Top 10 Songs About The Weather
I don’t know what it’s like in your neck of the woods, but here in the Midwest, the weather is a popular topic of discussion. It doesn’t matter whether it’s rainy, snowy, or a perfectly sunny day – the weather is a pretty reliable conversation starter. Here’s a collection of 10 songs about the weather,…
Read MoreTop 10 Rules To Break In Music Therapy Groups In Senior Living
As diligent students, we music therapists graduate from our programs and become board-certified with certain ideas of how things should work in music therapy sessions. But of course, music therapists work with people, and with human beings, there is an exception to every rule. As I’ve matured as a clinician, I have gained flexibility in…
Read MoreSong Spotlight: “Come Fly With Me”
Theme: Flying, Travel, Romance Mood: Upbeat Genre: 1950s easy listening Ask anyone of a certain age about their favorite musicians, and there’s a decent chance they’ll name Frank Sinatra. Born in December 1915, the son of Italian immigrants, Frank Sinatra made his mark as a singer, actor, arranger, producer, and director. He was one of…
Read MoreSeasons of Advocacy
This post is about music therapy for older adults. If you love both of those – music therapy and older adults – then I am calling on you to be an advocate, to help more older adults have access to meaningful, therapeutic music experiences. We can all be advocates by using our voices and energy…
Read MoreWhy People With Parkinson’s Disease Should SING
As music therapists, we at Soundscaping Source make music all the time with people who have diagnoses and limitations of various kinds. I always find it sad when people think they can’t be musical because of a diagnosis, and I find it delightful when they discover they can. So I was particularly delighted to receive…
Read More4 Times To Use Music To Support ADLs
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s Disease or a related dementia is this: When the person with dementia starts needing help with their activities of daily living (ADLs). ADLs are the basic tasks like dressing, bathing, eating, and walking that healthy adults can accomplish with little thought. For…
Read MoreThe Orchestra In Your Nursing Home
Do you have a symphony living in your nursing home? The answer might surprise you. I recently read a research article that explored the metaphor of a grand orchestra for describing a music therapy group. This group included participants with early- to mid-stage dementia. What I learned helps to explain how music therapy works for people…
Read MoreWhere Words Fail, Music Speaks
Many years ago now, I was an undergraduate studying music therapy, and my roommates and I decided it would be a great idea to write out famous quotations on construction paper and attach them to a wall – for an inexpensive, inspirational decoration, you know? Of all the quotations that I read and re-read while…
Read More6 Reasons To Use YouTube To Share Music With Older Adults
When you start sharing music with your older adults on a regular basis, you’ll need a way to access the songs and musicians that are important to them. There are many ways to track down clients’ favorite music, both low-tech (e.g. playing their own CDs or checking out CDs from the public library) and high-tech…
Read MoreHow To Fund Music Therapy In Senior Living Communities
You have heard of music therapy and have fallen in love. You want to make this valuable service available to your clients or loved ones. So now maybe you are wondering: How are we going to pay for this? The answer is a bit complex, because the main payor source for healthcare for people over…
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