Music Therapy Ideas I Wish I Had Thought of First

You know how you sometimes find things and think, "Wow! That's a GREAT idea. I wish I had thought of that!!" This post is all about those things that I wish I had thought of that actually are present in the world. 

[NOTE: If you decide to take advantage of these, let me know what you think, but also know that I get NO financial benefit from any of my recommendations.]

  1. The Music Therapy Activities Wiki - So, this is a good idea in concept and theory, but it hasn't really taken off (as far as I can see). This is a repository for therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) and offers several ways to search through the ideas contributed by others. There is an opinion survey that I just finished. This is the type of resource that I will start to recommend for all those requests for "I need a song to sing with my population" that happen on my social media feeds all the time!
  2. Music2Spark - This blog, written by JoAnn Jordan, offers ideas, situations, and opportunities for music therapists. JoAnn offers opportunities for music therapy community growth and interaction through free Facebook groups (I just joined Music Session Builders - I may get to be #200!). There are several different paths through this community of music therapists. I get her newsletter, and it always makes me think a bit more deeply about what I think about music therapy. I love the way that JoAnn fosters community as well as blogging about the things going on in her music therapy life.
  3. Heartbeat Music Therapy - This site, brought to us by Janice Lindstrom, offers several different things - a podcast, an e-book, supervision opportunities, research journal club, resources for parents, and much, much more! I have been a guest of Janice's podcast (a couple of years ago), and it was wonderful to have an opportunity to talk to someone who knows music therapy about music therapy. I love Janice's perspective on our profession, and if you look in the sidebars, she offers GREAT ideas on how to recertify with CBMT without spending much money at all!
  4. Music Therapy Mailings - This is just for fun, but it has been well worth my investment. Started by Rachel See and currently owned by Tracy Reif, this subscription service offers something others don't - STUFF! You know my love of stuff, and this is fun. Every month, I get an envelope that includes different props, therapeutic music experience ideas. and games for use with my population of choice. I received March's envelope a couple of days ago, and it included a "Guess Who" game, some rainbow clings, and a plastic spoon. I admit, the spoon puzzled me a bit, but I read the explanation and found that the spoon is for shaker egg relays! A-ha! The monthly envelopes give me a bit of creative spark every time they arrive. Now, I admit that sometimes the things that I receive aren't the most appropriate for the clients I work with now, but I practice my creative adaptation skills to see what comes out of Tracy's ideas for my clients.
What are other music therapy ideas that are out there? I am always looking for new bloggers, websites, and products that challenge me and my views of being a music therapist.

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