Music Therapy

Musical Transition Tips for You and Your Child

Whether you’re singing the blues or joining in the “Hallelujah Chorus” about back-to-school time, it is important to remember that since it is a time of transition for kids, there is a lot of new and different routines for them to learn about and navigate.  Here are three ways you can help ease this transitional time.

1) Mix it up with a mix CD.  If you drive your child to school in the morning or [therapies, lessons, sports] in the afternoon, think about creating a CD together with your child.  Fire up your iTunes playlist, and ask your child to choose songs that make him/her feel happy.  Intermingle those with a few of your favorites as well for an easier commute.

2) Ask your child to share songs that they are learning in school and sing them together at bedtime.  If this is difficult for your child, you can also request that a note be sent home with this information.  This puts your child in the “teacher” role and supports their self-esteem.

3) Wind down together.  If your child comes home from school with some extra energy the way mine often does, consider finding some quiet or soothing music and pair it up with coloring or cozy up with a book together.  Your selection can be any type of music, it doesn’t have to be classical, it can be any kind of music that you find relaxing!  Having music as a natural, regular part of your environment is also great way to expose your child to a wide range of genres and artists.

Promoting Positive Connections with Older Adults

 By Emily Pellegrino, MT-BC

Are you someone who is looking to promote positive connections for an older adult in your life?  Would you like to find a way to maintain close family bonds as your parent or grandparent ages? This week we’d like to talk about how music therapy can help promote emotional intimacy when spouses and families share creative music experiences.

We often observe spouses who are living in the same nursing home, but have very little contact with one another due to differences in their mental and physical health needs.  One example that comes to mind are a husband and wife who were at different stages of Alzheimer’s, the wife still able to verbally communicate and socialize, and her husband who was non ambulatory and hadn’t spoken much more than a word or two for several years.  Music had been a huge part of their marriage whether it was going to the symphony, dancing, or singing with their 3 children during a trip cross country.  The two participated in weekly music therapy sessions which soon became the highlight of their week.  During these sessions they would hold hands and join the music therapist in singing familiar songs.  The husband who rarely spoke would even sing words or phrases to songs like “Take me out to the ball game,” or “Let me call you sweetheart.”  Often, children and grandchildren would join the music therapy sessions, reflecting on memories that the music evoked, and sharing how special it was to see their parents engaging in something together.

If you would like to learn more about how music therapy services can help improve the quality of life of your loved one please contact us, and stay tuned to read more in the months to come about how music therapy services can benefit the older adult in your life.

10 Ways that Music Therapy Can Help Older Adults

Do you have a loved parent or grandparent in your life and want to help them to connect with services that respect their dignity and improve their quality of life?  Music therapy services can be extremely beneficial for older adults both who are well and those who have physical, communication, emotional and memory needs.  Through research and clinical practice, music therapy has been shown to promote:

1. Memory recall which contributes to reminiscence and satisfaction with life

2. Positive changes in mood and emotional states

3. Increased sense of control over life through successful experiences

4. Awareness of self, others, and environment which accompanies increased attention to music

5.  Anxiety and stress reduction for both the older adult and caregivers

6.  Non-pharmacological management of pain and discomfort

7.  Stimulation which may provoke interest and awareness

8.  Structure which provides rhythmic and continuous movement or vocal fluency as an adjunct to physical rehabilitation

9.  Emotional intimacy when spouses and families share creative music experiences

10.  Social interaction with caregivers and families

Over the next several months we will delve into how client centered musical interventions can positively impact many of these areas, so stay tuned to learn more about how music therapy can help your loved one.

What is Involve Me Music?

Are you a music teacher or do you know one?  Do you want to learn how to meaningfully include your students with special needs in your music classroom.  Do you know a music educator who is struggling to organize and process all of the information that is necessary for all of their students to succeed in an inclusive environment? Do you want to see your child with special needs get more from music education or lessons?

We want to see our clients succeed in developing their musical skills beyond music therapy, and the music classroom is the natural place for this to happen.  We want to support the very busy music educators with whom we often collaborate, so we designed Involve Me Music to provide solutions including informational resources, consultation, and in-services.

Having received thousands of hits since it’s inception in January, Involve Me Music is growing an international audience.  Here are some of our “must reads” to help you get to know this valuable resource.

3 Ways that Music Therapists Can Help Music Educators (Video)

Comparing Music Therapy and Music Education

What is Your Inclusion Mindset?

Acronym Roundup

The People on Your Team

Inspiration from a Childhood Friend

Dig in and enjoy!!