For Music Lovers
Easy Songwriting: “Rattlin’ Bog”
Songwriting can be a great way to foster joy and self expression. Here’s an easy songwriting experience using a traditional Irish song. (Click here for a video explanation.) “The Rattlin’ Bog” is a traditional Irish folk tune that has over 120 different recorded versions. Since it has been passed down through time by oral tradition,…
Read MoreEasy Songwriting Activity: “Winter Wishlist”
Looking for something new and fun to do during these bleak winter months? Want a break from the heaviness all around us from the pandemic and political unrest? Trying out some songwriting can be a fun and creative way to discover your friends’ and family’s favorite winter activities while also acknowledging some of the things…
Read MoreVideo: Songs for Labor Day
Can you believe it’s almost time for Labor Day? Labor Day is the first Monday of September. This holiday was originally created in 1882 to celebrate organized labor. It’s difficult to believe now, but efforts by organized labor have brought us the 40-hour work week, minimum age requirements for employment, overtime pay, safety regulations, and…
Read More10 Free Concerts and Live Streams During the Pandemic
Tired of scrolling through social media? Can’t find anything on TV, and you’ve finished binge watching all of Netflix too? How about some live music? We’ve searched far and wide for the best online concerts and live streams the internet has to offer during this unprecedented period of time when all the performers have to…
Read MoreFootball Songs? Try This Variation
It’s true – there aren’t many singable songs about football. Nothing as great as “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” for sure. The song “You Gotta Be A Football Hero” is one option, but having been written in 1933, the lyrics are a bit outdated for many of us living in the 21st century. Jock…
Read MoreAlice Grandon and a Lifetime of Accordion Music
I met Alice Grandon at North Point Nursing Home. She was playing her accordion for the residents there, as she often has done since the facility first opened in 1995 as the Louisburg Care Center. Her performance that day was dynamic and engaging. You could tell just by watching that Grandon plays for the residents…
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 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 MoreMusic Therapists Do It Differently: Session Planning
Music Therapists Do It Differently
Is it music therapy? Say you walk by a room in a hospital, and you see a person lying in bed, and a woman sitting next to her, singing “Bridge Over Troubled Water” while strumming a guitar. Maybe you think, “oh, how lovely. Music is so relaxing!” Or maybe you pass the activity room in…
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