Therapy Music

What is your denominational background? What type of music have you been exposed to in church? Have you ever heard or sung traitional hymns in your church? What element of church music gets your attetion? (i.e. lyrics, instrumentation, rhythm, etc). What is your opinion/feeling toward traditional hymns? Toward modernized gospel? Note: Names of all individuals […]

Drip, Drip, Drop Little April Showers….. a fun session idea to engage your client(s) in a variety of ways. From instrument play to potential songwriting, this song can be adapted to suit many different areas of need. Instructions Learn the song Lead sheet included in downloadable materials Use the song for instrument play/improvisation Sing through one verse […]

Feeling good feels good. In 1977, Ian Dury released his single “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll,” a phrase that would be adopted by pop culture for years to come. Sex, drugs, and music all affect the regions of our brain that comprise our “reward system,” using the neurotransmitter dopamine to communicate and enhance […]

I recently participated in the Adams County Library’s FunFest. Doesn’t the name FunFest just sound like a good time? It really was. FunFest is a free event hosted by the library system that celebrates the kick-off of their summer reading program. Community organizations and businesses host vendor booths with activities for children and information for […]

One of the questions I’m asked most often when I’m out doing presentations or workshops is, “Can you tell me what relaxation music to add to my playlist to use at home?” On the surface this sounds like an easy question– but it isn’t. That’s like asking 10 people on the street to name the […]

  On the shift from hymns to modern gospel   Jacques expressed a need for balance between the use of hymns and modern gospel music in the church. In his view, millennials and subsequent generations deserve to know and should be able to experience the richness of hymns especially considering the fact that modern gospel […]

Do you have clients who love Star Wars or the Mandalorian? Check out this video of our team member Beth playing the Mandalorian song on her bass recorder but it can be played on any size recorder. Instructions Learn to play the song on a recorder Teach clients to play: If you have enough recorders […]

Science is catching up with what music therapists have been witnessing for many decades — the fact that music can change the way a person feels, thinks, and behaves. Thanks to medical technologies, the public has awakened to the power and potential of using music in almost every health and educational context — and why […]

Therapist. Client. Two well defined roles. But what happens in music therapy when you switch up those roles? When the therapist feels what it feels like to be the client, and the client feels what it feels like to be the therapist. This idea came to me a few years ago when I was working […]

One of the most common misconceptions about music therapy is that the person receiving it needs to know all about music.  I frequently tell people that “my job is to know the music; your job is to bring an open mind and a willingness to try something new!”    Sometimes we listen to music together in […]