Thoughtful Thursday: I Need Help - What Do You Need?

A lapbook example
My post this morning started off as a celebration of all things "end of the school year," but it felt a bit repetitive and a bit shallow. As a result, I've changed my mind and my post to something else.

I need help coming up with ideas for visual aids that music therapists will use.

If you are a regular reader, then you know that I have recently started a Teachers Pay Teachers store under my business/website name. My goal for this store is to offer inexpensive visual aids in digital formats for music therapists and others. The TPT links include visuals, instructions for putting things together, and original songs and chants. My website includes links to the therapeutic music experiences of the visuals that I've developed for TPT. (I decided not to include the TME portion of the entire thing to help decrease the idea that just anyone can do music therapy...) I have my list of ideas to put up there, but I thought I would ask others what types of things they would like as well.

What types of visuals do you use or want for your music therapy practice? Do you want personalized signs or labels for things? Do you need illustrations or lyric sheets for specific songs? Do you have an original song that you want visuals for? I am looking for ideas that I can figure out, upload to TPT, and share with the greater world...

Here are some of the things that I think I can do: 
  • Lyric sheets for songs in the public domain in a variety of fonts and sizes 
  • Labels for instrument boxes and other music therapy paraphernalia
  • File folder activities for all sorts of songs, experiences, schedules, etc. (This is really what I think I do well already, so let me know what would work for you)
  • Original illustrations for specific songs
  • Cutesy illustrations for specific songs (I have bought a license to use the cute work of Dana over at Scrappin Doodles.) Her stuff is so cute.
  • I could probably figure out how to make personalized planners for music therapists - just need ideas of what other MTs want in their planners...
  • Thematic packets - I'm getting my first lapbook file ready to be posted - Halloween themed ideas for a complex file folder visual aid. Next up? Giving thanks, of course - trying to get things up about 2 months before they are needed...
So, good music therapists out there, what do you need? 

(By the way, I also have lots of free visuals that I've found over the years, so if you need something that I can find for free, I'll let you know about it! No reason to pay me for something that you can get for free!!)

My goal is to keep things pretty inexpensive for all of us out there. The two files that I have up right now are free and $2.00 respectively. Lyric sheets will be about a buck, and lapbook patterns will probably be about $7-10.00 to download. I want this to be the place where music therapists can easily find the visuals that they want and that they can afford.

Please let me know if there is anything I can draw or design for you to use with your clients. I am able to make things that are appropriate for clients of all ages and developmental levels - believe me, my clients offer me blunt criticism if things aren't age-appropriate ("MJ, I did this type of thing when I was in Kindergarten! I'm not doing this - it's for babies!").

Products for music therapists by music therapists. There you go!

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