Posts Tagged ‘session planning’
Music Therapists Do It Differently: Supporting Movement
Music Therapists Do It Differently: Session Planning
Song Spotlight: “Mama Tried”
Mood: Regretful, Defiant, Wistful Theme: Regret, Motherhood/Parenting Tempo: Moderately Fast Genre/style: Classic Country Mother’s Day is coming up in a few days, and in honor of the holiday, I’ve been sharing many songs about motherly advice and love with clients in music therapy. In fact, a few that I’ve spotlighted before work well for this holiday,…
Read MoreHow I Start Group Music Therapy Sessions
How to Create the Ideal Environment for Group Activities for Seniors
As a music therapist, I facilitate group sessions in a variety of settings. Every nursing home or assisted living facility or senior apartment building I go to has a different place for activity programming, and some are definitely better than others. Of course, some of the advantage or disadvantage comes from the construction of the…
Read MoreSong Spotlight: “Hound Dog”
Mood: Upbeat, full of attitude Theme: Dogs and/or freeloading gigolos Tempo: Moderate Genre/style: Rhythm and blues/Rock and roll We have a new family member in our house! This one gets around on four legs and has very long, droopy ears. His name is Duke, and he’s the adorable basset hound pictured above. I alluded to the inevitable canine addition…
Read MoreSong Spotlight: “Cuddle Up a Little Closer, Lovey Mine”
Mood: Sentimental, tender Theme: Love, physical tenderness Tempo: Relaxed Genre/style: Popular/Easy Listening Love songs appear frequently in music therapy sessions, especially when the goal is bringing loved ones together in the music. There are so many GOOD love songs, too, which is to be expected, I guess, since love has been the subject of artists of…
Read MoreWhat Happened in One Group Music Therapy Session
Song Spotlight: “How Ya Gonna Keep ’em Down on the Farm?”
Mood: Lighthearted, Goofy Themes: Country life vs. City life, Returning from War Tempo: Upbeat Genre/style: 1920s popular song Something you find out about songs is that if you ponder them long enough and share them with enough people, multiple layers of meaning begin to emerge. Those layers may be deliberate on the part of the…
Read MoreSong Spotlight: “Amahl and the Night Visitors”
Mood: Ranges from sad/anxious to joyous Themes: Christmas, visiting the Christ child, miracles Tempo: Varies Genre/Style: Opera (English) Here it is, December 22nd, and I have spent the last month singing tons of holiday songs. Any of them would be worthy of a song spotlight here, but today, I just want to share my personal…
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