Xylophone Fun Christmas Edition During my teaching I found a need to create a curriculum for my students to teach them basic music reading skills. Most of my little students were learning to identify and match colors and letters. They were also learning basic reading skills. I found that my students, mostly students with special… Read More Play Simple Christmas Songs with Xylophone Fun
Rhythmsforliving.com was launched in 2009 and was the main source of information and resources for our music therapy and music education community in south Florida. Our private practice in Florida enjoyed a wonderful 6 years of community with many families and colleagues and many wonderful music therapists. When we closed the doors in 2015… Read More Seasons of Change
Music is a great way to encourage development and enhance creativity, even in the littlest ones. Especially with the little ones! Children are naturally drawn to music which makes it easy to engage them. Music also is a great way to encourage communication in these pre-verbal kiddos. When our son was just learning to… Read More Music with Babies and Toddlers: Part 1 – Music and Signing
Being a mother is a precious gift. Whether you have a biological child, an adopted child, a fostered child, or you spend quality time with someone who needs a mothering touch, motherhood is a blessing. While it may be tough at times, there is no greater gift than the bond between mother and child… Read More Celebrating Mothers: Happy Mother’s Day
My son was diagnosed with torticollis when he was about 2 months old. When he was in utero his head was titled making for a difficult delivery. The doctor actually needed to use a vacuum to assist in the delivery. Both of these facts most likely caused the torticollis. We began working with a Physical… Read More How I Use Music With My Son: Part 3 – Using Music with Physical Therapy
April is Autism Awareness month and was kicked off on April 2nd with Light it up Blue! People worldwide showed their support by donning blue shirts and ribbons, changing their light bulbs on their houses to blue, and major buildings across the world including the Pyramids, Empire State Building, Sydney Opera House, and more glowed… Read More April is Autism Awareness: Music Therapy with Autism
Autism in Infants The media has been overwhelmed with news of a recent study by UC Davis MIND Institute showing that Early Intervention may be effective in treating infants displaying early signs of autism. Last week the Today Show mentioned this study that showed the effectiveness of early intervention with babies as young as 6 months who were… Read More Early Intervention for Infants Displaying Signs of Autism
FreeNotes Guest Post by Mary Brieschke, MT-BC Freenotes Wing In my music therapy classes, I was introduced to a new instrument that is now one of my favorites to use in music therapy sessions. FreeNotes are built by Richard Cooke, and designed so that people at all experience levels can play music. Cooke has done… Read More FreeNotes: Beautiful Music Made Simple
The following is a press release from the American Music Therapy Association and can be found here: http://www.musictherapy.org/amta_press_release_on_music_therapy_-_jan_2014/ AMTA Press Release on Music Therapy – Jan. 2014 January 23, 2014 06:00 PM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jennifer Peter AMTA Communications Associate (301)589-3300, ext. 103 / jpeter@musictherapy.org Al Bumanis AMTA Director of Communications (301)589-3300, ext. 103 / Bumanis@musictherapy.org… Read More What Music Therapy Is and Is Not
The NBC Nightly News featured the use of Music Therapy in the NICU: Music Therapists at Beth Israel Hospital use voice, guitar, ocean drum, and drum. They sing traditional lullabies as well as parent preferred music sung in a lullaby style. Doctors prescribe music therapy for their patients which is then administered by board certified… Read More Music Therapy with Premature Infants: Nightly News Special
Addiction. A word that many people in society rarely want to mention. A word that is often tucked under the rug; an issue rarely addressed because fear so eagerly got in the way. Addicts are often looked upon as outcasts or “losers” of our society because of their lack of self-control, their selfishness,… Read More Music Therapy: Does it Have a Role in the Treatment of Substance Abuse?
Parents are continually discovering new ways to interact effectively with their children. They go through the ups and downs of realizing that not all of the things they heard from friends or read in books works for their child. They continually have to adapt how to communicate with their kids based on age and circumstances. … Read More Autism and Family Connection: Increasing the Parent-Child Bond with Music Therapy
Happy New Year! I’m so excited for the fresh inspiration 2013 brings and looking forward to getting back to work this week after a wonderful time with family and friends! January is Music Therapy Social Media Advocacy Month and I’ve been reading up on Music Therapy posts and tweets from Music Therapists all across the… Read More Music Therapy Adovcacy Month
Volume 2: Introducing New Songs Does your child love music? Have you thought about introducing your child to piano? Here is a simple method to introduce your child to basic music reading skills that can be later transferred to learning piano. Research shows that music engages both sides of the brain and is very beneficial… Read More Now Available: Xylophone Fun Volume 2
Music therapists like to say that we can use music with people “from birth to the grave” because we work with so many populations, with people of all ages. One of the things I appreciate about my job is that I get to work with so many different people in different stages of life. Today… Read More You Are My Sunshine…From Birth to the Grave