Finding Strength

This past week has been a very hard one for my husband's family.  They lost a very dear aunt today who was more like a grandmother to my husband than anything.  I have seen such strength in this family that is unbelievable.  Everyone came together to say their last goodbyes and it was very meaningful to all of them.  I found myself challenged.  I definitely have become close with her over the years through my husband and his extended family.  She was one of the kindest and most caring women I have ever met.  So naturally it was extremely easy to favor her.  I was asked to lead "Amazing Grace" as the family stood in a circle in the ICU around her bed.  It was extremely tough to get through the whole song without weeping.  As I sang, people joined in and stopped singing as they cried.  I had to hold it together as I sang through the first and last verse.  I could tell that with everyone singing this classic song, it meant more than words.  They felt the bond of everyone present intertwined with her spirit.  I felt that with my training as a music therapist, this helped me to keep focused on serving others that day.  It reminded me more than ever that my job is not about me.  It is all about who can be touched and what benefits can be received from music's healing properties.

Sunday Serenade 3: Four Seasons

 This is the third addition to my series Sunday Serenade.  The last couple weeks I have not been able to post due to being extremely busy!  I will try to post more regularly as much as I can.  This week, I would like to share a song with you that I wrote called, "Four Seasons."  I have been working with several of my clients on answering wh questions.  I found that a few of them have trouble answer when questions involving the seasons.  An example can include:  "When do you usually make a snowman?"  Another question I could ask is "When is it really hot outside?"  These are questions that definitely require previous knowledge of the four seasons.  So that is why I created this song describing characteristics of all the seasons.  I have been using this for over a month and I have definitely seen some improvement.  One of my clients is able to tell me all four of the seasons before we even start singing this song.  Before he could only tell me one.  Repetition with this song has been a huge factor in improvement.

 Take a listen below and you can purchase the mp3 by hitting buy underneath.  Also, if you would like to purchase the chord sheet music, hit the BUY NOW button.

There's an app for that....Falling Stars!

Even though I posted a whole month worth of iPad apps, being the enthusiast I am, I cannot resist to continue posting my favorite new apps for music therapy.  Today's post is centered around the app, "Falling Stars."  It is similar to "Soundrop" but in my opinion way more awesome!  With this app, you get to drop the stars on different lines that you drew.  The fun thing about the lines you draw is that they can be leaves, squiggles, etc.  Each type of line makes a different sound such as percussion, marimba, etc.  I love this app.  I showed a few of my clients today and they were having a lot of fun.  I actually found myself drawn in listening to the sounds and went over my session time because I was so immersed.  Let me know in the comment section if you love this FREE app too!!

This app is great for:

Fine Motor Skills
Sound Discrimination
Attention

Sunday Serenade 2: Wide Awake

For today's Sunday Serenade, I thought I would post one of my recent favorites.  The song is "Wide Awake" by Katy Perry.  The reason I like this song so much is because it can be interpreted many different ways which is perfect for songwriting or lyric analysis.  It is great for the junior high teenage population because it is current and popular and still gives a good message.  I use this with my clients by having them explain what each line means to them and how they relate to it.  I, also, can create blanks in place of words and have them fill in their own.  So here it is:

Sunday Serenade 1: I Know A Chicken

Hey hey!  I'm back!  Yes I know it has been a month since I have written.  I had to recuperate after blogging every day for a month.  That was my first try at daily posts and boy was it hard!  Don't get me wrong, I had a blast!  But I just needed a little break before jumping in again.  So today I am introducing a new series I have started called Sunday Serenade.  Every Sunday, I will serenade you with a new video post of my favorite songs used for music therapy interventions or my favorite songs in general.  One of my hobbies is posting the latest and greatest music in cover form.  So enjoy my new series with this first video post:  I Know a Chicken by Laurie Berkner Band!