There are a ton of lesson and session planning resources out there for teachers and therapists who work with children. Just scroll through Pinterest and you'll see the ideas out there are endless! One of the best resources I've found for creating visuals for my academic activities is a site called FileFolderFun.com. This site has free [...]
It's not always easy to find songs that are: a) considered "cool" by the teens I work and b) able to be used therapeutically. I know because this year I've spent countless hours listening to songs and watching videos on YouTube. Sometimes it's slim pickings. But, a few weeks ago I came back to a song [...]
Winter in Miami is palm trees, 75 degree weather and tank tops. It's pretty blissful. But I have to admit I get a little envious when I see people on Facebook posting their pictures of the snow falling at night lit up by the street lights or kids playing outside in the snow. Because we don't [...]
I'll admit firsthand that I've been a little hesitant to incorporate improvisation into my sessions. I never knew quite where to start or how to musically support my clients. Also, my clients (who are mostly on the autism spectrum) need a lot of structure, so I didn't know how they would handle the "musical freedom," [...]
