Posts Tagged ‘family’
Song Spotlight: “When You Wore a Tulip and I Wore a Big Red Rose”
Mood: Light Themes: Romance, Flowers Tempo: Medium Genre/Style: Vaudeville, 1920s Spring has arrived here in the Midwest, and I have enjoyed spotting tulips blooming around the city. In introducing spring-themed songs in one of my groups last week, one of the nursing staff said she had never heard the song
Read MoreTips for Using Music to Help with Bathing
"The Music Never Stopped" – This Music Therapist’s Perspective
Yesterday, I saw the new film “The Music Never Stopped” here in Kansas City. This film is based on a case study described by the neurologist Oliver Sacks, concerning a man named Gabriel who has significant memory impairments from a brain tumor. After the tumor is removed, Gabriel is left barely interacting with the world…
Read MoreFinding Your Voice: Eight Ways to Start Singing (Again)
Music therapists sing. We encourage everyone around us to sing, too. The thing is, though, a lot of people claim that they can’t sing. Maybe at some point in their life, someone told them they couldn’t carry a tune. Maybe they were told that they were being too loud or obnoxious. Maybe they started thinking…
Read MoreWhen NOT to Hire a Music Therapist in Long-Term Care: Maximizing the Resources You Have
This post is the last in my series on hiring a music therapist in long-term care. In this series, I have described the various ways music therapists work in special care, skilled nursing and assisted living settings – including one-on-one visits, music therapy groups, and specialized music-making groups – and the particular reasons why each…
Read MoreSong Spotlight: “The Glory of Love”
Valentine’s Day is coming up next week, so that means it’s time a for a spotlight on one of my favorite love songs: “The Glory of Love.” This song was written by Billy Hill in the 1930s and made famous by Benny Goodman. It has since been covered by many singers, including Dean Martin, Otis…
Read MoreSong spotlight: “Home on the Range”
Today is the 150th anniversary of the founding of the state of Kansas, and having been born and raised in several towns and cities in this state, I am pretty excited to be celebrating the sesquicentennial! In honor of this momentous occasion, I wanted to spotlight a favorite song of many folks, Kansans and non-Kansans…
Read MoreSong spotlight: “Button Up Your Overcoat”
The temperatures are below freezing here in the Kansas City area, and there is snow and ice on the ground. Thus, our theme song for the week: “Button Up Your Overcoat.” The song starts out with these lyrics: Button up your overcoat when the wind is free Take good care of yourself – you belong…
Read MoreSelf-disclosure: How much should I share?
Since I am returning to music therapy practice after two months of maternity leave, one clinical issue that I have thought about a lot recently is the issue of self-disclosure. I have had some major events happen in my personal life, and it is sometimes tricky to figure out how much of my personal life to…
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